t he journal of t he prof ess ional he l i cop t er p i lo t

Helicopter IFRin the

Gulf of Mexico

Aut orot at e i s t he of f i c ia l publ i cat ion of t he Prof ess ional Hel i cop t er P i lo ts ’ Assoc iat ion (PHPA)

By Dana Raaz

page 14 - The Army Aviation Heritage Foundation

From the President

Letters to the Editor

Live & Learn–“Stupid is as Stupid Does”

“Purely Pete”–Are YouListening, Looking?

Test Pilot

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4

18

20

22

COLUMNS

Heli-Expo 2006

Helicopter IFR in the Gulf of Mexico

ILS—the Final 200 Feet

The Army Aviation Heritage Foundation

Plan B from Outer Montana

5

8

12

22

20

FEATURES

Aeromedical Q & Afrom Virtual Flight Surgeons

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& MORE

Volume 6 www.autorotate.com Issue 1 winter 2006

www.bellhelicopter.com/training 800-368-2355 BTAAdmin@bellhelicopter.textron.com

Volume 6 Issue 1

Publisher:The Professional Helicopter Pilots’ AssociationManaging Editor:Anthony FonzeDesign:Studio 33Editorial Assistance:Michael Sklar

Autorotate is owned by the Professional HelicopterPilots’ Association (PHPA). Autorotate (ISSN 1531-166X) is published every other month for $30.00 peryear by PHPA, 354 S. Daleville Ave, Suite B, Daleville,AL 36322.

Copyright © 2006, Professional Helicopter Pilots’Association. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole orin part is strictly prohibited. It is illegal to make copiesof this publication. Printed in the U.S.A. by unionemployees.

Subscriptions:Subscriptions are provided to current members of PHPA.PHPA membership is offered at $60.00 per year.Promotional discounts may be offered. For a completelist of membership benefits go to www.autorotate.org.Single issue reprints offered, when available, for $5.00each. To become a member of PHPA or to notify PHPA ofa change of address, contact PHPA at 354 S. DalevilleAve, Suite B, Daleville, AL 36322. Phone 334-598-1031 Fax 334-598-1032. The Toll Free Number is 1-866-FOR-PHPAE-mail publisher@autorotate.com.PHPA members may submit address changes atwww.autorotate.org. Local members may submit addresschanges through their locals. Local members with e-mailaddresses, who are not registered at the website, shouldcontact their locals.

Article Contributions and EditorialComments:Article contributions, including ideas, freelance stories,an interest in assignment articles, Live and Learn experiences, photographs, and comments are welcomeand should be sent to autorotate, 3160 N. San Remo,Tucson, AZ 85715. Phone 520-906-2485. Fax 520-298-7439. E-mail editor@autorotate.org.Autorotate and PHPA are not responsible for materialssubmitted for review.

Notice:The information contained herein has been researchedand reviewed. However, Autorotate and PHPA do notassume responsibility for actions taken by any pilot oraircraft operator based upon information containedherein. Every pilot and aircraft operator is responsible forcomplying with all applicable regulations.

Cover: Larry Getchell

In preparation for the PHPA 2006Human Factors Safety Conference wewill soon email a questionnaire to all ofour members to see where you want us tofocus our efforts on safety issues. As youknow, PHPA is now a member of theInternational Helicopter Safety Team. Inorder for us to be an effective representa-tive of our membership we must learnwhat our membership thinks about amyriad of safety issues. The only way toaccomplish this is through a detailedquestionnaire which we are currentlydeveloping. In the process of creating thisinstrument we feel it is vitally importantthat our members have their thoughtsrepresented. If you have any particularthoughts on areas of safety that need tobe addressed please send your ideas toPHPASafety@autorotate.org. You canpose them as questions which you feelneed to be asked or as topics which needto be covered. Our safety team will takeit from there.

Once the questionnaire is completed itwill be emailed to everyone for theirresponses. These responses will be com-piled and used at our Safety Conferencein October as a platform to fine-tune ourmessage to IHST. This will be your bestopportunity to have a say in the directionthis international safety effort will takeover the coming years with respect toyou the pilot and the cockpit environmentyou will find yourselves dealing with.So, participate and help mold the direc-tion this effort will take, or do not partici-pate and let the rest of the industry makethe decisions for you. Personally I lookforward to collecting some very valuableinformation from our members coveringthe wide range of safety concerns.

PHPA Human Factors SafetyConference 2006:

The PHPA Human Factors SafetyConference will be held at the "GrandCasino/Hotel" in Tunica, MS just a fewminutes from Memphis International

Airport. The conference dates are 26-29October 2006. The conference websiteshould be online by mid April. There willbe a link available on the PHPA websiteand I will also email the membership assoon as we get it up and running. I hopeto see you all there supporting us andyour profession.

The PHPA Website:

Leah Harlow, our new office manager,has been working diligently to get thewebsite on track. Currently she is updat-ing the Employer Comparison pages butis having difficulty obtaining currentinformation from several companies. Ifyou get the chance, please check out theEmployer Comparisons at www.autoro-tate.org and if you have current informa-tion on a company please fill out theonline form so Leah can make theupdates.

Also, when you have a spare moment,please go to www.autorotate.org andupdate your profile information. Thisinformation is vital for us in our effortsto keep you, the PHPA member, updatedon our efforts to improve all aspects ofour profession. It also is the only waywe can get information to you so you canin turn let us know how you feel aboutthe many areas of our profession whichneed improving. Communication is vitalbetween the staff and the members.Without it we would effectively be work-ing blind. Please keep your contactinformation updated so you can play anactive role in helping us shape the futureof our chosen profession.

Butch GraftonPresident, The Professional HelicopterPilots’ Association (PHPA) PHPA International354 S. Daleville Ave, Suite BDaleville, AL 36322Butch@autorotate.org

3

From the President: PHPA and Safety

Inside this issue…

Most of us are VFR pilots. If we even have

our instrument ratings, the knowledge and skills

associated with them are frequently collecting

dust in the attics of our brains. We think of heli-

copter instrument flight as more of an abstract

concept than a reality. Increasingly, this is not

so. Our feature story, “IFR in the Gulf of

Mexico”, by Dana Raaz reminds us of this as

does the article by Jeff Smith, “ILS—the Final

200 Feet”. I had fun reading these articles,

using them to help dust-off my own instrument

knowledge.

More dusting is required!

Tony

Dear Tony,

My cudos to Scott Rivers. We needmore like him.

I am very disappointed that you keepprinting the stuff from Pete Gillies.Telling new pilots to go ahead and landdownwind without talking about settlingwith power, loss of tail rotor effective-ness, out of ground effect hover, rearward acceleration… The 500 he is flyingwill do almost anything you want it to. Itoo flew and instructed in the army’sLOHs, but a bell 206L at gross weight,coming into a rooftop pad downwind andyou better have all the ducks in a row.First, it must hover out of ground effectat that temp and altitude and I’ll guaran-tee on the approach is not the time to findit won’t. Be ready for increased loads onthe tail rotor system if the wind is quar-tering from the tail. The additional thrustneeded to keep the tail into the windmust be added onto the power required tohover out of ground effect and accelerateto the rear. So just doing an out ofground effect hover check is not enough.Now, the down draft in addition to thetail wind—that is a whole nother thing.And it does happen in the mountains andfor that matter next to any obstacle. Theapproach downwind must be kept

painfully slow. The rate of descent mustnot exceed 300 ft./min.

Talking to a helicopter is not too bad,but to actually think it is talking back??

Max Martin

Editor’s Response:

I thank you very much, Max, for sending in

your comments. They’re well thought-out.

Often, people will think something, but never

bother to send it in. It does make a difference.

Before directly answering your points, let me

first explain what I’m trying to accomplish with

Pete’s column. Today’s civilian training environ-

ment has become very restrictive. With hourly

costs of training typically well over $200 and

insurance liability payments rising annually,

flight schools are reduced to teaching only the

basics. Most students come out well-prepared to

pass their check-rides, but sometimes not much

else. They understand settling with power, LTE,

retreating blade stall, etc. But they have never

received any instruction on many of the occa-

sional requirements of real jobs: lining your air-

craft up on a helipad with the wind coming the

wrong way, occasional downwind approaches,

uncertain wind direction, mountain landings, etc.

What I’m hoping to accomplish with Pete’s col-

umn is to bring insight into some of these other

areas by sharing both Pete’s experiences and

those of many other PHPA pilots who have ‘been

there and done that’ repeatedly. I want the col-

umn to be a forum for collecting and disseminat-

ing hard-to-gain, real-world experiences. We can

no longer afford to keep those experiences to

ourselves. We need to share them with our newer

pilots.

Having said that, I admittedly didn’t do a very

good job with Pete’s initial column. At my direc-

tion, Pete was attempting to address those

aspects of flying in the wind that go beyond the

basics. In retrospect, I should have set the stage

a little clearer for our readers and we should

have given strong mention of all of the points

you brought out in your letter—for two reasons.

First, so you wouldn’t think that we didn’t know

better. And second, so that newer pilots reading

this article wouldn’t get the wrong idea.

I vow to do better in the future, though I still

think the original concept for the column is an

important one—a forum for sharing years of

hard-earned experience with our peers.

I can assure you and all of our readers that

Pete Gillies is a hugely experienced pilot and

instructor and is held in great esteem by the

100s, maybe 1,000s of professional pilots that

have taken his advanced training courses. The

problem doesn’t lie with Pete, it lies with me.

Your letter, however, has given me an idea.

I’d like to take Pete’s column and use it as a

launching pad to solicit additional input, com-

ments, experiences, etc. that we can share. I’d

like readers, like yourself, to send in additional

inputs, examples, etc. in response to Pete’s

Column and we’ll find the space in the maga-

zine to print them. It could be a wonderful

forum for the sharing of experience—experi-

ences that will one day be lost if we don’t pass

them on.

There is one point in your letter that I have to

take minor issue with—I liked the conversation

with the helicopter. I thought it provided a good

metaphor for the concept of how the helicopter

perceives the wind. We talk to our helicopters

all the time. Why shouldn’t they answer back on

occasion?

Thanks again for the input.

Tony

Dear Tony,

Scott Rivers is one of my new heroesafter reading your article in the latestAutorotate. What a background, and he’sstill learning! A patriot/warrior to boot. Isalute Scott for making a stand on theOmniFlight pilot issue. If the appropriatepeople had listened to him, there’d befour more people around today and onemore helicopter to help save lives.

And, I always wondered who it wasthat had the ‘cajones’ to test fly the Mini-500—not me! You de MAN, Scott!

Sincerely,

Dorcey

Dear Tony,

Another fine magazine, Tony! Ithought Pete’s article was great.

C. M.

END

Letters to the Editor

4

Letters received in response toAutorotate, Volume 5, Issue 5 2005

Like most Helicopter AssociationInternational conventions, Heli-Expo2006 gave pilots a preview of whatthey’ll be flying two or three years downthe road: the just-unveiled Bell 417; theAgusta Grand; heck, maybe even MDs, ifnew Chairman of the Board Lynn Tiltoncan deliver on her promise to turn thatstruggling company around.

Yet if the convention (held February 26to 28 in Dallas) has a lasting legacy, itwon’t be what we fly, but how. Heli-Expo 2006 marked the effective launchof the new International HelicopterSafety Team. HAI and other members ofthe team (including PHPA) want to cutthe helicopter accident rate by 80 percentin 10 years — and that’s going to take anindustry-wide shake-up of the way busi-ness gets done.

International Helicopter Safety Team(IHST)

“It’s achievable ... but it takes a lot ofdedication,” said David Downey, manag-er of the FAA Rotorcraft Directorate anda co-chair of the IHST, at a Heli-Expopress conference. “But we have a layeredstructure out there that will help us getout the initiatives we put forward.”

The IHST stems directly from theInternational Helicopter SafetySymposium that took place in Montreallast September. That’s where a broadcoalition of operators, manufacturers andregulatory agencies came together toresolve that the current helicopter acci-dent rate is unacceptable — and to set theambitious 80 percent target for improvingit. The Professional Helicopter PilotAssociation sent 4 members to the con-ference as representatives of the pilotcommunity itself.

The team is modeled after theCommercial Aviation Safety Team,

CAST, which has made notable stridestoward improving the safety record ofscheduled air carriers. As Downey noted,the IHST is not an FAA initiative, but avoluntary, cooperative effort betweenorganizations in all sectors of the indus-try.

So Heli-Expo 2006 — which broughtall of those diverse players together —was the logical launching point for anundertaking that will demand communi-cation and coordination.

“You’ve got everybody to the table,”said Downey. “Nobody’s trying to pin aspecific issue on a specific group.”

Dallas was where the team began todevelop a plan of action. According toDowney, its first step will be to assemblea committee to analyze accident statistics,information that’s already readily accessi-ble. “The data’s out there,” he said.“That’s what helps this whole thing.”Then, the team will look at interventionstrategies, moving forward on those thatmake the best economic sense.

“The next part of this that’s really criti-

cal is making a business case that safetypays,” Downey said. That applies to thesmaller, Part 91 operators, too: “that’sgoing to be the tough nut to crack,” headded.

Bell’s Premier Pilot Program

The IHST will meet again in May.Meanwhile, individual operators andmanufacturers are moving forward ontheir own safety initiatives — like thePremier Pilot training program now beinglaunched by Bell.

According to Marty Wright, Bell’schief flight instructor, this two-year, mis-sion-specific program is “like a master’scourse, but focused toward pilots.” Inyear one, pilots will undergo two weeksof ground, simulator and flight training atBell’s factory school. In year two, they’llreturn for an additional week of training.“What we’re focusing it towards is train-ing decision-making,” said Wright.

The initial, invitation-only run of thePremier Pilot program was scheduled forthe last week of March. It should be opento the public later this year. Because the

www.autorotate.com

5Photography: Bell Helicopter

Heli-Expo 2006By Elan Head

specialized nature of the training provid-ed (and its $20,000 price tag) will neces-sarily limit enrollment, Bell is targetingchief pilots and check pilots who canshare what they learn with others.

Not surprisingly, the insurance industryhas reacted favorably to the concept,Wright said. But in the process of creat-ing safer pilots, Bell also aims to estab-lish a new professional standard.

“Our intent is to provide you with acard (certifying completion),” Wrightexplained. “And our hope is that if some-one is in a job interview, they can pullout that card.”

One other thing: to maintain PremierPilot status, you’ll need to repeat the fullcourse of training every two years. Why?Wright says that for most pilots and mostratings, “once they achieve that rating,they never look at that stuff again.” Haveyou reviewed your FAR/AIM lately?

Other notes from the convention floor:

Bell unveiled its new 417 model, a 407with more: more power, more payload,more headroom.

The helicopter will be powered by anew 970-shp Honeywell HTS900 turbineengine and be able to take off about 250pounds heavier than the 407 on which it’sbased. Plus, the greater headroom in itscockpit should accommodate most pilots,helmets and all.

The prototype 417 was scheduled to flyin April; certification and delivery isexpected in 2008. Bell took 46 orders forthe 417 at the convention, so you’ll beseeing this one around.

MD Helicopters

“Are we back? No. But are we on ourway? Absolutely.” So said Lynn Tilton,the new chairman of the board of MDHelicopters, at a Heli-Expo press confer-ence. Tilton’s $5 billion investment fund,Patriarch Partners, purchased MD last

year. And this hard-charging womansounds ready to shake things up — atMD and beyond.

“The industry’s supply chain is indeli-bly flawed,” Tilton said, explaining whyshe’s bringing more of the company’smanufacturing in-house.

MD will immediately begin productionof its single-engine fuselages inMonterrey, Mexico through anotherPatriarch company, Global AutomotiveSystems. And Patriarch recently acquiredHeritage Aviation, with plans to acquiremore aerospace manufacturers in thefuture.

The goal? According to Tilton, it’sshorter waits for parts and better cus-tomer service for MD’s commercial cus-tomers, regardless of the company’s suc-cess in its bid for the Army’s LightUtility Helicopter contract.

“My dream for MD is to be first andforemost number one in customer serviceand right there next to it, the safest heli-copter in the world,” Tilton said.

Robinson Helicopters

Frank Robinson would like to see theR44 Raven I replace the ubiquitous R22as a primary trainer. “It’s going to be alot easier to teach someone how to flyand a lot safer,” he said in Dallas. Andwhile the Raven I will be more expensiveto operate, he said, “we’ll do everythingwe can to narrow that gap.” Already,some insurance companies have indicatedthat they would be willing to insure theRaven I and the R22 at the same rate, henoted.

Robinson continues to investigate thepossibility of an R44 wings-leveler orautopilot, though such a system is farfrom production. And while there’s noword yet on Robinson’s next helicopter(which could be an R55, R66 or R77),the company persists in the search for anengine that’s lightweight, powerful and

inexpensive enough to carry on theRobinson tradition.

Robinson is also trying to renew inter-est in the company’s lightweight rooftophelipads, and is targeting industrial parksas a first market. “Right now, you’reforced to land at airports most of thetime,” he said. “That does not takeadvantage of the capabilities of the heli-copter.”

FLY IT Simulators

FLY IT’s inexpensive simulators havebecome extremely popular with flightschools and operators, and at Heli-Expo,the company showed off a full-cockpitBell 206 model that can be used to prac-tice start-up and shut-down procedures(including hot starts). Given the cost of areal hot start, it’s obviously an effectiveway to train.

Another company, Aerosimulators,demonstrated its new simulator with theOptical Crew Resource Analyser(OCRA) system. OCRA attaches to aflight or bicycle helmet and preciselytracks and records the wearer’s eyemovements. (Think you have a goodscan? Think again.) OCRA can also bepurchased independently, so you canwear it on real flights as well as in thesim.

Heli-Expo 2006 was this reporter’sfirst HAI convention. My overridingimpression was that now is a good timeto be in the industry: manufacturers areposting record sales, and that means moredemand for qualified pilots. Rotorcrafttechnology is reaching new heights (a25,000’ ceiling for the prototypeBell/Agusta BA609 Tilt Rotor; a 29,035’record for the AStar that scaled MountEverest — both were on display inDallas). But if the IHST accomplishes itsgoals, 2016 will be even better. Checkback for updates.

END

6

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Answer:: No. If your FAA airmanmedical certificate expires during thetime you are on extended sick leave, yousimply re-apply for a new FAA airmanmedical certificate after your treatingphysician has released you to return tounrestricted activity. If you are otherwisequalified, your FAA Examiner shouldissue a new medical certificate at thattime. Do not take a FAA medical exami-nation if you are not qualified due to atemporary condition. The FAA Examinerwill have to “defer” your application toFAA offices for review. This may resultin delays of weeks to months until youcan get your medical certificate back,even if you are healthy.

Question: I was recently hospitalized,but my physician has released me back towork. Should I report this prior toreturning to flight duty?

Answer: Provided you have a currentFAA airman medical certificate, you neednot necessarily report being hospitalized,per se, to the FAA. You may, however,have to report the reason for hospitaliza-tion before returning to flight duty.Unless your treating physician is familiarwith the FAA regulations regarding air-man medical certification, do not assumethat you are ready to return to the cock-pit. Always check with your AME orcontact the Virtual Flight SurgeonsAeromedical Office before returning towork following hospitalization.

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Answer: VFS physicians always rec-ommend that pilots seek medical evalua-tion for any symptoms of concern and tofollow there physician’s recommenda-tions for treatment. Preserving yourhealth is the best way to protect and pro-long your career as a pilot. If varioustreatment options are available for med-ical conditions, VFS physicians can dis-cuss the aeromedical implications andreporting requirements for each treatmentoption.

The Virtual Flight Surgeons aeromedical

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END

www.autorotate.com

Q & A, Courtesy Virtual Flight Surgeons© Virtual Flight Surgeons® Inc.

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7Photography: Virtual Flight Surgeons, Inc.

“Petroleum 392 is cleared from 7LS3to coordinates 2733-9227 as filed, main-tain five thousand, squawk 5622, depar-ture frequency is 124.3, hold for release.Advise when ready for departure.”

This simple statement ends the firstpart of an IFR flight in the Gulf ofMexico (GOM) and starts the secondpart. The first part, of course, is PLAN-NING, and this is by far the most impor-tant and difficult part of the process.Important because, as with any flight,proper planning will provide for a goodprobability that the helicopter will arrivesafely at its intended destination and ifnot, assure that it arrives safely at someother location (i.e. an “alternate”).Difficult? Yes, simply because of thelimited range of our flying machines andthe myriad rules and regulations that gov-ern IFR flight in general.

Typically the medium-twin helicopterslack the range and payload capability tobe of much value when the entire regionis socked in. They don’t have the rangeto fly to an offshore destination, shoot amissed approach, and proceed backonshore and far enough inland to get toan airport that has significantly betterweather. The heavy-twins fare better butit’s all relative. Even the Sikorsky S-92with its 3+45 fuel endurance and 145 ktcruise will have difficulty finding a suit-able alternate under these conditions,especially when its destination is 200+NM offshore.

Helicopter IFR in the Gulf of Mexico

Cover story

Fortunately a more common weathersituation is for the area right along thecoast to be fogged in. From 20 milesnorth of the beach to 50 miles south ofthe beach the conditions will often beclose to “zero-zero” but north and southof this area the conditions will graduallyimprove to VFR. On these days the VFRhelicopters stay tied down at their basesand every IFR helicopter waits in line fora clearance.

So, are you ready to ride along? JimWarren and I are “crew-changing” thedrillship “C.R. Luigs” in Walker Ridgeblock 206, 170 NM south of our base inMorgan City (7LS3). Since there is nocertified weather reporting facility in thisarea we have filed “short” to the“Brutus” platform in Green Canyonblock 158 (117 NM from 7LS3). TheirAWOS is reporting 500 overcast and 3miles visibility in haze. We will shootthe approach there and proceed VFR tothe “C.R. Luigs”. Our alternate isLafayette (LFT), located 50 NM north-west of Morgan City and they are report-ing 1,000 broken, 7 miles visibility, andforecast to improve as the day goes on.

Since the S-92 only needs 4,100 lbs offuel to fly to our destination, miss on theapproach and then fly to our alternatewith IFR reserves, we are able to carry afull load of nineteen passengers. If ourdestination was farther out or our alter-nate was farther north we would have to

start dropping passengers and addingmore fuel.

IFR navigation in the GOM is predicat-ed on a grid system of intersectionsspaced 20 NM apart. Each intersection isnamed by its relationship to an onshoreVOR (left, centered, or right) and its dis-tance along the lines of longitude (alpha-betically north to south). Our first report-ing point is the TBDCC (pronounced

Tibby-Charlie-Charlie). It is based on theTibby VOR (TBD), “Centered” longitudesegment (C as opposed to L or R) and“Charlie” latitude (20 NM south of“Bravo” and 20 NM north of “Delta).Moving from intersection to intersectioncan be accomplished by flying North-South, East-West, or diagonally. Sincethe majority of the flight is in a non-radarenvironment each intersection that incor-porates a change in course becomes amandatory reporting point. Our routing isas follows: 7LS3 direct TBDCC direct

TBDRD direct TBDRG directN2748W9039. In English this is MorganCity to the Tibby Charlie-Charlie to theTibby Romeo-Delta to the Tibby Romeo-Fox to Green Canyon block 158. Pleasesee the attached GOM IFR chart and thisshould start to make sense.

After completing the “before-IFR-take-off” checklist we advise New OrleansDeparture that we are ready for takeoff.

“Roger Petroleum 392 you are released atthis time. Climb to and maintain 2,000,expect 5,000 10 minutes after departure.Enter controlled airspace on a heading of090 and report reaching 2,000. Void ifnot off by 1310, time now 1302.”

We call for and receive taxi instruc-tions from the Morgan City tower andtaxi out to the 1200 ft. “fly-way”. Wecan’t call it a runway because this isn’tan “airport” but for all intents and pur-poses we treat it just like a runway. Aswe taxi out we activate our company

9Photography: Chart, Hal Johnson; other shots, Larry Getchell

By Dana Raaz Photography by Larry Getchell and Hal Johnson

flight plan over the satellite communica-tions system and then confirm with thePHI Communication Center that theyhave received the flight plan. Satellitecommunications is a great tool when it’sworking correctly but unfortunately it’sonly about 70% reliable and we spend alot of time on the radio with the CommCenter taking care of business the oldfashioned way.

Once cleared for takeoff Jim picks upto a 10 ft hover, checks the hover powerand begins a “Cat A” takeoff. I call“DP” (Decision Point) at 55 kts and Jimpitches the nose up and begins a climb aswe accelerate to BROC (best rate ofclimb) speed. Once “DP” is called thereisn’t room to reject the takeoff and set thehelicopter back down on the fly-way sofrom here on out we are committed toflying off, even if we should lose anengine. We enter the overcast at 300 ft.and at 1,000 ft Jim turns to a heading of090 and calls for the “after takeoff check-list”. Once the “after takeoff” checklistis complete I make our first call; “NewOrleans Departure, Petroleum 392 is withyou climbing through 1300 for 2,000”.

“Roger Petroleum 392, squawk ident.”

A few second later we hear: “Petroleum392 is radar contact two miles northeastof Morgan City. Cleared direct to theTibby-Charlie-Charlie; climb and main-tain 5,000; report reaching 5,000, over.”We break out at about 2,500 ft and sitback to enjoy the smooth ride in thebright sunshine. The Universal FMS(Flight Management System) is doing allthe flying and navigating at this point soJim will spend most of his time “outside”the cockpit, looking for other traffic. TheTCAS will warn us of any traffic in ourarea that has a working transponder, butwe still see aircraft occasionally that theTCAS was never aware of. I busymyself preparing a position report shouldNew Orleans lose us on radar before theTBDCC. Sure enough when I reportlevel at 5,000, New Orleans comes backwith; “Roger Petroleum 392, radar con-tact lost. Contact Houston Center on132.65 over the TBDCC”.

Remember the old “position-time-alti-tude, position-time, position”? Well it’salive and well in the GOM. Everyonefrom the pilots, the operators, the FAA,and the law-makers in Washington DChave agreed for years that the FAA needsto implement a system of weather report-

ing, communications and radar flight-fol-lowing in the GOM. It’s been studied,funded, researched, discussed, agreedupon, and beat to death: and yet, NOTH-ING HAS CHANGED!!! (The sound youhear is the wailing of hundreds of heli-copter pilots beating their heads against abrick wall. It feels so good when youstop.)

“Houston Center, Petroleum 392,over.”……”Petroleum 392, HoustonCenter, over” …….”Houston Center,Petroleum 392 is with you over theTibby-Charlie-Charlie at 1327, five thou-sand, estimating the Tibby-Romeo-Deltaat 1351, Tibby-Romeo-Golf, over.” …..“Petroleum 392, Houston Center, thankyou.” That is the last time we will hearHouston Center’s friendly voice. Fromhere on out all position reports, requests,cancellations, etc., will have to be relayedthrough the comm center becauseHouston Center’s offshore remote radios,which were notoriously unreliable beforeHurricane Katrina, are now just a fondmemory.

Once we are within 30 NM of the“Brutus” platform we request and receive(through the Comm Center) a “cruise”

Photography: Helicopter shot, Larry Getchell; Chart, Hal Johnson10

clearance from Houston Center.“Petroleum 392 is cleared to cruise twothousand, report reaching two thousand,report cancellation on 132.65 or throughcompany.” We report out of five thou-sand and begin our descent into “Brutus”.At 2,000 ft we report out of two thousandand descend to our MEA which is 1,500ft. During the descent Jim and I gothrough the “Approach Briefing” check-list. We will be shooting a “Delta 30”OSAP (Offshore Standard ApproachProcedure) which allows us to descend toa minimum of 200 ft on the radio altime-ter (Rad Alt) and close within 6/10ths ofa nautical mile of the target platform.

Once we depart the final enroute way-point (TBDRG) and are no more than 20NM from the destination, we can descendto our initial approach altitude of 900 ft.The approach begins at a point 7 NMdownwind of the platform. There are anumber of ways we can navigate to thispoint: direct to a GPS plotted downwindwaypoint, overhead teardrop pattern, 7DME arc, or straight-in if the course onthis “intermediate” segment is within 10deg of the reported winds. This morningwe elect to do the 7 DME arc andannounce our intentions over the localVHF frequency. (It’s not at all uncom-mon to have VFR traffic in the areaunder the overcast.)

Once we turn off the arc and are estab-lished inbound to the platform we con-firm that the GPS and the mapping radarare in agreement, that no obstacles arebeing painted in our path, that the RadAlt is functioning properly (from here onout the Rad Alt is our primary altitudereference) and go through the “beforelanding” checklist. When all this isaccomplished we can descend to 500 ft.and we slow to our approach speed of 80kts. At 5 NM we begin a gradual descentto 200 ft. and at 1.1 NM on the GPS weturn 30 degrees off the inbound course(hence the “Delta 30”). If the platform isnot visible at .6 NM on the GPS we

would execute a missed approach andclimb to 900 ft on the “delta 30” heading,turn downwind, continue a climb to2,000 ft., and enter holding over thestructure. As a standard operating proce-dure the crews usually request amended“missed approach procedures” beforeleaving the enroute segment. This allowsthem to immediately pick up theirinbound clearance and proceed back totheir departure point in the event of amissed approach. As it turns out thismorning the weather is as reported andwe break out, turn south and completeour flight to the “C.R. Luigs” under VFR.

The inbound flight is routine (i.e. allcalls to Houston Center have to be

relayed through the comm center untiljust short of our clearance limit, theTBDCC). Prior to reaching the TBDCC,Houston Center turns us over to NewOrleans Approach, and we hear the fol-lowing: “Roger Petroleum 392, we havefixed-wing traffic on the ILS intoPatterson so we’re going to need to putyou in holding for a few minutes. Holdsouth at the TBDCC, maintain four thou-sand, expect further clearance at 1550,time now 1541.” While we’re in holdinga 412 checks in with New OrleansApproach 5 minutes south of his clear-ance limit, the TBDLC. “RogerPetroleum 08X, you are number three for

the approach, hold south at the TBDLC,maintain three thousand, expect furtherclearance at 1600, time now 1544.” The30 seconds of silence that follows says alot.

The 412 doesn’t have the fuel to holdfor 15 minutes, miss the approach andthen go to his alternate with IFR fuelreserves. Finally we hear, ”Uh….Rogerapproach, Petroleum 08X, we don’t havethe fuel to hold for more than five min-utes, request priority handling.”Approach asks us if we can help andsince we have plenty of fuel we agree tohold long enough for 08X to get in aheadof us. Both aircraft are eventuallycleared for SIAP (Special InstrumentApproach Procedure) approaches intoMorgan City and complete the flights.The SIAP approaches are GPS-basedapproaches that allow us to descend to300 feet into open areas near the heliport.Once we break out, we proceed visuallyto the heliport and cancel IFR.

Many pilots think the problems associ-ated with helicopter IFR simply outweighthe advantages. Reduced loads, numer-ous delays, communications problems,etc., are certainly frustrating, but some-times IFR is the only way to get the jobdone. In days of yore, (before offshorealternates and simplified onshore alter-nate weather minimums), it was notuncommon to hear: “The weather’s toobad to go IFR; we’ll have to go VFR.”

Today with faster, long-range, helicop-ters and more realistic alternate mini-mums, the situation is much better. Witha little flexibility and imagination IFRhas become a viable option in the GOM.Now, if only the FAA would accept thefact that they have hundreds of aircraftflying everyday in a non-radar environ-ment with inadequate weather reportingand inadequate communications…….

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11Photography: Larry Getchell

Take this quick test on yourknowledge of ILS approach proce-dures:

Question #1 - If one were to flya typical ILS approach to mini-mums, and just happened to bedead-on airspeed throughout withno wind, would the aircraft arriveat the Decision Height at preciselythe time as it does to the MAP list-ed for the localizer approach? Putanother way: Are the missedapproach points for ILS and local-izer approaches located at thesame place?

Question #2 - True or False:The chances of finding the runwayand making a successful landingare always better on a full ILSapproach in poor weather than alocalizer approach.

Question 3 - True or False: It is moredangerous to be below the ILS glideslopeat DH than above it.

The answer to #1 is no. The missedapproach points for ILS and localizerapproaches are different, and this differ-ence can affect how a helicopter pilotdecides to fly an approach on a lowweather day making the answer to #2above False. Question #3 will beaddressed in Part 2 of this article. Readon to find out why you were right (orwrong) on the first two questions.

The missed approach point on mostlocalizer approaches is the runwaythreshold. The ILS RWY 1 at LouisArmstrong New Orleans Intl. is a goodexample. The aerodrome sketch shows4.3 NM from FAF to MAP with a 2:52time inbound at 90 kts. The profile viewreveals that 4.3 NM is exactly the dis-tance between the FAF (DOLARINT/OM) and the end of the runway. So,

fly the Localizer RWY 1 approach andyou will get to the runway thresholdbefore you are required to make themissed approach if the runway environ-ment is not in sight.

Now stay with me, the next part is alittle complicated. A typical Category IILS approach permits a descent to aheight of 200 feet above the touchdownzone elevation. The AeronauticalInformation Manual has a good narrativeon ILS approaches, and it includes thefollowing statement: “The MM (middlemarker) indicates a position approximate-ly 3,500 feet from the landing threshold.This is also the position where an aircrafton the glide path will be at an altitude ofapproximately 200 feet above the eleva-tion of the touchdown zone.” So, for a“typical” ILS approach with a glideslopeof 3 degrees and a 200 foot minimumaltitude, the aircraft will reach theDecision Height of 200 feet approximate-ly 3,500 feet from the end of the runway.Stated differently, the MAP on a typical

ILS is a little over 1/2 NM short of therunway threshold.

Recall from the above discussion thatthe localizer MAP was at the runwaythreshold and you see that a typical local-izer approach actually puts you 1/2 NMcloser to the runway than an ILSapproach – when you compare therespective missed approach points.

All very nice but “so what”, you mightsay? The ILS gets you lower.

The ILS RWY 1 approach in our exam-ple is not typical. It shows a DecisionHeight of 382 ft, which would result inthe aircraft being 378 feet above the run-way touchdown zone (not the 200 footstandard). A pilot flying the ILSapproach would be required to begin themissed approach upon reaching this alti-tude if the runway environment was notin sight. Yet, because the aircraft is muchhigher than normal, it would also be fur-ther from the end of the runway. (378feet on a 3 degree glide slope puts you

12

ILS - The Final 200 FeetBy Jeff Smith

much further away from the runway than200 feet on the same glideslope). A goodindicator of how far the Decision Heightis located from the end of the runway canbe found in the visibility requirement forthe approach. In this case, the approachhas a 1 1/4 NM visibility requirement forlanding. (A typical ILS approach with anapproach lighting system has a visibilityrequirement of 1/2 NM - equal to theapproximate distance from the DH to therunway threshold.)

So, what would happen if you wereflying the ILS RWY 1 approach in ques-tion with a ceiling of 500 feet and a visi-bility reported at 1/2 NM? At the DH,you would see the ground, but not therunway environment, which would stillbe 1 1/4 NM away, and you would berequired by regulation to begin themissed approach at this point. (This par-ticular runway does not even haveapproach lights to help out.)

On the other hand, if you flew thelocalizer approach, there would be analtitude penalty (though not much - MDA420 ft. vs. DH 382 ft.), but you couldcontinue another 1 1/4 NM closer to therunway before reaching the mandatorymissed approach point. Assuming appro-priate flight visibility, you could make asuccessful localizer approach when theILS would result in your not seeing theairfield at all!

While the above example is unusual, itis by no means unique. A similar situa-tion can develop when a remote altimetersetting requirement raises the ILS deci-sion height at an airfield. Remember thisrule of thumb: A localizer approachtakes one closer to the runway than anILS approach, and may be the betterchoice in low visibility situations whereceiling is not an issue.

As for question #3 above, we’ll savethat for Part 2 and the next edition of“Autorotate.”

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13

It’s early afternoon and the hot sunburns bright in the clear sky. You hearthe sound of the long awaited aircraftapproaching and you squint into the lightto try to catch a glimpse. There it is—avery welcome sight. The “Loach”approaches low and slow, right out of thesun, sweeping the intended LZ in front ofyou. He’s spotted something. A secondhelicopter, a Cobra gun ship with thecrossed sabers of the 1st Cav clearly visi-ble on the fuselage, lines up on the targetand begins his rocket attack. A linearseries of fiery explosions, right in front ofyou, split the air and make you suck yourhead just a little tighter into your shoul-ders. The Huey arrives, right on sched-ule, the air still filled with smoke, anddeploys the cavalry who jump clear ofthe helicopter, M-16s firing, laying downcover.

Are you suffering a flash back?Maybe. But more likely, you’re watch-ing a performance of the Army AviationHeritage Foundation’s SKY SOLDIERSdemonstration team.

Preserving the Legacy of ArmyAviation

Founded in 1997, the Army AviationHeritage Foundation and its air showdemonstration team, SKY SOLDIERS, isa non-profit, all-volunteer, private organi-zation committed to preserving the lega-cy of Army Aviation, its people and air-craft, by making military aviation real tothe American public.

The passage of time moves the coura-geous deeds of men first to memory andthen to the history books. The brave vet-erans who lived those deeds become apart of the often forgotten past. But, notif the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation(AAHF) has anything to say about it!

The AAHF has four stated purposes:

1. To educate the American publicabout their rich military heritage throughthe story of U.S. Aviation’s soldiers andmachines.

2. To connect the American soldier tothe public he or she serves as an active,accepted member of the American family.

3. To inspire patriotism and motivateAmericans toward service to their com-munity and Country.

4. To preserve authentic, flyable exam-ples of Army aircraft and allow the pub-lic to ‘experience’ these aircraft in ‘livinghistory’ demonstrations.

They have already reached over 5.1million people with their powerful andfrequently emotional program, perform-ing at many of the nation’s most popularand well-respected shows. They havereceived numerous accolades for the real-

ism and power of their patriotic demon-strations.

Each aircraft has its own story to tell

AAHF’s SKY SOLDIERS offer threemain aerial demonstration programs thatcan be performed either individually, orin combination:

World War II Program—uses anauthentic L-4B “Grasshopper” liaison air-craft to relive the story of the birth ofArmy Aviation.

Korean War Program—uses an OH-13, familiar to most of us from the open-ing scenes of “Mash”, to remind the pub-lic that it was Army Aviation that playeda central role in developing the helicopteras a powerful tool for medical evacua-tion.

Vietnam War Program—combines aminimum of 7 of the AAHF’s veteranArmy helicopter and fixed-wing fleetwith actual infantry assault teams todeliver a realistic and powerful portrayalof the use of Army Aviation in a typicalAirCav troop action in Vietnam.

Their aircraft arsenal includes 6 fixed-wing: the Piper L-4B “Grasshopper”, theDeHavilland CV-2B “Caribou”, theCessna L-19D (O-1D) “Bird Dog”, theBeech T-42A “Cochise”, the Cessna T-41B “Mescalero” and the Grumman OV-1B “Mohawk”.

The helicopter fleet includes over 12helicopters, each with its own history and

14

The Army Aviation Heritage Foundation

war experiences. Let’s take a look at 3 ofthem. Together, they serve as examplesof the aircraft that were ubiquitous to theVietnam experience: the UH-1HIroquois “Huey”, the Hughes OH-6ACayuse “Loach”, and the Bell AH-1G“Cobra”.

The Huey entered U.S. Army service in1958 with more than 9,440 aircraft pro-cured over a 35 year stretch. It was pri-marily designed as a troop transport andcould carry 10 soldiers and a crew of 3.AAHF’s UH-1H, Serial No. 68-16104was accepted by the army in July 1969and was sent directly to Vietnam, whereit remained until January 1971. It flew atotal of 1,269 combat missions beforereturning to the U.S. where it was used atFt. Rucker for 3 years, and the AlabamaArmy National Guard for almost 20years, before ultimately ending up withAAHF.

The Light Observation Helicopter,“Loach”, was introduced to Vietnam inOctober of 1967. By late 1968 it was theprimary scout/observation helicopter usedin-country. It was often teamed with anAH-1G Cobra attack helicopter, called aPink Team. AAHF’s “Loach”, Serial No.66-17795 served in Vietnam with the101st Airborne Division from October1968 to November 1971. It has since

served the Army National Guards ofConnecticut, Virginia and Tennesseebefore doing service with the Homestead,Florida Police Department and ultimatelybeing acquired by AAHF. When the“Loach” was being restored by AAHF, 10patched bullet holes were found, testify-ing to the aircraft’s combat experience(or a rough night over South Florida).

The AH-1G Cobra Attack Helicopterwas designed for fire suppression andarmed escort duty during the VietnamWar. The first Cobras reached Vietnamin August of 1966, armed with 2.75”rockets, a minigun and a grenade launch-er. Variations of the Cobra have alsoserved in support of NATO forces, theGulf War and are still being used by theU.S. Marine Corp. Serial No. 67-15737,now in possession by AAHS, served inVietnam with the 101st AirborneDivision where it served until 1971. Itspent its entire time in Vietnam with BTroop, 2/17th Air Cav. Squadron forwhom it accumulated 1680 combat flyinghours. Eventually ending up with theTexas Army National Guard, it wasseverely damaged in an accident. But,the story’s obviously not over.

In August 1987 Garlick Helicoptersbought the aircraft and commenced anextensive and lengthy rebuild/restoration

resulting in F.A.A. certification in Augustof 1990. The aircraft has since appearedin multiple television and motion pictureevents and in 2002 was acquired for useby the AAHF SKY SOLDIERSDemonstration Team.

Looking for a few good men, andwomen

Though the headquarters for the organ-ization is located in Atlanta, GA, mem-bers may be found all over the U.S.Membership costs only $36/year andmeetings are held monthly. The groupcurrently is planning on providingdemonstrations and Huey rides at morethan a dozen air shows and eventsthroughout 2006. A calendar of projectedevents is provided.

Are you an Army Aviation veteranseeking a productive tie to your militaryexperience? Are you intrigued by thesilent experiences of a combat aircraft—the stories it’s lived, the lives it’s saved?Does this sound like something you’dlike to be part of? If it does, or if you’djust like to obtain additional information,you can get all the details as well as aphoto library of some wonderful, history-rich aircraft at www.armyav.org.

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15Photography: Army Aviation Heritage Foundation

2006 Airshow/Appearance Schedule

April 22-23 Tyndall AFT, FL Tyndall AFB Gulf Coast SaluteMay 13-14 Robins AFB, GA Robins Open HouseMay 20-22 Jackson, MS Trail of HonorJune 10-11 Janesville, WI Viet Vet WelcomeJune 11-18 Branson, MO Welcome HomeJuly 21-23 Muskegon, MI Muskegon Air FairJuly 29-30 Dayton, OH VECTREN Dayton Air ShowAugust 26-27 Indianapolis, IL Indy Air ShowSeptember 2-4 Gary, IN Indiana Air ShowSeptember 15-16 Pierre, SD Vietnam Vet DedicationSeptember 20-24 Ft. Rucker, AL AOCA ReunionSeptember 22-24 Rockford, IL Rockford AirFestOctober 15 Seymore-Johnson AFB, NC Open HouseOctober 21-22 Augusta, GA Boshears Fly-InNovember 10-12 Pensacola NAS, FL “Blues” Welcome Home

By Tony Fonze

Life is a bowl of cherries, some opti-mist once said, long before helicoptersbegan chopping up the morning mist.Lots of optimists become airplane pilots.Only a few become helicopter pilots ormechanics, for that matter. The compara-tively high cost of learning to fly a chop-per is one barrier facing the optimist sta-tus quo. For the financially-deprivedyoung optimist, who wants it really bad,the military is an option that cannot beignored. [Snip goes the ponytail.]

Optimism is frowned upon in the train-ing helicopter’s cockpit, it is soonlearned.

“… I’ll beat it into your thick skullwith a #%*&$! baseball bat, if that’swhat it takes,” my stressed-out flightinstructor once verbalized to me. Someof the spit generated by his staccato allit-eration stopped short of my sweaty face,thanks to my G.I. RayBans.

Mr. Wells was hammering home thefiner points of lowering the collective if-and-when he chopped the throttle on ourHiller, an OH-23D Raven. The successfuloutcome of an emergency landingdepended upon spontaneous reflex - anda few other tricks that kicked in a littlecloser to the ground.

I was in complete agreement, ofcourse. And from his point of view, thespit on my brand new shades spelled out,“Yesss Sirrr!!” Only when his fundamen-tal training took hold was I allowed theprivilege of feeling optimistic again -- solong as our skids were no more thanthree feet off the ground.

As it turns out, optimism can be a dan-gerous thing, even with one’s skids onthe ground. It tends to replace the les-sons we learned from the older pilots and

from white-knuckled experiences. Giventoo much rein, optimism displaces cau-tion and overtakes common sense. …. Anugly scene on a cool spring morningcomes to mind…..

Holding herd as the Chief Pilot overtwo Montana-based logging Hueys was,for an adrenaline junky, a truly great job.But that year’s winter was particularlyhard; half of our logs got buried in thecrotch-deep snow. Parlez vous Lay-off?One of the Hueys had to be parked andstored in the old gravel quarry, right nextto her sister ship’s service landing.Lorena, we called her, arrived late thenext day from Paradise, without its wintercovers! Someone spaced the covers onthe long list of things to do.

When I noticed that Lorena was tieddown with no rotor blade, head, orengine shroud covers, I casually men-tioned it to the local mechanic, “Big Al.”I hinted that maybe somebody shouldcome up with some makeshift covers. Aldisplayed his ever-present grin, whichwas surrounded by a large herd of freck-les, and mumbled something about hav-ing a plan.

Having contributed my two centsworth, I merrily went about my winterloggin’routine in Blue Duck, thesmoother flying of the two birds. Asalways, Big Al saluted as I pulled awayvertically, then he bee-lined for his cozycamper, 185’ below, as my remote hooklurched into the crisp mountain air.

In the weeks that followed, one snow-and-ice-storm after another plasteredwestern Montana. Poor old Lorena wassoon part of a snow bank and in the gripof dirty, blue ice. Frequently blasted byBlue Duck’s rotor wash, Lorena shiveredin a month-long shadow cast by the high

ridge just south of us. The low-angledsun’s rays seldom touched her corner ofthe quarry.

Between storms, someone tossed a bat-tered and burnt, blue plastic tarp overLorena’s transmission and part of theengine deck. But between Blue Duck’srotor-wash and the relentless Montanaweather, Lorena became a billboard forneglect. The old blue tarp looked pitiful,all tattered and wrapped around the mast,under layers of ice. Her rotor head anddroopy rotor blades were locked down bythe icy hand of winter. I thought aboutphotographing her in that shameful state,but things were getting kinda dicey in ourlittle operation, so I decided against toss-ing any sodium chloride into the gapingwound.

And then it happened. A big thawcame in the early spring, and both birdswere given the green light to start log-ging. Big Al came to a three-foot hoverand began firing up all his space heatersto warm up Lorena. Two hours later, Inoticed that her cabin was almost defrost-ed, but nothing much had changed on thehigh steel. Al occasionally pried at theblue tarp; it was giving way in small sec-tions. This plan of attack didn’t look likeit was really going to work, so I suggest-ed throwing a big tarp over the wholeblade assembly. That would trap the hotair rising from the kerosene heaters andthaw the stubborn ice.

But, Big Al was optimistic that his planwas going to work, so I stood aside andlet the man do his thing. He was soon upon his ten-foot ladder, persuading chunksof ice to slide off the sweating rotorblades. “When we crank, the rest of thisstuff will slough right off,” he forecasted.

Big Al had already summoned an old

16

Plan “B” From Outer MontanaBy Dorcey Wingo

Winter’s hold on our Huey was about to be tested

friend of mine to come start the beast.“Dave” was a high-time Viet Nam veter-an and our on-call relief pilot. He lookedkinda like “Fred Merman” of the old ILove Lucy Show, and he kept his baldhead under a Baseball cap to keep fromfreezing his brain. Al had prepped Daveas to the progress of the de-icing opera-tion and confidently predicted that theship would be ready to crank in an houror so.

Yours truly went loggin’just up thecanyon in Blue Duck while Al and Davelooked Lorena over. Pulling pitch, Icould see Dave holding his cap downwith one hand while staring squinty-eyedat the ice-clad steel above Lorena’s trans-mission. He was standing close to acherry-red space heater attempting tokeep warm. My blustery departure didn’thelp much. Al had the APU warming upand was looking toward the sun for a lit-tle help.

Sure enough, one hour and twenty-fiveminutes later I was back on the gravelpad for another cycle’s worth of jet fueland to stretch my legs. “Fatty,” our PartyManager, was on hand to hot-fuel theDuck as I jotted down the data from thelogging computer, calculating the turns-per-hour and average weight-per-turn.

Looking up from my kneepad, Inoticed Big Al standing between theDuck and Lorena. He was grinning, ofcourse, giving me the old twirling fingersign. Dave was about to crank ‘er up!

Lorena sat in a vast mud puddle, halfin the bright morning sun, half in the coldgray shadows, as her optimistic pilotmashed on the start button. Mr.Lycoming was just starting to whistleloudly as the melting ice on the rotorblades began to rain down in slowlyaccelerating circles. Al watched, shockedto observe one of Lorena’s main rotorblades suddenly shed its heavy load ofice off to her left front, smashing into thenearby jet fuel tractor-trailer with a greatwhump!!

Fortunately for Al, Blue Duck, and thetanker, the other rotor blade’s load of icedecided to stay right where it was.Unfortunately for Lorena and Dave, andthose of us who had to watch the ugliestthing that could possibly happen to aHuey without killing it: The heavierblade created such an extreme lateral out-of-balance situation that the ship had nochoice but lean hard toward it as she wasyanked around by the icy mass orbitingcrazily around her. Her nose dipped low,leaned left, climbed, leaned right, dippedagain while her skids twisted andgroaned -- her mast was clobbered timeand again by the teetering rotor head,sounds of rivets popping like rifle shotsechoed around the quarry.

Meanwhile, Dave had long since abort-ed the start sequence and was holding onto the cyclic for dear life! I could seethat he had lost his cap and that he hadno seat belt on by the way Lorena was

using him to wipe out the cockpit! Alstood frozen in his snow boots; theperennial optimistic expression was gone.It was replaced by he-who-shoots-self-in-foot expression.

It seemed to take forever for thethrashing to stop. Lucky that nothing hadhit the Duck, I sighed and rolled off herthrottle. Time to reduce the confusionand check for damage. Big Al silentlydragged a brand new tarp out of themaintenance trailer. Up and over the rotorhead it went, and soon Lorena’s icy rotorblade was getting the suggested heattreatment. A certain relief pilot was visi-bly shook-up and embarrassed. A freck-led mechanic wished he had the morningto do all over again.

After watching our two grown opti-mists crank up such a spectacle, I onlyhad a couple of things to say about it:“No seat belt, Dave? Kinda hard to turnoff the switches when you’re beingthrown all over the cockpit, ain’t it? ”and to Big Al: “That was the ugliest thingI’ve seen in a long, long time.”

If you’d like to read more from Dorcey Wingo,

the “Mark Twain of helicopter pilots,” buy his

new book, Wind Loggers, a wonderful collection

of true short stories with that one-of-a-kind

Wingo “voice”. Send your check or money

order for $25.00 to Smoking Hole Productions,

807 W. Lorraine Pl., Rialto, CA 92376-5635. If

you’re nice, he’ll even autograph it for you.

Editor

END

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17Photography: The author, with Lorena; Yep, it’s cold: Dorcey Wingo

I am an experienced helicopter pilot.I’ve had good training. I’ve been a flightinstructor and given others good training.I’ve flown a fair number of different heli-copters on a fair number of different mis-sions in a lot of different weather condi-tions. Still, one day I found myselfdrawn into a dangerous situation thatcould only be called stupid. I don’tblame anyone but myself. Here’s how itwent.

It was winter, and I had just started anew job with a small, 3-ship, 135 opera-tor. I was looking forward to the work:a lot of mountain flying in a beautifularea in a set of new helicopters. Three ofus had been hired around the same timeand the company was anxious to com-plete our 135 sign-offs so we could go towork. Naturally, the whole time we werecompleting our ground training: learningthe new aircraft, getting familiar with thecompany’s ops manual, discussing vari-ous mission profiles, and completing ourAVSTAR reviews we stared out the win-dows at beautiful clear skies, sunshineand moderate temperatures. We wantedto be out there. But, first things first, wehad ground to complete.

However, the day we completed ourground materials and we were scheduledto do our 2 to 4 hours of emergency pro-cedure training in the new aircraft, theweather moved in. Snow, fog, rain, 100ft. ceilings—we weren’t going anywhere.The Ops Manager was becoming a littleanxious. Our Chief Pilot was even moreanxious. We were anxious. Time’s awastin’.

Finally, after 5 days of grounded air-craft and reviewing the training materials‘one more time,’ we got called in on aSaturday by the Chief Pilot. We weregoing flying. I looked out the window.“I don’t think so,” I recall thinking as I

turned on the car’s headlights at 8:00 amonly to see a wall of white (fog) reflect-ing back at me. But, it was a new joband the boss wanted me in and I didn’twant to rock the boat so early in theprocess. So, in I went.

The Chief Pilot met us at the airportand gave us the game plan. We weregoing to fly to a Class C airport about300 miles away where the weather wasreporting clear and do our training thereover the weekend. We’d make it back onMonday, take our check-rides, and begood to go. That was the plan. Theproblem was, how to get out of Dodge(so to speak). Dodge was still socked in.

We decided to wait for the weather tolift. And it did—sort of. After a coupleof hours the ceiling, which had been thefloor, raised up to about 200-300 feet.And, looking off in the desired direction

of travel, one could tell one’s self that thesky looked a little ‘lighter’ over there.The chief pilot said, “let’s go.” OK, nowstupid is kicking in.

New job, three new guys, a very deter-mined boss and no higher authorities inthe office to challenge the wisdom of ourpending escapade. The three new guysall looked at each other meaningfully,and then climbed into the aircraft. Werequested a Special VFR from the towerand off we went—low and slow.

For the first 10 or 15 minutes we wereable to maintain our heading and stay outof the clouds. But, the ceiling wasn’t theonly thing we had to contend with. Ourvisibility, which was never good, wascontinuing to deteriorate. We could onlysee about 1/4 mile ahead. It wasn’t longbefore we were flying towards ‘lighter’areas, in whatever direction they were:

18 Photography: Ashok Rodrigues

“Stupid is as Stupid Does”By P.B.

left, right, behind us. We continued toget lower and slower. My instincts werescreaming at me, but I asked them to bequiet for a bit: new job, new guy, newboss—you know what I’m feeling.

Finally, my common sense (probablyfear) decides to pipe up and I recommendthat we turn back, if that was even possi-ble. The boss asks anyone if they wantto turn back. Nobody else says anything.“Let’s just go a little farther, it looks‘lighter’ over there,” he says. We keepgoing. After about 20 more anxiety richminutes we spot a small, unmanned air-port below us. I recommend that we putit down there for a while and wait for theweather to clear. The boss says, “Thefreeway is just a little bit over towardsthat ‘light’ area. Why don’t we go overthere and we can follow the freewayWest.” Nobody says anything. Off wego.

Now, I have to stop right here for asecond and say that this was my momentof supreme stupidity. Better to get out ofthe aircraft, get wet, hitch hike the 100miles home, probably jobless, and live tolaugh about it. That is better than beingdead, wet, still jobless and unable to tellthe tale. Still, I didn’t get out.

We’re over the freeway and the ceilingcontinues to drop…100’, 75’. Visibilityis negligible. We are so low, we can notonly read the license plates of cars, wecan read the bumper stickers. At onememorable point in the ‘adventure’ wefly by a cell phone tower right up againstthe side of the highway. We have to lookup to see the middle of the tower disap-pearing into the clouds while makingsure we keep our rotors out of the invisi-ble support cables. We continue.

After about an hour and a half of thishigh pucker-factor, totally stupid flying,the sky does begin to clear and we areable to proceed in true VFR. We aresaved—through no skill or talents of our

own. In fact—in spite of them.

Now, let me do a fast forward on therest of the trip.

We get to the Class C airport. TheChief Pilot commends each of us on our“Get ‘er done” attitudes. Each of us getsabout an hour in the aircraft. The aircraftdies. Our mechanic has to be flown in.We have to catch commercial flightshome. The Chief Pilot remains with theaircraft to meet the mechanic. I am thefirst one back to the office. When I stepthrough the door, I am told that the OpsManager wants to see me. I proceed tohis office.

“You’ll never guess where I was onSaturday afternoon,” he begins. “Wherewas that?” I inquire. “I was on the free-way, driving by a cell tower with its topstuck in the clouds and a brand new, big,red helicopter flew over my head. Ilooked over at my wife and said, ‘Tell methat’s not one of my helicopters.’”

You can see where this is going. Andno, I am not making this up. I couldn’t ifI tried.

Well, we survived the experience.Most, but not all, of us kept our jobs. Iwent home to my wife and explained the

story to her. It was her reaction that real-ly drove things home for me.

“How stupid can you be?” sheexclaimed incredulously. “Don’t youhave enough respect for yourself andyour family to do the right thing whenyou should?” she elaborated. “Don’tever do that again!” she commanded.

I won’t.

It’s easy to do the right thing whenyou’re sitting in a classroom discussingdecision-making with your instructor, oryour students. It’s easy to do the rightthing when you don’t have any outsideinfluences or pressures: critical mission,pressure from management, pressurefrom peers willing to do the wrong thing,etc. (Of course, I’m not sure that the ‘no-pressure’ situation described in the previ-ous sentence ever really exists.). In reallife, it is often hard to do the right thing.And, the only way to do it is to keepeverything in perspective: Family; along, rich life; years and years of reward-ing work and fun flying helicopters—orone moment of stupidity that ends every-thing!

END

www.autorotate.com

19

Editor’s Note:

Before we jump right into Pete’s new article I

want to ask you to do a favor for me. As men-

tioned in the Letters to the Editor, the purpose of

this column is to generate a sharing of ideas that

goes beyond the basics learned in flight school.

Pete can get the ball rolling, but the best way to

keep it rolling is for YOU to send in your addi-

tional thoughts, comments, experiences, con-

cerns, etc. to augment what you read here.

Here’s my vision for this column. In every

issue we pick a salient topic and run our story.

In the next issue we begin the new column by

printing all of your additional pointers, sugges-

tions, etc. from the last one. We could get a real

forum going here.

Help make my vision a reality.

While you’re reading along below, jot down

anything that you’d like to share and send it to

me at TonyFonze@autorotate.org. We’ll collect

these and print them in the next issue.

Thanks, Tony

Eyes outside is not enough

Once again we are at my favorite air-port; Rialto Municipal, L67, in the east-ern part of the Los Angeles Basin. Thepredominant runway is runway 6/24.Most of the time, we have either no windor a wind from the southwest, so airplanelandings are made on runway 24. Ours isan uncontrolled airport. Airplanes shouldarrive from the north, entering “down-wind north” for runway 24. Fixed-wingpattern altitude is 2500 ft. MSL. Fieldelevation is about 1460 ft. MSL.

Taxiway 24 runs parallel to the runwayon its south side. Local training-type hel-icopter traffic normally departs taxiway24 and makes left traffic back to the taxi-way or to some other location on the air-port during training exercises, being sureto “avoid the flow of fixed-wing traffic.”

Now, picture this: You and I are goingto make a takeoff to the west over taxi-way 24. Following the procedures notedin the Airman's Information Manual

(AIM), we announce on UNICOM, 122.8MHZ, that we are departing westboundfrom taxiway 24 and will remain in leftclosed traffic. Our helicopter climbs on aheading of 240, then begins a left cross-wind and then a left downwind. We arewell established on the downwind leg at2,000 ft. MSL when we hear the follow-ing on UNICOM: “Rialto traffic, this isCessna 4242 XRay entering downwindnorth, runway 24, Rialto.”

We are downwind on the south side ofthe airport. The Cessna has just called inas being downwind on the north side ofthe airport. What happens now?

Well, you are in the left seat of ourSchweizer 300C. You immediately lookacross the airport to locate the Cessnathat just called in. For some reason, youdon't see him. So you say to me on theintercom, “Hey, Pete. Do you see thatCessna?” Now I'm looking, too. Bothsets of MKII eyeballs in our helicopterare focused on locating the Cessna thatjust called in downwind north.

If the Cessna is where he says he is,why are we looking for him?

We know where we are! Again, if heis where he says he is, why are we look-ing for him?

While we are scanning the skies northof the airport, who is looking where weare going? No one! What ever happenedto “see and avoid?” Who is taking careof “our” airspace? No one! Who is

looking in the direction we are flying?No one!

If the Cessna is not where he says heis, we may have a problem. A big prob-lem. He may be on our side of the air-port, for instance, or he may even bedownwind at some other local airport,thinking he’s downwind north at Rialto.

What's the answer? Cockpit discipline,for one thing. Watch where you aregoing. Don't commit all eyes in thecockpit to trying to locate an aircraft thatsays he is not on your side of the airport.Take care of Number One first: YOU.

It’s the one you don’t see…

This business of confirming the loca-tion of aircraft that we hear on the radio,that report a position that differs from ourknown location, is very, very common.Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’ttry to look for the aircraft. I am, howev-er, saying that it shouldn’t become ourprimary occupation—the focus of all ourattention. We fight this problem all thetime with our students (and instructors!)here at Western Helicopters. It's a hardhabit to break, and the potential penaltiesfor doing it are severe, to put it politely.It's simply a matter of common sense, butit's not mentioned in the AIM or at mostflight schools.

See and avoid is the most fundamentalcollision-avoidance rule we have. Watchwhere you are going, and especially inuncontrolled airspace around uncon-trolled airports. Don't commit all of yourvisual resources (eyes in the cockpit) totrying to locate aircraft that report a posi-tion other than yours. You know whereyou are. Take good care of your sphereof influence, the bubble that containsyour aircraft and a cushion around it.

And here's one more habit that's hardto break and that we constantly harp on

20

Purely ‘Pete’

Are You Listening, Looking?By Pete Gillies

Photography: Pete Gillies, by Tom Magill

with our students and CFIs: Maintaininga visual lock-on of aircraft that weobserve in flight but that are not a colli-sion risk to us at all. We see an airplanenot far away but going in the oppositedirection, for instance. What happens?We can't take our eyes off of that airplaneuntil we can't see it anymore. Onceagain, who's watching where we'regoing? No one! Don't get tunnel visionon that sort of traffic! Break away andlook for other traffic. If you just can'tstand to totally let go of the first airplane,okay, glance back every few seconds toconfirm it is not a threat to you, but thenget back to the primary responsibilityyou have: Watch where you're going!Watch for aircraft that might be a threatto your immediate health and happiness.Let the other ones go.

Cerebral multi-tasking

I have one more touchy subject to dis-cuss with those of you who've read thisfar, and this subject covers all helicopterpilots from primary students to high-timeprofessionals. It could be titled "Multi-Tasking vs. Situational Awareness," forlack of a better description.

This is year number 33 for me here atWestern Helicopters. During those years,we've had three mid-air collisions, air-plane-to-airplane, here at Rialto. Two ofthe three were fatal, and we had the mis-fortune of watching one of them happen.

In two of the accidents, both airplanesended up on our main runway. The thirdwas just off the approach end of the run-way. All three accidents occurred inalmost perfect weather during daylighthours. And each accident had one morething in common: Both pilots, of bothaircraft, in all three mid-airs, were onUNICOM, stating their positions andintentions!

My point is this: It is a well-knownbut little spoken-about fact that manypilots let their "see and avoid" guarddown when they state their position and

intentions on UNICOM. For some pilots,and this includes students on up to high-time pilots, it is extremely difficult tomentally write, edit and then transmitwhat they want to say without mentallystepping out of the cockpit while they aredoing it! I've seen pilots of all ages andexperience levels just sort of glaze overwhile they formulate their messages, fly-ing robotically as they do so and as theytransmit the message. And then they"come back into the cockpit" and flyproperly. It is scary to see how often thishappens.

The fact that the three mid-airs Idescribed all had this radio thing in com-mon shows the seriousness of the prob-lem, and this doesn't include all the nearmisses that have happened, caused by thesame thing. And with more heads-downtime being spent in the cockpit thesedays, with more gadgets to watch andoperate, the situation is getting worse.

This UNICOM mentality carries overto another human-interest area. Once apilot has said where he is and what he isdoing, he tends to stop looking for other

aircraft, especially if a reply is not heard.This is sort of like a do-it-yourself ATCthing. "I've said my piece. Now every-one who is anywhere close to this airporthas heard me and will stay out of myway. I can relax now."

Guys and gals, the buzzwords are Seeand Avoid, and Situational Awareness!Don't get so wrapped up in proceduralstuff that you miss the most importantjob you have every time you fly: Don'thit anybody!

Purely Pete

Pete Gillie is the Chief Flight Instructor of

Western Helicopters, a different kind of flight

school. Western’s predominant clientele includes

local, state and federal law enforcement and

other professional pilot groups from around the

country. Their claim to fame is precision autoro-

tations—how to hit ‘that spot right there’ from

different altitudes, airspeeds and wind direc-

tions. They also teach long-line and mountain

flying. The Western folks provide primary

instruction: private, commercial, CFI, and

instrument as well.

Pete Gillies

WesternOps@aol.com

END

www.autorotate.com

21

All questions are applied to helicopter flight,

under Part 91, VFR unless otherwise noted.

1. I am entering Phoenix-SkyHarbor, Class B airspace, flying at2,500’ MSL. My visibility and cloudclearance requirements are:

A. 5 sm; 500’ below, 1,000’ above, 2,000’horizontal

B. 5 nm; 500’ below, 1,000’ above, 1,000’horizontal

C. 3 sm; clear of clouds

2. It is night. I am in Class E air-space, below 10,000’ MSL. My visi-bility is 4 sm and I am 1/2 nm fromthe nearest cloud. Am I legal?

A. Yes

B. No

3. A helicopter is operating clear ofclouds, below 1,200’ AGL in Class Gairspace. Visibility is 1/2 sm. Whatother requirement is there forsafe/legal operation.

A. The helicopter must be operated at aspeed of less than 100 knots.

B. The helicopter must be operated at aspeed that allows the pilot adequate opportu-nity to see any air traffic or obstruction intime to avoid a collision.

C. The pilot must announce his position andintended flight profile, every 5 minutes on121.5 until visibility reaches 5 sm.

4. I am in Class G airspace duringthe day, below 10,000’ MSL at 1,500’AGL. The cloud layer is reported tobe 2,000’ above the surface. My visi-bility is 1/2 sm. Am I legal?

A. Yes

B. No

5. Special VFR operations requirewhich set of elements?

1. ATC Clearance, clear of clouds, 1 sm visi-bility.

2. ATC Clearance, clear of clouds, betweensunrise and sunset only

3. ATC Clearance, clear of clouds

6. I am on a Part 135 flight with paxonboard. I am in Class D airspace at500AGL. It is day and I have 1/2mile visibility. Am I legal?

A. Yes

B. No

7. I am on a Part 135 flight with paxonboard. I am in Class C airspace at500AGL. It is night and I have 1/2mile visibility. Am I legal?

A. Yes

B. No

8. (Part 135) For an airplane, noperson may operate under VFR inuncontrolled airspace when the ceil-ing is less than-

A. 2,000’ unless flight visibility is at least 3miles

B. 1,000’ unless flight visibility is at least 2miles

C. 2,000’ unless flight visibility is at least 2miles

9. For a helicopter filing an IFR flightplan, the intended destination mustmeet the following requirements-

A. At the estimated time of arrival, the ceil-ing will be at least 1,000’ above the airportelevation, or at least 400’ above the lowestapplicable approach minima, whichever ishigher, and the visibility will be at least 2 sm.

B. At the estimated time of arrival and for1/2 hour after, the estimated time of arrival,the ceiling will be at least 500’ above theairport elevation, or at least 500’ above thelowest applicable approach minima,whichever is higher, and the visibility will beat least 1 sm.

C. At the estimated time of arrival and for 1hour after the estimated time of arrival, theceiling will be at least 1,000’ above the air-port elevation, or at least 400’ above thelowest applicable approach minima,whichever is higher, and the visibility will beat least 2 sm.

10. The best way to remember all ofthis stuff, when you’re not preparingfor a test or checkride is-

A. Be a busy flight instructor who has toteach it every few weeks

B. Review this and other key sections of theFAR/AIM periodically

C. Tattoo on the left, inside forearm

D. Any of the above

Answers

1. C

2. Yes (Class E, < 10,000’, Day or Night=3 smvis.; 500’ below, 1,000’ above, 2,000’ horizon-tal)

3. B

4. B (I am 500’ below the clouds and above1,200’ AGL, but less than 10,000’ MSL in ClassG. Requirements are 1 sm visibility; 500’ below,1,000’ above, 2,000’ horizontal)

5. 2

6. A

7. B (No person may operate a helicopter underVFR in Class G airspace at an altitude of 1,200’or less above the surface or within the lateralboundaries of the surface areas of Class C, ClassD, or Class E airspace designated for an airportunless the visibility is at least 1/2 sm (day); 1 sm(night))

8. B

9. C

10. D

Photography: Army Aviation Heritage Foundation22

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