On Friday, May 22, 2020 at 6:13:28 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Friday, May 22, 2020 at 8:53:40 AM UTC-4, wrote:
Walt, no offense friend, but I would rather take my chances as a tow pilot than fly in choppers lol. Way too many moving parts. Last time I was in one they kicked me out on a zip line (army rotc).


No offense taken. I've had close calls in helicopters and they were all as a result of my inexperience. The key is to keep flying, keep putting in inputs to get the outcome you are seeking. Learning to hover is a humbling experience. The helicopter I will assure you takes a much finer touch than any fixed wing airplane I have ever flown. Everything that leaves the ground is dangerous, gravity is a constant as is human failure.

Walt Connelly
Former Tow Pilot
Now Happy Helicopter Pilot.

When I first started flying helicopters, one of the two finest pilots I have had the honor of flying with told me it takes about 500 hours to be a competent helicopter pilot, he was right. Of course all of our flying was in the mountains, little less time in flat lands. For a decade I lived in a 600 sq.ft. condo with a Murphy bed, attached to a 6,000 sq. ft. hangar. My ex-wife had told me I needed to get my priorities right, so I did. In that hangar was a MD520 N with a much stronger than spec engine (spec'd at 450 shaft horse power, but I got 484 shaft horse power, that is a lot). I flew nearly every day and in that decade I put 2,166 hours on that particular helicopter plus about another 200 hours in other helicopters. Just an incredible experience. I always felt at home. Only had one, well maybe a few other exciting experiences. I did have an inflight fire, NiCad runaway at sunset over a deep dark canyon. Worst part of that was getting stalked by a mountain lion. I did get caught in actual severe turbulence in rotor(from wave) turbulence. I did swap paint or almost swapped paint with a United MD 80 out of Burbank in September of 2003. I looked for that incident in the NTSB database but couldn't find it. Very interesting back story on that, but the RD version, I meet an angel that day and she saved myself and 109 soul on the other airplane. Both myself and the United pilot filed NASA reports. NASA called me and said "we are not supposed to do this, but would you like the number of the other pilot. (I have been meaning to write up that story). I learned a lot about life and flying while strapped to that bird. A sad note, my ex-helicopter went to Canada and now a R44 has her N-number, so sad.