GyroFreak
Key Veteran
Location: Florida ... 28° 50' N 81° 16' W
| This is mainly for the guys who flew in Vietnam, but a lot applies to model helicopters.
Subject: Helicopter pilot lessons learned during Viet Nam but still true today!
1) There is no such thing as a "fun" hot LZ.
2) It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are instinctively drawn toward trees, stumps, rocks, etc. While it may be possible to ward off this natural event some of the time, it cannot, despite the best efforts of the crew, always be prevented. It's just what they do.
3) The engine RPM, and the rotor RPM, must BOTH be kept in the GREEN. Failure to heed this commandment can affect the morale of the crew.
4) There are only two kinds of helicopter pilots: those that have crashed, and those who are going to.
5) Always remember that helicopters are different from airplanes. Helicopters are thousands of parts all flying in lose formation often in opposition to each other, and unlike airplanes, they fly by beating the air into submission.
6) The B.S.R. (Bang, Stare, Read) Theory states that the louder the sudden bang in the helicopter, the quicker your eyes will be drawn to the gauges.
7) The longer you stare at the gauges, the less time it takes them to move from green to red.
8) Gravity may not be fair, but it is the law.
9) If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to.
10) Nothing is as useless as altitude above you and runway behind you.
11) While the rest of the crew may be in the same predicament, it's almost always the pilot's job to arrive at the crash site first.
12) Loud sudden noises in a helicopter WILL get your undivided attention.
13) In helicopters, there is no such thing as "a good vibration."
14) Running out of pedal, fore or aft cyclic, or collective are all bad ideas. Any combination of these can be deadly.
Feel free to add any I missed !!!
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