Rain, rain, go away...

Hey Kevin,

We'll fly to a point, that point pretty much being VFR minimums. If
winds/visibility/clouds are at minimums (both FAA and the school's),
we fly.

I'm guessing that your schools VFR Min's are probably more strict than the
FAA minimums for helicopters.(Just a guess)

Is this in fixed wing or rotorcraft? I'm just curious as to what
you're training in/for.

Helicopters. The story I related happened a couple years ago. I was already
a rated pilot with a few hours when it happened.

I'm knocking on 40 so I'm
going to have to squeeze in the hours while I can. hehehe

Been there, done that. I'm 45 so definitely don't give up.

I have family and friends in So Cal and often get down there in the winter
time. Next time I'm down there we should get together and take a ship out to
Catalina or something. I get a pretty decent rate on Robbies out of Long
Beach and know So Cal pretty well. I lived in Idyllwild for 8 years.

I've enjoyed reading all your stories.
PJ

============================================
Here's to the duck who swam a lake and never lost a feather,
May sometime another year, we all be back together.
JJW
============================================

"The OTHER Kevin in San Diego" skiddz *AT* adelphia *DOT* net wrote in
message ...
On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 14:46:51 -0800, "PJ Hunt"
wrote:

Kev,

Just be glad you're not flying with an outfit in Riverside who wont fly
in
the rain.

We'll fly to a point, that point pretty much being VFR minimums. If
winds/visibility/clouds are at minumums (both FAA and the school's),
we fly. When I got to the school on Wednesday, it was right at
minimums are there were 2 helicopters in the pattern and 1 doing hover
work at the practice pad - in steady rain.

I was on my way to the flight school, an 1 hr and 45 min drive from my
home
in Idyllwild, and it had been drizzling all morning long. As I was
turning
in to the drive at the flight school my cell phone rings and it's my
instructor telling me that we can't fly today. I think he's joking and
say
so. He replies that he's serious and when I ask him why he says, and I
quote, "Because we don't have windshield wipers." My god, this was the
kind
of stuff that when you're driving down the road your windshield gets wet,
but when you stop and get out of the car, you don't even feel or see it.

I think I'd me more irked at the late phone call. That's like calling
your wife as she's pulling in to the driveway to stop for beer on her
way home.

Now, I already had over 4000 hours flying in Alaska, so I'm not new to
flying in the rain, and needless to say, that was the last time I flew
with
them. I turned my car around and drove to French Valley where it was
really
raining hard and the wind was blowing at 19knts. I walked into the
office
there and the guy there, who I had previously spoken to a couple of
times,
asked, "You want to go flying?" I said, "That's what I'm here for" and
we
were in the air shortly afterwards.

Nice. I haven' flown to French Valley in a LONG time, but it's one of
the stops on my long x-country...

A few days after that incident the owner of the school called and
'explained' to me that the reason they didn't fly in the rain was because
it
causes too much damage to the tail rotors. Although there is some truth
to
that statement, whether it causes 'too much' I suppose it debatable.

I guess it would depend on the helicopter. I can see a tailrotor
spinning at 3,000+ RPM taking a beating from heavy rain and I'm sure a
mainrotor will take the same beating if it was raining hard enough,
but light mist or drizzle? I dunno..

Today I'm out in the Aleutian Islands on the Alaska peninsula. Just two
nights ago I flew a 4 1/2 hour night MedEvac flight in rain and fog with
peak winds at 48Knts. If I didn't fly in the rain I wouldn't hardly fly
at
all.

Is this in fixed wing or rotorcraft? I'm just curious as to what
you're training in/for.

It's great to always have good weather to fly in, but it's good for you
to
experience poor weather too, while you have your instructor with you.
Because learning to fly helicopters is so expensive, most people who do
so
are pursuing the dream of working as a helicopter pilot someday. And
most
jobs out there are going to require that at some times you will have to
fly
in less than the most desirable weather. Take advantage of these
opportunities now with your instructor while you can.

Absolutely. Once I'm proficient and have some hours behind me, I'd
like to start learing how to really wring out helicopter. I flew in
an MD500 this morning with a 9000+ hour pilot and some of the
meneuvers he performed were very very cool and WAY beyond my feeble
skills, even in the sim. I'd like to be that good someday.. I just
hope I live long enough to get that good.. I'm knocking on 40 so I'm
going to have to squeeze in the hours while I can. hehehe