"The OTHER Kevin in San Diego" skiddz "AT" adelphia "DOT" net wrote in
message ...
On 20 Apr 2006 04:20:32 -0700, "Ol Shy & Bashful"
wrote:

Does it rank right in there
with only demonstrating an approach to a spin without actually
experiencing one and then go teach the same flawed philosophy?
I can see lots of tailbooms being chopped off in the next couple
years...
Comments anyone?
Rocky

As a hopefully soon to be minted CFI-H, I think this new rule is just
stupid. While I don't doubt I could auto a helicopter to a "walk away
pretty much unhurt but man is that helicopter effed up" landing right
now, I'd much rather be able to do one where not only the occupants
survive, but the helicopter does as well.


Did a little trimming before commenting! :-)

Rocky, respectfully, I've been watching (and paying attention to!) reports
of helicopter accidents on the local and national news for 30+ years now.
In all that time, I only remember a couple of them where the tailbooms "were
not" chopped off. I'm not a rated rotorcraft pilot so maybe I'm not
qualified to judge but it seems to me that most of the people out there that
are, can't do a proper auto to the ground anyway. Granted, some of those
were approaches to very restricted LZ's but most were not. That makes your
concerns even the more scary, IMO. I earned my fixed wing rating in 1979.
We weren't required to demonstrate spins either, even back then, and I
always through it was stupid. This does not bode will for rotorcraft
training in this country as far as I'm concerned. Too bad actually. :-(

By the way, I did catch a news story yesterday (04-19) that showed a
corporate level Sikorsky helicopter (red), I'm not familiar with the exact
model designation, that had experienced a tail rotor failure. The pilot
managed to put the aircraft down safely. I'm sure, due to the fuselage
rotation, he/she folded the left rear landing gear on touchdown so the
aircraft was leaning over to that side on the ground. Beyond that, the
airframe seemed to be perfectly intact. I couldn't even tell that a rotor
blade had touched the ground. All things considered, this was one of the
better recoveries I've seen in a long time!

Fly Safe,
Steve R.