Fueling helicopters...

[BCTAv8r]

sucks. Unless you like to take 30 minutes to do a top off and when you're done the fuel comes right back out till you put the fuel cap on.:banghead:

 

[n57flyguy]

I hot fueled a piston helo before, not to fun. Hearing the pilot tell you "It just hurts a little when going back to get the fuel hose isn't too comforting. Next time tell them you don't hot fuel...then the word willg et around, and problem solved

 

[BCTAv8r]

Company policy is no hot fuelings. It sucks enough to do it with the engine off.

I wish helos had SPR.

 

[fly4food84]

I wish helos had SPR.

A lot of military helos do.

The ones I dislike the most are Bell 212's and some old Jet Rangers which take forever for the fuel to seep into that back tank.

 

[jdlilfan]

The Bell 212 (430) Series and the some Jet Rangers can be tough. The Sikorsky S-58 has to be the worse I have done. Both piston and turbine versions. The low-lead nozzle doesn't seem to fit nor does the J-nozzle, so all three tanks have to be filled very slowly... The worst I can think of single point wise has to be the AH-64 Apache, especially when there is ordinance on the wing. It takes a while to get everything lined up and when there is ordinance you cant run the hose over the pylons to line up the nozzle any easier.

Easiest to fuel chopper wise has to be anything else single point. The Erikson Air Crane as well as the Chinook have probably been the easiest in my experience. Over the wing style would have to go to the BO-105 or the BK-117. Robinson's are also pretty easy and quick to fill up.

 

[N519AT]

The Bell 212 (430) Series and the some Jet Rangers can be tough. The Sikorsky S-58 has to be the worse I have done. Both piston and turbine versions. The low-lead nozzle doesn't seem to fit nor does the J-nozzle, so all three tanks have to be filled very slowly... The worst I can think of single point wise has to be the AH-64 Apache, especially when there is ordinance on the wing. It takes a while to get everything lined up and when there is ordinance you cant run the hose over the pylons to line up the nozzle any easier.

Easiest to fuel chopper wise has to be anything else single point. The Erikson Air Crane as well as the Chinook have probably been the easiest in my experience. Over the wing style would have to go to the BO-105 or the BK-117. Robinson's are also pretty easy and quick to fill up.

Blackhawks are very easy to fuel, SPR. Seahawks as well, but we had one take 540 gal the other day.

We don't get too many helis in besides Blackhawks, a Bell 430 and BO-105s.

Our company policy is no hot fueling as well.

 

[triplec76]

I once had 4 Chinooks land at once all wanting 1600gal each. Sometimes it sucks having the only private government contract in the state.