Helicopter down at Lethbridge this morning

[Nico13]

Just happened to be looking at the Vic Emergency website this morning to see this report had come in five minutes earlier. Was about to go to Geelong and we could hear the sirens going.

 

Apparently an R44 doing circuits. Looks to be beside the Rwy 28.

 

No deaths 2 POB with apparently minor injuries, no details yet.

 

Will be out there in the morning so I’ll check it out.

 

Helicopter crash injures two as the aircraft suddenly plunges into a field and bursts into flames | Daily Mail Online

 

 

[Lucky01]

Good to see they made it out

 

 

[old man emu]

We don't know what [happened] and it [the helicopter] has come down to land and skidded across.'

 

'It was a hard landing, they were coming in to land and obviously something went wrong.'

 

OED definition of "plummet" : Fall or drop straight down at high speed, usually from height.

 

I don't think that a landing would be carried out at "high speed"

 

 

[yampy]

Presumably it had the retrofit bladder fuel tanks , otherwise it could have been a much different outcome .

 

 

[boleropilot]

may have been a practice autorotation - saw lots of those during my time at Amberley and Oakey - the object of the exercise is to use the energy stored in the main rotor that was maintained during descent with the collective down - the problem is the flare and the final use of collective to cushion the 'impact' has to be nothing other than perfect - otherwise - well, you know...

 

there's an old saying about helicopters - "they don't actually fly - they're so ugly the earth repels them"

 

a word of advice - if you ever see one about to crash, find cover quickly - they self destruct like you would not believe...

 

BP

 

 

[facthunter]

Smaller ones have a deficiency of inertia in the rotor system. Get far more critical to manage. with an auto rotation. Nev

 

 

[alf jessup]

As much as I love flying, I spent 17 years flying offshore in 10 million dollar Sikorsky S76’s and never liked it one bit, too many moving parts, different vibrations on different helicopters.

 

Robinson’s? I would never set my arxe in one as to me the rotor does not seem to have enough inertia in them let alone how flimsy they look.

 

Each to their own I guess.

 

 

[boleropilot]

I would never fly in a 'scenic' chopper because I do not know how long it has been since the pilot practiced an autorotation - in the defence services they practice them all the time because sometimes unfriendly people shoot at them, and it's a skill they need to have honed to a high degree.

 

I overheard a F-111 pilot talking to a GA pilot once, and the GA guy was saying "wow, you guys have the best job in the world", and the F-111 pilot said "yeah, some days you get a few minutes to actually enjoy it - most of the time you are working so damn hard to achieve the task you don't have time to think about how 'nice' it is - not many people have a 'job' that if you make one little mistake, you end up as mist in a smoking hole in the ground. The big drawback is that sometimes when you go to work, people try to kill you" - I've never forgotten that...

 

BP

 

 

[Litespeed]

One of my instructors was a nice bloke called George, he was a F111 instructor and then a Blackhawk instructor- a very very top notch pilot.

 

After leaving the services he became a lowly GA instructor and loved it, he finally had time to enjoy his job, look at scenery and unpucker his spincter.

 

 

[Litespeed]

One of my instructors was a nice bloke called George, he was a F111 instructor and then a Blackhawk instructor- a very very top notch pilot.

 

After leaving the services he became a lowly GA instructor and loved it, he finally had time to enjoy his job, look at scenery and unpucker his spincter.

 

 

[WayneL]

I always thought nice blokes named George who flew aircraft were Autopilots!

 

 

[boleropilot]

hey Litespeed, so right, that's exactly what I'm talkin' about...

 

hey Wayne, still haven't managed to get anybody to do the wiring on the Drifter - gunna do it myself or I'll never get in the air

 

soldering is out, makes the connections brittle (apparently), so a top class pair of crimping pliers plus my trusty voltmeter and Bob's your uncle

 

I did have an uncle Bob, btw...

 

 

[boleropilot]

HEY Y'ALL, 0455 IS FOR SALE - SEE MY POST IN THE DRIFTER FORUM

 

BP