HAI/COLTEN GONZALEZ-HILL


FLY SAFE By Chris Hill


Always Leave an Escape Route WATCH


Dave Dziura on Leaving Yourself an Escape Route


Helicopter pilots tend to plan for the worst—a mentality that goes hand in hand with having a (flight) plan B.


Visit rotor.org/sos to view and download this and additional safety resources,


including videos and posters.


ferentiate between bold pilots and old pilots. Most aspir- ing helicopter pilots who received top-tier flight instruction quickly learn to always visualize what they’ll do and where they’ll go in the event of a catastrophic system failure. Every astute helicopter pilot (particularly those in single-engine aircraft) flying today is actively or subcon- sciously considering their first turn and subsequent flight path to the most suitable landing area within auto- rotational glide distance. By the time you read this


H


ELICOPTER PILOTS UNDERSTAND that maintaining a constant “escape” mentality is an essential survival skill that allows us to dif-


sentence, most of those pilots likely will have shifted to another location at least once.


On High Alert The contingency-plan mindset is particularly necessary in high-risk situations. “It’s especially important to identify an escape route when operating at the edge of your aircraft’s perfor- mance envelope or in high-density altitudes,” says Dave Dziura, chief pilot for Colorado Heli-Ops and chair of HAI’s Safety Working Group. “If your landing site is con- fined, identify during the approach the altitude and loca- tion at which your escape route or go-around option will


66 ROTOR DECEMBER 2021


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