RPMN: Have you ever had an “Oh, crap” moment in a helicopter? Can you summarize what happened?
There are more than I’d like to admit. Still deeply etched in my memory was the moment I experienced a full loss of tail rotor the Atlantic Ocean during a special operations training exercise. While well out at sea, my sister ship and I were the pointy end of a large helicopter assault on a hapless Navy ship. Seas were about 12 feet, and winds were howling from the south around 30-35 knots. I had several customers on board and we were moderately heavy. No sooner had we arrived at our designated position and slowed to a hover, about 30 feet over the water, than the aircraft yawed hard to the right and began to spin. I knew I couldn’t lower the collective, though in hindsight if I’d been quicker, I might have stopped the spin before one revolution. To create some space above the water, I increased collective, spinning at least four revolutions until we reached 70 feet. We then lowered the collective and nosed it over a bit, recovering at 11 feet above the water. I remember that number exactly; that’s all I could see because the centrifugal force was making my eyes bug out. My sister ship lost sight of us as we dipped below the swell. He said to me later that night, “I was about to call SAR (search and rescue) when I saw all the spray, and then like a Phoenix rising from the
RPMN: If you could give only one piece of advice to a new helicopter pilot, what would it be?
The best advice I can give is to listen to, and respect, your fellow pilots. Talk to them, both young and old, and listen to them. Fill your mental rucksack with their techniques and experiences. You won’t agree with everything you hear, and that’s OK. Toss out the stuff you don’t like and keep what you do. The point is to survive this highly dangerous environment we love so much, and maybe help the next generation as they start the process.
RPMN: In your view, what is the greatest challenge for the helicopter industry at this moment in time?
our biggest challenge is reducing fatal accidents. From my perspective, that can be accomplished through more meaningful training. Will that cost operators more up front? Of course! But what are the “costs” of a fatal accident? An investment in training by operators will pay far greater dividends in the long run.
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