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Helicopter pilot dies...

So how is it a "freak" accident when anyone who's watched any TV or movie w/ helicopters will see people ducking when entering the arc? Huh, there might be something to that...
 
Also keep in mind Civ helo operators do things the USN/USMC would NEVER do (not today anyways)..

Getting out, with the rotors engaged (trim on or a cyclic lock) was not that uncommon. No one at the controls, helo turning.

Done it myself more times than I can count.
 
mmx1 said:
How much flex are the rotors capable of?
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I'm not sure about the blades on the Bell that he was in, but on the 60, our tip path - normally around 8' 6" off the ground - is able to droop as low as 4 feet given the right (or wrong) conditions. No one in our community ducks to enter the rotor arc. Of course, we would never have the blades spinning without somebody at the controls, either. Like MasterBates said, though, it's a different world for the civilian pilots.
 
6'6" is supposedly the lowest the 206 will dip to. Im not sure how much the Bell's differ between but im six three without a helmet. Needless to say i always duck when entering and exiting, I may look like a fool but I like my head where it is.
 
gatordev said:
So how is it a "freak" accident when anyone who's watched any TV or movie w/ helicopters will see people ducking when entering the arc? Huh, there might be something to that...
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It could be that old habits die hard... There is almost NO way that you can walk into the rotor arc of a Phrog. The aft head is 16-something feet off the ground, and the forward head is like 10 feet (I'm rusty). I never ducked walking into the rotor arc, although we always walk in from the side, because with the heads in Taxi and a good gust, it can droop down to something like 6 feet.
 
We don't duck in 53s. That would be and look ridiculous. It's a fully articulated head, and therefore can dip forward quite a bit. That's why there's a coordinated rotor-arc control effort between the pilots and the longcordsman.
 
phrogpilot73 said:
It could be that old habits die hard... There is almost NO way that you can walk into the rotor arc of a Phrog. The aft head is 16-something feet off the ground, and the forward head is like 10 feet (I'm rusty). I never ducked walking into the rotor arc, although we always walk in from the side, because with the heads in Taxi and a good gust, it can droop down to something like 6 feet.
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I agree, and I would at most, dip my head for a sec when going in and out of the arc for the -60, only because of "the chief" mishap and the "4 foot" thing mentioned earlier. But still, it's not like it's unheard of, hence my crack at the "freak" comment.

6'6" for the 206, huh? I swear I've seen it come to my eye level when waiting for someone to get out. Not saying you're lying, just my perspective (I'm 6'2").

Here's a shot of someone who was a little motivated w/ the cyclic while waiting for us to load up mail and a new stab in Panama. Not a huge deal since we go in the side, but it illustrates the 4 foot point.
 

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I see your "child of the 80's" and I raise you a "long haired hippie" :D
CampDavis_NC_CH-46E_02.jpg

Looks like the heads are in Taxi, but you can see that there's tons of clearance, and no need to duck...
 
MasterBates said:
No one at the controls, helo turning.
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Why does this sound like a recipe for disaster?

MasterBates said:
Done it myself more times than I can count.
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In a Navy helo? In the HT's maybe? I recall this as being strictly forbidden in the LAMPS Mk I world. Of course I could be just not recalling correctly (I did separate 21 years ago today). Can anybody out there with West Coast H-2 experience confirm or deny?
 
Master is referring to his civilian helo time before the Navy. I've heard similar stories, to include someone losing his nice new 206 because the friction wasn't tight enough and over it came.
 
gatordev said:
I agree, and I would at most, dip my head for a sec when going in and out of the arc for the -60, only because of "the chief" mishap and the "4 foot" thing mentioned earlier. ...

...just my perspective (I'm 6'2")
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My only question is how is ducking your head going to help with a -60? :)
 
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