Yup. Got it in '95 for helos. Still flying on my Private fixed wing tho'! I don't think I'm well-suited to airplanes and airports. I get frustrated by that whole waiting thing; you know...the lining up to do run-ups, waiting to line up for take-off, waiting to join, extended circuits while some student tries to find the centerline etc. At least with a helicopter, the moment you start moving, you're flying and you don't need to enter the circuit. Much better way to travel. And, hey, who needs an airport at all? <br><br>
#15380 - 10/01/0212:08 AMRe: Get over yourself Sean...
[Re: MachOne]
carp
Dino's are Babe magnets
Registered: 04/19/02
Posts: 27021
Loc: Hawaii
Dang.<br>I give you that one.<br>I don't have a helicopter certificate "Yet"<br>Your right thou no waiting.<br>I fly out from Honolulu International Airport - can you imagine the wait times??? to just to get clearence to Roll. Private planes are way back on the list. Dang.<br><br>Meanwhile the choppers don't even have to Taxi. Still I don't want to imagine flying to island to island in a chopper - Yiiikes.<br><br>
Dude, I can't even begin to imagine how bad the waiting must be at HNL. It's bad enough here in this backwater trying to get in and out of AKL. I guess there's no GA field near you?<br><br>Overwater isn't a problem if you have a helo with pop-outs fitted. In fact it's mandatory here if you're on air transport ops. Besides, as my old instructor used to say, the aircraft doesn't know it's over water. <br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by MachOne on 09/30/02 09:06 PM (server time).</EM></FONT></P>
#15384 - 10/01/0201:09 AMRe: Get over yourself Sean...
[Re: MachOne]
carp
Dino's are Babe magnets
Registered: 04/19/02
Posts: 27021
Loc: Hawaii
The GA fields here don't have any facilities. Generally land and park, no fuel, no hangers, few tie downs. Kinda remote aeas.<br><br>Helos here according to the FAA must have Floating devices installed onto any helo that is flying over water. So some do and some do not.<br><br>
The smaller machines like Hughes/Schweitzer269s, Robinson R22s etc have insufficient load capacity to accommodate pop-out floats, so they would not qualify for Air Transport ops over water here. You cannot carry fare-paying passengers without the machine having floats if you operate further than gliding distance from land, and you know how well helicopters glide. <br><br>Private operations here allow for helos to operate over water without floats providing the crew and passengers are wearing life jackets. I've flown many flights over water in machines with no floats fitted. You have an awareness of the risk, bit it's much less of a risk than mountain flying. Now that keeps you 'fascinated'. Mountains are unforgiving places.<br><br>