December 2004 - Issue 1
Welcome
Our main aim for the newsletter is to keep in contact with our students, let them all know what is going on at NSHT and keep informed of relevant topics and events in the helicopter world.
Any articles or photo’s that you have and feel would be good for publication, letters to the editor, points of interest, local advertising or just some plain fun topics, let us know.
All the team here are proud of our history and excited about our expanding future. We hope that you all can play an interactive part and look forward to seeing you regularly. Happy Landings!
Xmas Party and Competition
Yes, we’re approaching that festive time of year again of giving and receiving, making merry and trying to avoid acute liver failure!
Here at NSHT, we are going to do something different this year by combining our very first competition and our annual Christmas bash on the 5th Dec
The competition is open to all and will be judged dependant on the level you are at with exercises to test skill, flare and decision making. It will be no more than one hour of flying each with three tests. You will need to have a co-pilot/instructor so choose early to avoid disappointment!
We will follow on with a BBQ and prize giving for the day and to recognise achievements throughout the last year. The whole afternoon and evening is a family affair, so bring some friends along and we hope it will be a fun day; fancy dress is optional!!
News and Up Coming Events
As some of you know lots has been happening around NSHT lately and we are looking forward to a busy summer.
We are actively progressing plans for new office and hanger space for us to expand into and hope to have some definitive news for you shortly .
HZV has had a full engine overall after 4500 hours which is a superb achievement for the aircraft and a testament to our engineers at North Shore Aviation for keeping the old girl running as long as she has, so thank you guys.
As we announced at our Pilot’s Night, we are bringing on stream a range of specialty course’s for those who are post PPL or working towards a CPL and want something different to focus on. Visit our website or contact us for more details.
We are also going to start some ‘Fly-Away’ trips and our first will be to Cape Reinga for two days in Jan/Feb
Finally for those with a competitive streak, we are having our first competition combined with our Christmas party on the 5th Dec. Be great to see you there from 12.30pm
Did you know?
- Da Vinci (1452-1519)conceptualised the first helicopter
- 1783 Jean F. Pilatre de Rozier made the first manned flight in Paris in a Montgolfier balloon
- Wright Brothers first took off on Dec 17th 1903
- Sikorsky first helicopter flight was 30ft high and 200ft long in 1939
- John Clements first flight was in a Harvard on Nov 30th 1959
- Aug 27th 1960, Capt. Joe Kittinger jumped from a polyethylene balloon from 102,870ft to set a new parachute record.
- July 1969 saw Apollo11 land on the moon
Frost Protection
The protection of crops, like grapes and kiwi fruit etc, from frost has become a big part of some helicopter companies work at this time of year. Frost protection is done when the temperature drops to zero degrees C and the helicopter is used to bring warm air down from above.
If the temp gets to zero, the water inside the capillaries freezes and therefore expands. This causes damage to the vine and shows up as a blackening of the vine, hence the reference to "burn" that owners talk about, (it really does go black!)
Often the air nearest the ground is cooler as the earth cools more than the air and so you get warmer air at higher levels (inversion layer). Choppers fly around aiming to bring this warm air down to mix with the cold air thereby raising the temperature. It only needs to come up above zero. On a normal frost night you should be able to get the temperature up about 2-3 degrees but on very cold frosts you may only get a very small rise in temp.
When the frosts start early, the earth is still cool from winter (weak sun etc) and thus the air is not warmed during the day so at night there is not much of an inversion layer. This makes life tricky. Some orchardists burn kerosene/oil heaters which then creates warmth the pilot can bring down. Different fruit buds at different times and this is when the fruit is most at risk
Other solutions are big fans to move the air or water. Now this is the tricky one.... If you run water over the vines in a trickle, the water freezes, surrounding the vine in ice. This is what you want even though it sounds wrong. The paradox works like this..... As the water freezes it releases latent heat (like the extra heat when steam condenses on your arm above the kettle causing a worse burn than boiling water). As long as you keep the trickle going and the water keeps freezing, the latent heat release keeps it just above zero, thus avoiding the burn. The problem is that an orchard can easily go through 1-2 MILLION litres of water a night.
Choppers are used often, as they can't get insurance now for crop damage so we are their insurance expense. Aim is to fly along watching for the OAT gauge to increase and thus find the warmest part of the inversion. A R22 may fly around 30 feet high (just above the shelter belts) whereas a squirrel can be higher in warmer air as its downwash is greater. It also has the benefit of its turbine exhaust providing extra heat. Rough rule is that you must do the whole orchard and be back at the start in about 15 minutes or the temp will drop again. Faster on a cold night.
Frost dangers are abundant so vigilance is necessary. Big moon, not so hard. No moon, then flying inside a cow's stomach is not so easy. Beneath the inversion you sometimes get a layer of fine mist forming so if you hop between plots it can be tricky to come back down. Good orchardists have strobes at the edge of the property. A day flight to assess wires and any dangers is vital. Night relocations are for the foolish and the daring. We relocate during the day. Decision must be made by 4pm and then all hell breaks loose as frantic owners who are unprepared desperately try to find available helicopters. A bad frost may start you flying at 1am and have you going until 8am (ie after sun up - this is when it is actually the coldest!). You start when the temp gets to 1 degree, roughly.
For a pilot to be able to perform this type of work they must hold a current Commercial Pilot Licence (H) and a Night Rating. The Night Rating involves 10 hours of night flying in helicopters including 5 hours dual and 10 take-offs, translational circuits and landings solo and 2 hours dual instrument flight time in helicopters. In addition to this, night instrument and equipment requirements for the helicopter are a turn and slip, position lights, an anti-collision light and a serviceable torch for each crew member.
Some other factors to consider are:
- Refueling – organize a refueling point on, or near the property you are protecting, this minimizes ferry flights that may be over built up areas
- If possible arrange or position your helicopter before nightfall
- Ask the farmer/grower to advise their neighbors of your activities in order to minimize annoyance
- Ensure the landing site is of sufficient size and is clear of obstacles, includ ing arrival and departure paths
- Ask the farmer/grower to have the landing site well lit and free from ani mals, children and the general public
- Anyone working on or near the prop erty should be thoroughly briefed on how to approach or move away from the helicopter and briefed on all activi ties to be carried out
- Ensure you are well rested and have plenty of warm clothes
Frost protection is not for the faint hearted or the warm blooded!
Pilot's Night
We haven't had a pilot’s night for a while, so it was good to see so many of you there last time. Our aim has always been to keep it as informal as possible and the beer probably helps.
Our Swiss instructor Stephan and his friend Ruedi, relayed their experiences at the World Helicopter Championships last year which was fascinating. The Russians seized the day, no thanks to a small amount of practice and the Swiss team came in a credible 15th out of 21...good for them!
ohn regaled us with some anecdotes from his 45 years of flying including a few from Vietnam and the Officers Mess...not for the faint hearted or those with a sense of humor by-pass!
Our next pilot’s night,, we hope to get Malcolm Devereux back to go through his slides on his time in Antarctica. We hope to see you there.
Congratulations!
Did you know that only 0.00000001% of the world’s population gets to go solo in a helicopter?!
A remarkable achievement if you think about it and one you should be extremely proud of.
This column will recognise flying achievements throughout the year and will culminate in our annual awards ceremony in December that we hope you will attend and receive a formal pat on the back with your fellow aviators. So far this year:-
First Solo
Jacqui Smale
Tim Lockie
Brian Mahoney
John Bryan
David Adkins
Paul Snook
Private Pilot Licence
David Conradie
Alex Khedhaier
Nick Kershaw
C-Cat Instructors
Stephan Stirniman
Paul Williamson
Congrats to you all!
Fancy a bit of Touch?
Summer is fast approaching (yippee!) and we thought we need an excuse to have a beer or three on a regular occasion.
Therefore, Paul R came up with a great idea of getting a team up with the aero club to play mixed touch rugby locally on a Thursday night and then quenching our thirst with the odd jar.
We need a mix of about 14 players to choose from, so if you are interested in playing and having a bit of a laugh, contact us here and we will put your name in the hat.
The ICAO Story
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was created by the Convention of Chicago, where, in 1944, 32 countries drew up standards and regulations of international scope applying to the different sectors of civil aviation. The ICAO itself came into being in 1947, establishing its headquarters in Montreal. The organization has unquestionably improved the flight safety rules and established the same criteria for air traffic control all over the world.
In order to make these objectives easier to attain, the ICAO divided the world into regions so that the specific features of their air traffic could be more precisely identified. The ICAO has an Assembly, a Council (36 members) and a Secretariat. The Council is the governing body, its members being elected for a three-year mandate.
The ICAO works in close collaboration with the specialized agencies of the United Nations (Meteorology, World Health Organization, etc) and other professional bodies.
CFI's Bit
I was talking to two other aged (and fairly venerable) helicopter pilots recently and we came to the (sadly!) inescapable conclusion that, between us, we had about 130 years worth of flying experience, 40 or so thousand hours, had not suffered too many ‘scares’- and enjoyed it now (almost!) as when we started out in the relative ‘dark ages’ of helicopters in NZ.
Then came the thought — ”Which chopper did you most enjoy?”. The answer “The one I just landed!”. That response reflects perfectly the ‘distilled wisdom’ of three old folk who have been at this game for a veeeeeeeery long time!
It is worth noting that we still “enjoy” the life, and of even more relevance, we are very tuned to the job on hand. It’s how one handles the “now” that keeps us aloft and alive!
It’s a mantra worth repeating!
North Shore Helicopter Training
Founded nearly 20 years ago, NSHT has evolved to be the premier helicopter training organization in Auckland.
All of the team here are professional, fully qualified instructors and our Chief Flying Instructor is also a qualified Flight Examiner.
Our mission is:-
“We will provide the highest caliber and standard of training for our students by employing carefully selected, trained and experienced instructors and providing aircraft and equipment maintained and operated to the highest standard”
We are proud of our history and excited about our expanding future. Call in and see us and let us help you realize your dream...
And Finally...
Woman rule the world
During the recent floods, eleven people were hanging on a rope under a helicopter, ten men and one woman. The rope was not strong enough to carry them all, so they decided that one has to drop off. Otherwise they are all going to fall. The were not able to choose that person, but the woman then made a very touching speech. She said that she would voluntarily let go of the rope, because as a woman she was used to giving up everything for her husband and kids, and for men in general, without her getting anything in return. As soon as she finished her speech all the men started clapping….
Passenger Briefings
Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo, Texas, on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain really had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo. Please remain seated with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what’s left of our plane to the gate!”.
Another flight attendant’s comment on a less than perfect landing “We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal”
After a real crusher of a landing in Phoenix, the attendant came on the horn “Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Capt. Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we’ll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal”
“As you exit the plane, make sure you gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly amongst the crew. Please do not leave children or spouses”
Air Traffic Control
In the military whilst on finals, the pilot is supposed to call the tower with “finals, gear down and cleared to land” One lady student operating from a grass strip who had had a particularly bad start to her day, pre-flighted, jumped in her plane and taxied merrily down to holding position runaway 27. After clearance from the tower to line up, she did her final pre-takeoff checks and called the Tower “ Sierra, Echo, Tango on the grass, gear down and ready”
Tower replied “Sierra, Echo, Tango, I’ll be down in thirty seconds!!”