The new count of 631 missing is because somehow everyone who called 911 were put on the safe list, but that has not been verified so just to be safe they moved them back.
I have 4 of our helicopters working the fire. After the fire is done we go to work restoring the power infrastructure---pole sets, flying crews to the remote areas etc. Most of the crews are flown on the end of Long Lines.
I am on an office day today, and I head to Utah Sunday to pack for England for 2 weeks, one wedding, one funeral up in Lincolnshire and Humberside.
Hopefully the number will be nowhere near the 631 mark.
Enjoy the trip to Blighty even if it does involve a funeral.
When I first got to the US and looked to buy a house and one of the things that made me choose my current home was that it was not surrounded by woodland.I saw some great houses within my price range but they were surrounded by trees.
It was note worthythat there were a lot of dead pine trees that looked like they had been struck by lightning but actually all I was looking at were trees that had died because of beetle kill.It was alarming that these dead trees were not being removed as they were definitely fire risks.
I have watched a DC-9 fire bomber operating about three miles from my home.It is not a comfortable feeling.
Buying houses in dense woodland has severe risks as these latest fires show once exits are burning and you are trapped you have nowhere to go.
That kind of concern for house location is growing more acute in the eastern and south eastern Cape in South Africa (and elsewhere) where severe fires are becoming more common.
George Pyrocumulus.jpg (42.83 KiB) Viewed 688 times
There have been severe fires in the Knysna/ George every year in the last 5 years resulting in significant loss of life and property.
5 November 2018 (fire now contained)
Firefighters are still battling the fire that is raging along the garden route where more than 400 Cape residents have been forced to evacuate their homes.
The affected areas include Mossel Bay/HerbertsDale; Jonkersberg, and the Outeniqua area where close to 90 000 hectares has been destroyed. It is estimated to be four times the size of the 2017 Knysna fires which saw 22 000 hectares razed.
Western Cape Premier Helen Zille is currently in George visiting the areas affected and to speaking to the people there.
She says they are bringing in the Black Hawk helicopter which is capable of carrying 3 000 litres of water.
There's been huge cooperation from the South African Air Force to help fight these fighters, says Zille.
Mil Helicipter in South Africa.JPG (43.4 KiB) Viewed 688 times
Caco, what makes me think that you are trying to do your chopper training at the wrong time of year or in the wrong country. Put your dosh in a piggy bank each week and spend a month in Florida or somewhere. I did my PPL in Cambridge in a month over the summer. Flying practically everyday. Did loads of punting and drinking as well. Shouldn't have mentioned the latter now I want a beer.
'Yes, Madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly.' Sir Winston Churchill.
Caco, what makes me think that you are trying to do your chopper training at the wrong time of year or in the wrong country. Put your dosh in a piggy bank each week and spend a month in Florida or somewhere. I did my PPL in Cambridge in a month over the summer. Flying practically everyday. Did loads of punting and drinking as well. Shouldn't have mentioned the latter now I want a beer.
Can't say that you are wrong Ex-A. The last 3 slots have been lost to weather. I am hoping it will be OK this Tuesday and next Saturday... Tuesday looks decidely hopeful actually...
heli weather.JPG (51.13 KiB) Viewed 660 times
The weather today is perfect... I am going stir crazy... but such is the way of fate and the British weather.
Slight drift. Re post #222, I had the pleasure of four Air Tractor Fire Boss aircraft flying in line a few feet over my mountainside house this summer on their way to fight a (deliberately set) fire on the Cadaques road. I was on my terrace, saw 'em coming, sounded magnificent. Sadly never caught the evil bastard who lit the fire.
Slight drift. Re post #222, I had the pleasure of four Air Tractor Fire Boss aircraft flying in line a few feet over my mountainside house this summer on their way to fight a (deliberately set) fire on the Cadaques road. I was on my terrace, saw 'em coming, sounded magnificent. Sadly never caught the evil bastard who lit the fire.
Air Tractor AT-802AF Fire Boss.JPG (57.5 KiB) Viewed 633 times
Sat and watched an Air Tractor spaying a field up Malmesbury (South Africa) way a couple of years ago, Just as fascinating to see this 70 year old Saffer pilot at work on behalf of the Krokodilkraal Boerdery Trust.
A beer for the person who can name the bird species that can be heard in the background of this video +- 1 min 48 seconds.
Two non-amphibians spend the fire-time summer at the Empuriabrava drop zone, augmented by amphibs when necessary from Girona and choppers from down south. The story of the Air Tractor is well worth reading.
What is the limiting windspeed for the R44?
We were forecast 70mph winds from 3am Friday (today) - which never happened, but the wind is starting to get up here in the last couple of hours (currently 17 gusting 35mph measured at nearby weatherstation).
The nearby town was scheduled to have an outdoor Christmas market (with stalls) today and tomorrow, but it was cancelled yesterday - today was an anticlimax with gentle breezes but I reckon tonight's winds would have seen the stalls blown away.
What is the limiting windspeed for the R44?
We were forecast 70mph winds from 3am Friday (today) - which never happened, but the wind is starting to get up here in the last couple of hours (currently 17 gusting 35mph measured at nearby weatherstation).
The nearby town was scheduled to have an outdoor Christmas market (with stalls) today and tomorrow, but it was cancelled yesterday - today was an anticlimax with gentle breezes but I reckon tonight's winds would have seen the stalls blown away.
An interesting question and one which the R44 POH is not much help with. Robinson did release an AD, since rescinded, that limited the operation of the R44 in ground winds greater than 25 knots and/or a gust wind speed spread of greater than 15 knots.
I know that Thurston Helicopters, my training organisation, limited engine start up for training flights to a max of 27 knots (to prevent rotor sailing) and to reduce the student's options for inviting Mr Cock Up into the sortie. I spoke to my instructor on the phone last night, as he lives closer to the airfield than I do, and he said he would ring me before 07:00 hrs if the wind appeared too strong for a useful lesson. If no call comes I will be in the car and away to Headcorn
In truth I am sure that in the right hands and with the requisite skillset you could probably take the R44 off the deck in winds of +- 40 knots without much drama but I am not anywhere that league yet so I will abide with what my instructor deems appropriate.
......An interesting question and one which the R44 POH is not much help with. Robinson did release an AD, since rescinded, that limited the operation of the R44 in ground winds greater than 25 knots and/or a gust wind speed spread of greater than 15 knots......
Considering the number of different types of helicopters with teetering main rotor blades that had much higher limits it was an extraordinary limitation. As Caco says, blade sailing in high winds with teetering rotor blades is the problem on start up - or shut down - with the risk of chopping your tail off before the rotors are up to speed.
North Sea helicopters are of course much larger than the R44 and the one wind speed offshore which terminated operations for any type was when the wind over the deck exceeded 60 kts. It wasn't a helicopter limitation - it just wasn't safe for the passengers to walk to and from the machine.
My last type, the Bell 214ST, had a start up wind speed limitation of 50kts. There were a couple of tricks to try and get a quick increase in rotor speed on start up in high winds. One was to hold the rotor brake on for a few seconds after the first engine started and the other, the video of which I think I've posted before, was to get your brave engineer to hold onto the rotor blade for as long as he could, taking care to release it before he was catapulted over the side of the deck!
.
The helicopter pilots' mantra: If it hasn't gone wrong then it's just about to...
https://www.glenbervie-weather.org
For December I have a temporary windsock, in the form of an inflatable snowman , even though I’m the other side of London, don’t think that your chances are good today Caco
Caco - we have established Purple Airspace at EGKH 1000-1200(Z). Bon chance!
Thanks for the Purple Airspace, only one other aircraft in the circuit in all the time I was flying and not a parachutist in sight. The only royal in evidence was the initial right royal cock up I made of my first approach. The wind did not impede me as much as the the fact that I hadn't flown since 13th of October and it showed and it took about 30 minutes before I was back to being able to fly a decent circuit. So good to be back in the air. First jolt of happiness I have felt in weeks.
You know helicopters are amazing machines, they just lap the conditions up and this ability to land in any direction is much to be admired. I known I have never flown anything else so I know no better but I have fallen in love with the R44!
Final circuit of the day wasn't too bad and flown in a gusting 30 knot wind. I might just be beginning to get the hang of this helicopter thing.