RP: Have you ever had an “oh, crap” moment in helicopters? Can you summarize what happened?
One time during external-load training
for a new PIC flying an Mi-8T helicopter, Engine 1 quit because the fuel suction pump broke. I remember the young pilot immediately looking at me and saying we had to get rid of the cargo. He pressed the release-cargo button and we flew OEI with the helicopter landing safely over the taxiway. It was not until we landed that the “oh, crap” moment came to us when we asked ourselves where in the world the external cargo landed. Fortunately, the vicinity of the base where the cargo landed was nothing but trees and grass and not a general’s car!
RP: If you could give only one piece of advice to new pilots, mechanics, or support personnel, what would it be?
In this line of work, the day we stop learning is the day we start dying. We don’t have to be afraid of speaking directly, because in aviation there are so many lives depending on us. I say to my student pilots, give a little bit of respect to yourself and your aircraft and the people you care` for by giving at least 10 minutes daily to do or read something that will make you a better person or a more professional pilot. There is always space for improvement!
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RP: In your view, what is the greatest challenge for the helicopter industry at this moment in time?
It’s sad to analyze the statistics and observe that we keep making the same mistakes we made 10 and 20 years ago in the helicopter industry. I know for sure that the authorities have put so many resources at hand, and that any instructor pilot goes far and beyond trying to do what’s best for his students, but in the end it is that one bad decision we make that gets us. I remember the words of one of my medcrew who told me once, “Alex, if we don’t have more than an 80%
probability of coming back, I don’t want to fly.” Before I could even answer him, I heard a more senior, experienced nurse who said, “No way, let’s make it 100%; the way I see it, we are 100% full of life!” So, let’s keep that in mind before we lift that collective in order to not become a statistic.
Do you know someone who would be a good subject for Meet a Rotor Pro? Email your suggestion to the editor-in-chief:
lyn.burks@rotorpro.com
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