Do pilots like when you clap?

Helicopter Pilots Are Different

«A bunch of spare parts flying in close formation.»

«Anything that screws its way into the sky flies according to unnatural principals.»

You never want to sneak up behind an old high-time helicopter pilot and clap your hands. He will instantly dive for cover and most likely whimper. then get up and smack the crap out of you.

There are no old helicopters laying around airports like you see old airplanes. There is a reason for this. Come to think of it, there are not many old high-time helicopter pilots hanging around airports either so the first issue is mute.

You can always tell a helicopter pilot in anything moving: a train, an airplane, a car or a boat. They never smile, they are always listening to the machine and they always hear something they think is not right. Helicopter pilots fly in a mode of intensity, actually more like «spring loaded» while waiting for pieces of their ship to fall off.

Flying a helicopter at any altitude over 500 feet is considered reckless and should be avoided. Flying a helicopter at any altitude or condition that precludes a landing in less than 20 seconds is considered outright foolhardy.

Remember in a helicopter you have about one second to lower the collective in an engine failure before the craft becomes unrecoverable. Once you’ve failed this maneuver the machine flies about as well as a 2 ton meat locker. Even a perfectly executed autorotation only gives you a glide ratio slightly better than that of a brick. A corollary to this: H-53 Pilots are taught autorotation procedures so that they will have something to do with their hands and feet while they plummet to the death.

When your wings are leading, lagging, flapping, precessing and moving faster than your fuselage there’s something unnatural going on. Is this the way men were meant to fly?

While hovering, if you start to sink a bit, you pull up on the collective while twisting the throttle, push with your left foot (more torque) and move the stick left (more translating tendency) to hold your spot. If you now need to stop rising, you do the opposite in that order. Sometimes in wind you do this many times each second. Great fun is letting a fighter pilot go for a ride and try this. Yes it is!

For Helicopters: You never want to feel a sinking feeling in your gut (low «g» pushover) while flying a two bladed under slung teetering rotor system. You are about to do a snap-roll to the right and crash. For that matter, any remotely aerobatic maneuver should be avoided in a Huey.

Don’t push your luck. It will run out soon enough anyway. If everything is working fine on your helicopter consider yourself temporarily lucky. Something is about to break.

There are two types of helicopter pilots: Those that have crashed, and those that are going to.

Harry Reasoner once wrote the following about helicopter pilots:

«The thing is, helicopters are different from planes. An airplane by its nature wants to fly, and if not interfered with too strongly by unusual events or by an incompetent pilot, it will fly. A helicopter does not want to fly. It is maintained in the air by a variety of forces and controls working in opposition to each other, and if there is any disturbance in this delicate balance the helicopter stops flying; immediately and disastrously.
There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter.
This is why being a helicopter pilot is so different from being an airplane pilot, and why in generality, airplane pilots are open, clear-eyed, buoyant extroverts and helicopter pilots are brooding introspective anticipators of trouble. They know if something bad has not happened it is about to.»

Having said all this, I must admit that flying in a helicopter is one of the most satisfying and exhilarating experiences I have ever enjoyed: skimming over the tops of trees at 100 knots is something we should all be able to do at least once.

And remember the fighter pilot’s prayer: «Lord I pray for the eyes of an eagle, the heart of a lion and the balls of a Marine combat helicopter pilot.»

Many years later I know that it was sometimes anything but fun, but now it IS something to brag about for those of us who survived the experience.

«Sent to me by a stiff wing driver of low repute,»
said Dennis T. Mckee, Major USMC (Ret)

Celebrating World Pilots’ Day with Captain Dallen

Pilots

What advice would you give a young person who is interested in becoming a pilot? There is no better time to get into the industry! Follow your passion and remain persistent. There will be highs and lows along the road to becoming a pilot however each moment will build on your portfolio of experience, confidence and personal milestones. What’s the best part of being a pilot? The people you meet. I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to fly throughout many parts of the world. In doing so, I have met so many interesting people, worked with a multitude of different co-workers, visited many countries and experienced different cultures. What is the biggest challenge you had to overcome when you first became a pilot? When I was looking for my first job as a pilot, my experience was low but my confidence high. The conundrum, one needs experience to be hired but no one would hire me to get that experience. My persistence prevailed, I was able to finally find an operator who would take me on and this launched my career. Do you have a good story about an on board experience? As a corporate pilot, I had the opportunity to fly for an owner of a NHL hockey team. The plane I flew was offered out for use by the owner to many famous NHL stars including the “Great One”. When you think of safety, what first comes to mind? Why is it so important for our seats to be in the upright position when the aircraft is landing? Safety is a team priority. As a pilot I am one of the many frontline crew members who are entrusted by the travelling public to uphold safety. That being said, I am only one of the visible links in a strong chain of safety. There are many behind the scenes not seen day-to-day who are an integral part of the team entrusted to ensure passenger safety. What’s a common misconception? We don’t sleep on the airplane when we overnight somewhere. The company provides every crew member a hotel room. What career opportunities exist when you are a pilot? What is some career progression a pilot can expect? As a Pilot Selection Team member for Swoop I conduct interviews on candidates hoping to join our group. I am always thrilled to hear the various paths pilots have taken to gain their experience. There is no defined path in the progression as a pilot and that is what makes this career so unique. I hear amazing stories of flying in northern parts of Canada to a heart-stopping career in the military flying fighter jets. Humanitarian work overseas, corporate flying, flight instructing and flying for an airline are all some examples of the endless possibilities in the opportunities available. Each provides a logbook full of experience and memories. Visit your local flying school and see what opportunities exist is an excellent place to start. Get involved or volunteer at the local airport if that is available. You never know who you will meet and what doors it may open in your career path. Are we supposed to clap when the aircraft lands? Do pilots like that? A good round of applause is always appreciated. What we do like to do is show off our “office”. If time permits, come up to the flight deck on the ground and if we have time we would love to talk more about our job, the aircraft or even our landing. What is your favourite destination? I have a few but my hometown of Victoria would top the list and New York for the vibrant scene of food, art as well as the people.

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Do pilots like when you clap?