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I took a break for burning man, but hit it hard upon returning. I've got 10 mixed hours lined up for this week and after Wednesday's flight lesson I feel like I'm making real progress. I was introduced to flying simple patterns, climbing to 300 ft, turning left, then climbing to 600 ft while maintaining constant speed, then leveling out to cruising speed for a while, then another turn while descending... all while maintaining the guages where they need to be. I'm starting to feel comfortable with sharper turns even in the wind. And I am beginning to be able to make the adjustments and corrections while controlling the helo, making ascending/descending turns, checking for other air traffic.
In short it's getting exciting.
In short it's getting exciting.
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SF Bay Area
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Re: training is coming along
Fri, September 9, 2005 - 11:35 AMSchweizer 300CB. -
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Unsu...
Re: training is coming along
Fri, September 9, 2005 - 12:53 PMWe have a 300 here, fun little rig.... give me an MD500 anyday.... woo woo SPorts Car. Our Heys are fun, but they fly like a Farm truck with a flat tire. I'll stick with my little fixed wings and just work on the rotorturds, ha ha. Lots of jobs out there. Have you been to justhelicopters.com, lots of job posts. Get that magic 1500 hours and your in like flint! -
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Re: training is coming along
Fri, September 9, 2005 - 7:50 PMalright very jealous, the entire reason for my flight training and future helicopter training is the MD500, you have one with the NOTAR or without? curious if there's a difference in handling -
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Unsu...
Re: training is coming along
Fri, September 9, 2005 - 8:07 PMNo we don't, and from talking to all our pilots they aren't any good for doing the kind of work we do with our 500's, which is mainly power line stuff & C.A.M.P. They don't have the ass ehind them and you run out of pedal with heavy loads. now a 530... that I would like. The C20 engine in the 500 (and b model 206) is a maintenance hog, but the C-30, like in our L-model 206's is one Great engine!!! In the last two years we have had to pull one of them (other than componet overhaul stuff) and we have a C-20 out every friggin month! I am lucky because several of our pilots still have there instructor rating, so when we get to go with the Helicopters they let us fly and we get to log ti as Dual, also we have a Great IN-House deal on our 300, $100.00 an hour, wet!!! Includes one of our instructors... down side... ya play hell getting any time in it because our pilots are ALWAYS gone! But a little here, a little there, only need 20 hours to get my rotorwing addon, not that it will do me any good. Have fun with the training, be safe.....
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Re: training is coming along
Sat, September 10, 2005 - 12:39 PMWell, training isn't commonly done on MD500's, at least not anything that would be considered affordable to the average trainee.
$100 per hour is a sweet deal on a 300cb -- about half price. I'm starting to like the 300. The other common trainer is the R22 which my school used to use but switched to the schweizer over time.
I like the look of the 500 but I don't know much about them. I really like the local Sheriff's pair of Bell 206s that look great sitting and flying. Just maybe that might be the next step up. Who knows, I'll go with whatever opportunity takes me.
I almost can't wait to get that magic number. Only 1491 hours or so to go. ; -
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Unsu...
Re: training is coming along
Sat, September 10, 2005 - 4:25 PMYour next opportunity will most likely be lots and lots of time Instructing in an R-22 or 300........ everryone one of our pilots went the Instructor route, build lots of time and learn lots from teaching others and get paid to do it (but not friggin much, ha ha). Drive hard for the 1500 hour mark.... it opens the world up to you! Get an instrument along the way and that would help with a Medavac job or offshore stuff. All our pilots don't really like the R-22, I don't know why, looks like a good bird, but they all swear by the 300. good luck -
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Re: training is coming along
Sat, September 10, 2005 - 8:48 PMI meant that the next step AFTER instructing for 1400 hours. First is private, then I'm going for instrument (even though commercial would be nice to get first but you need the hours anyway), then comes commercial, then CFI, then CFII, then instructing intensely for at least a couple of years. It's going to be hard to be broke again for a few years because I've worked quite hard not to be that way. But I'll be doing something I really want to.
This instructor at my school has been there for about 18 months and he just started working part time for the sheriff's department and they are paying for his training on the Bell 206. He's lucky but those breaks seem to happen if you're in the right place and time with the experience. -
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Unsu...
Re: training is coming along
Sat, September 10, 2005 - 9:33 PMUnless you have the money, and want to work for an S.O/P.D. or Medflight or offshore, you don't really need the insturment, but if you have the bucks go for it. We have 9 pilots and none have there Insturment rating. If I was doing what your doing I would get it because I would work towrds a Medflight job, week on week off, 12 hour shift, but not much fliying, 150 200 hours a year. Our guys workin Utility (PG&E stuff mainly) get 800 plus a year.....
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Re: training is coming along
Sat, September 10, 2005 - 9:16 PM22 was never designed to be trainer, was actually designed to be business man's commute, affordable and inexpensive, which also happened to make it great option for training schools, aside from my fav of the MD500, will have to go with bell though, but keep hearing turbine rotor time isn't worth it unless you're upgrading to somethign you already know you wilbe flying lots... out to FLL for 6 weeks, airline dispatch cert, yall have fun, and be safe -
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Re: training is coming along
Mon, September 12, 2005 - 11:56 AMYah, the R22 was not designed to be a trainer, but the market for a business man's commuter transport did not exist. So training schools latched on to it's low purchase price and lower maintenance costs and it is now the primary training helicopter in the world.
I've read extensively about R22 vs. Schweizer 300cb, and Elvis and I talked about them a little. It seems that the Robinson is a bit faster when cruising, a bit less expensive to train on, has a storage space under the seats, and it has a throttle governor on the collective control. Schweizer claims a safer record, a more stable rotor system, less twitchy controls, and a slightly higher payload capacity. Doesn't matter so much -- I'm kind of grateful that I have the dual training sticks with the cyclic rather than the one stick in the middle and a teetering handle.
But learning is the important part, as long as you learn. -
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Re: training is coming along
Wed, September 14, 2005 - 9:32 AMsuch invaluable information.....did not know that about the medivac jobs.....
mark, how long do you expect it to take for your ppl? -
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This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: training is coming along
Wed, September 14, 2005 - 10:45 AMOn my pace it should be reasonable to expect my ppl by Christmas, depending on the last push and getting my checkride done. It's going to be nerve-racking the first time but I'll try to prepare the best I can and then try to relax. -
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Re: training is coming along
Mon, October 31, 2005 - 4:04 PMyo mark
hows training? how many flight hours are you averaging a week? tell us some stories...
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Re: training is coming along
Sat, September 10, 2005 - 9:37 PMOh, and Medevac sounds exciting but there has been some corporate policies implemented over the last several years that has made that a dangerous vocation.
From 2000 to 2005, according to a statistic in The Week, 10% of all the ambulance helicopters flying in the U.S. has crashed. 1 out of 10. That's a red flag. -
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Unsu...
Re: training is coming along
Sun, September 11, 2005 - 12:45 AMFrom what our Pilots say, a large part of that is because the med Pilots get so little flight time...... like I said, 150 to 200 hours a year. Good Money, Good hours, lots of time off, but not much flying. ALL of our Pilots are in it for the flying... which if ya didnt love to fly why would you get into it. Our guys really like the utility stuff, they talk about the challenge, the amount of flight time, plus our company you can fly anything from the 206B or L, the Hueys, the MD's, the 300 or our 407.... so I can see why they like it. And from what I hear.. STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM LOGGING.. the equipment is crap and gets rode hard.... tours are good. We have I Pilot, a good bud (we both play with fixed wings) that just quit the first part of the year, he is just flting fire seasons in Hueys and Pumas (a hell of a piece of equipment!) He's having a ball and not doing bad on the money side..... plus he is going to take most of the winter off...
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