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Random Griz Aviation Musings

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
A fun video on Restricted Category UH-60A used in firefighting in Northern California - Mark Pilkington is a great guy, a well known broker of Cessna work-horse airplanes and has a fledgling YT Channel "Skywagon University" - a great choice to subscribe.

This is a real treat for us Helo Bubbas - want to hear @Gatordev and others reactions...

There’s a company down in Stafford VA, Sky Quest, that does this kind of mil to civ conversion. Once finished their ships look nice.
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
This wasn't as impressive on the camera as it was to the eye, this video is coming out of KTLH heading east. The weather forecast was for it to be clear all night, so when I flipped down my goggles and saw this massive lightning storm, I was really hoping I wasn't going to get cut off. It's not like I haven't seen lightning on goggles before, but what was weird this time was that it was so clear and you could see such cloud detail, but the storm was completely invisible unaided because of distance.

KTLH is about 130 miles from the Atlantic coast, and after turning on the radar, I couldn't see anything. I don't know how far my radar can actually see, but 60-70 miles at that altitude is certainly possible. Once I got back to base, I checked Skyvector and the storm was about 30 miles off of Cape Canaveral, which would probably have put it at least 180 miles away from us. That thunder head must have been massively tall for us to still see so much of it.

Anywho, it was one of those things you get to enjoy while flying.

 

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
Had a nice 2 hour flight yesterday in the Griz-o-Copter but my camera crapped the bed so all of my well planned shots came to nothing…oh well…next week.

But, a GA questions for the pros out there. I have an issue with my radio (KY197), or more accurately transmission power. If I am flying (say just south of Quantico) at anything below 2000 feet I can’t reach Potomac Approach. I can hear them and I can hear other aircraft, but I have to climb to make contact. I didn’t have this issue with my fixed wing. So, is my problem with the antenna, radio power, or something else? I’d love to be able to contact them without having to climb.
 

IKE

Nerd Whirler
pilot
Had a nice 2 hour flight yesterday in the Griz-o-Copter but my camera crapped the bed so all of my well planned shots came to nothing…oh well…next week.

But, a GA questions for the pros out there. I have an issue with my radio (KY197), or more accurately transmission power. If I am flying (say just south of Quantico) at anything below 2000 feet I can’t reach Potomac Approach. I can hear them and I can hear other aircraft, but I have to climb to make contact. I didn’t have this issue with my fixed wing. So, is my problem with the antenna, radio power, or something else? I’d love to be able to contact them without having to climb.
I'll give you an ET answer. It depends. I used to have a VSWR meter for my CB. You hook it up inline with your system (often just before the antenna) then transmit on different frequencies in the band. The VSWR tells you how much power is being reflected back to the radio and not making it off aircraft. It could be your antenna isn't tuned/coupled correctly, or a loose connection, or low radio power, or maybe even blockage from the antenna location.
 

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
I'll give you an ET answer. It depends. I used to have a VSWR meter for my CB. You hook it up inline with your system (often just before the antenna) then transmit on different frequencies in the band. The VSWR tells you how much power is being reflected back to the radio and not making it off aircraft. It could be your antenna isn't tuned/coupled correctly, or a loose connection, or low radio power, or maybe even blockage from the antenna location.
Makes sense and I imagine the real answer is to get an avionics guy to look at it. Sadly, for my wallet, my Arts & Science background always tends to lean toward a “Get a better one!” solution.
 

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
Is really an HMX-1 Phrog, or is that just a stock photo?
Not a stock photo. What you see is what you get. There are four of them for sale. They were all given to State but these four didn’t end up in the Taliban Air Corps.
 

wink

War Hoover NFO.
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Splashed some gas into the Luscombe today. Home plate is at $6.50/gal (our mogas is around $4.50 at the pump). We tend to have the lowest avgas prince in the metro area. How are your avgas prices?
 

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
Splashed some gas into the Luscombe today. Home plate is at $6.50/gal (our mogas is around $4.50 at the pump). We tend to have the lowest avgas prince in the metro area. How are your avgas prices?
I’m still paying “last delivery” prices of $5.25 for 100ll but that will change very shortly. I expect we’ll be close to you once the tanker arrives.
 

wink

War Hoover NFO.
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
I’m still paying “last delivery” prices of $5.25 for 100ll but that will change very shortly. I expect we’ll be close to you once the tanker arrives.
I was thinking about de-fueling the $3.25 gas from my rarely driven '80 RX7 and selling it for a profit. ?
 

RobLyman

- hawk Pilot
pilot
None
A fun video on Restricted Category UH-60A used in firefighting in Northern California - Mark Pilkington is a great guy, a well known broker of Cessna work-horse airplanes and has a fledgling YT Channel "Skywagon University" - a great choice to subscribe.

This is a real treat for us Helo Bubbas - want to hear @Gatordev and others reactions...

Had no idea you could shoot "fuses" out the back. Also, the stabilator functionality was pretty far off. I wonder if it was because he didn't know or he was trying to stay out of the weeds on what it does and how it works. The Black Hawk Advanced MEDEVAC (BAM) window is actually for the cargo door, not the gunner's window. That aircraft does not have BAM windows. When talking about ground taxi, "20% to taxi and 100% when flying." Not in that aircraft. I guarantee that thing IGE hovers without a bucket at sea level below 60%.

The bubble window would be nice for bucket ops, as would the on-the-fly cinching of the bucket. ? He mentioned "long line", so I assume they are using something longer than we do, which is only 50'. That has to be easier to get the bucket to fill up. At 50', if you are not spot on with a touch (but not too much) of ground speed as the bucket hits the water, the bucket will float out from under the aircraft and not tip over and fill. 100' would probably reduce the downwash enough to discourage the floating/sailing of the bucket on the surface.

I think he does not know much about the aircraft. I believe that is what GatorDev was getting at with his value of NATOPS or other military flight manuals comment. Who, besides an experimental or maintenance pilot really cares or actually knows what the functions of or inputs to the stabilator are? It does its own thing back there. If it stops, flight characteristics change. If it fails full down at low altitude during aggressive accelerating flight, it is bad news. Next question?

Overall a fun video, but not exactly factual.
 
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