Convince me I don't want to do an intro flight

K

KSCessnaDriver

Well-Known Member
As the thread title states, please convince me I don't want to do an intro flight in a helicopter. I've been looking at it more and more recently, and actually have tried twice to get one scheduled, in two different places. One never returned my calls and the other wanted at least a week notice to get it in the schedule.

For some reason, the last few months of watching helicopters have made me realize (again) how much fun I think it would be. Someone try to talk some sense into me, please?


Also, what's a good helicopter to train in for a guy who is right at the seat limit on an R22?
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
As the thread title states, please convince me I don't want to do an intro flight in a helicopter.

Someone try to talk some sense into me, please?
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No. Im not going to be your enabler.

Also, what's a good helicopter to train in for a guy who is right at the seat limit on an R22?
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R44 will work. Hughes 300 might work too. Biggest thing is going to be hourly cost. It's expensive.
 
I sit around with fling-wing pilots 12 hours a day when I'm on shift. I can't help you because I think (more than I did previously) that they're totally freaking awesome. One of these days I'm going to sabotage the plane so it'll be out of service and I can go for a ride when they get a call. I mean, you have to be totally nuts to want to fly something with so many critical bits that might break and kill you at any moment. And it turns out I'm totally nuts. If you've got the bread, I say do it soonest.

PS. I once asked one of the (cute) flight nurses whether it wasn't a whole lot more fun riding around in the air-conditioned, relatively smooth fixed wing over those terrifying helos that are just waiting for an excuse to fall out of the sky. Her response: "Yeah, it's nice, but it's not as sexy..." I was about 4 ft tall for the rest of THAT flight.
 
Boris Badenov said:
PS. I once asked one of the (cute) flight nurses whether it wasn't a whole lot more fun riding around in the air-conditioned, relatively smooth fixed wing over those terrifying helos that are just waiting for an excuse to fall out of the sky. Her response: "Yeah, it's nice, but it's not as sexy..." I was about 4 ft tall for the rest of THAT flight.
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My last medevac we had, we had to take the CBP Blackhawk to the trauma center helipad in downtown TUS on top of the building. It barely fits up there. As the onboard medic for this particular shift rather than pilot, the other backender and I had to offload our patient into the waiting gurney (no medical staff on pad, we wheel the patient down to the trauma bay for the transfer) and take him down the elevator to the trauma room. The looks and treatment we get from the hospital staff in our full LEO flight gear still on while wheeling our patient in....you'd think some sort of celebrities walked in. Well, besides NatGeo's Border Wars, we aren't much different from anyone else.
 
Heh. I once walked into a grocery store in my kickass Sauna Suit (Yeah, screw you, I was on the way home and whilst I hate tools who parade around in their Pilot Suits, I'm not driving an extra 10 minutes to change and drive an extra 10 minutes back to the store so some tool doesn't think I'M a tool), and the cop guarding the checkout lane asked me whether I "fly medevac helicopters". I said something to the effect of "no, I fly fixed wing air ambo". In the two seconds it took to say that I watched her eyes glaze over. She wished me a wonderful night while she returned to scanning the aisles for potential malfeasants and I left. Say what you will, chicks dig helos. Most likely in approximately the same way they dig stuntmen and David Koresh, but still.
 
Boris Badenov said:
Say what you will, chicks dig helos. Most likely in approximately the same way they dig stuntmen and David Koresh, but still.
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True that. Some of the nurses I run into are so freaking nutcase-ish, they could be modern day members of the Manson family on the side and I'd never know it.
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
As the thread title states, please convince me I don't want to do an intro flight in a helicopter. I've been looking at it more and more recently, and actually have tried twice to get one scheduled, in two different places. One never returned my calls and the other wanted at least a week notice to get it in the schedule.

For some reason, the last few months of watching helicopters have made me realize (again) how much fun I think it would be. Someone try to talk some sense into me, please?


Also, what's a good helicopter to train in for a guy who is right at the seat limit on an R22?
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Do the intro. Even if you just get an hour in helo your whole life, it's a pretty awesome hour.
 
Ian J said:
Do the intro. Even if you just get an hour in helo your whole life, it's a pretty awesome hour.
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Fully intend on doing so. Just a matter of getting in the right location with my job and having enough time to schedule it. Heck, since I've learned to hover in what I fly now, the whole helicopter thing has turned more and more appealing to me.
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
Fully intend on doing so. Just a matter of getting in the right location with my job and having enough time to schedule it. Heck, since I've learned to hover in what I fly now, the whole helicopter thing has turned more and more appealing to me.
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At least you don't have to deal with noise abatement restrictions......
 
MikeD said:
At least you don't have to deal with noise abatement restrictions......
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No, but many ATCT's expect us to automatically know the helicopter routes for the area, even if they aren't charted. You'd be surprised the amount of noise one can make at 1,000 feet with an airship.
 
I took a couple of helicopter lessons when I was in Vegas instructing a while ago. It was really cool and I wish I could devote the money to get the rating. I will say this and maybe it is just because it was Vegas, but, women seem to love flashing truck drivers and helo pilots! We even backed up for some better looks at the pools haha.
 
rjmore said:
I took a couple of helicopter lessons when I was in Vegas instructing a while ago. It was really cool and I wish I could devote the money to get the rating. I will say this and maybe it is just because it was Vegas, but, women seem to love flashing truck drivers and helo pilots! We even backed up for some better looks at the pools haha.
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No doubt it's expensive to do. I'm at the point where, I could probably afford to go get the private rating right now (crazy, considering I've been out of ERAU for a year). In any case, an intro flight is for sure on the plan when I can get it in. Getting the rating is probably a year or more out, but something I'm really considering doing, to make myself more marketable down the road.
 
Well I will jump in with everyone else and say do it!! Flying helicopters is the most fun you can have with your clothes on! Its a constant battle inside trying to decide between a helicopter or airplane career. I will take what I can get until I can fly one for fun and one for pay!
 
Update: Got an hour in an R22 today. I now understand why helicopters are so much fun, yet frustrating. Hovering is the craziest thing ever (hovering in the blimp really isn't hard).
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
Update: Got an hour in an R22 today. I now understand why helicopters are so much fun, yet frustrating. Hovering is the craziest thing ever (hovering in the blimp really isn't hard).
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If you've seen it, think of Paul Rudd's character from Forgetting Sarah Marshall when he's teaching the dude how to surf. "You're doing too much. Do less." The more relaxed you are on the controls, the easier hovering will be.
 
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