Single pilot, IFR, night, with bright lights closely adjacent.
I fought a war against that in the North Sea context in the mid-1970s when I had a bit of clout on the matter. I lost, angrily.
Single pilot, IFR, night, with bright lights closely adjacent.
Ah so the co-pilot was his girlfriend. That part of my message had been mangled earlier in the day. I had seen some video footage of the two of them at the game and assumed the pilot was the co-pilot.Cacophonix wrote: ↑Sun Oct 28, 2018 11:20 amThe Leicester City owner, his daughter, the two pilots and one other person (possibly the co-pilot's girlfriend) were killed in the accident it has been officially confirmed.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/artic ... adium.html
Caco
Yes, there were two professional pilots on board but were they both helicopter pilots? She may well have been a helicopter pilot but I haven't seen any confirmation of that. My post late last night reflected the Police statement at that time.
Yes, he was in the single engine Dead Man's Curve but not relevant in this case unless both engines failed. Dead Man's Curve relates to the ability to establish autorotation following total power loss and varies according to helicopter type. I would have thought that it made sense at this site to have single engine Out of Ground Effect (OGE) hover ability so that in the event of a single engine failure the AW169 could still fly away - that scenario would be made more difficult with a downwind transition such as the pilot made. With only five on board that should be no problem in a very modern helicopter such as this type. I should add that I have no knowledge of the performance capabilities of the AW169.
Mr Swaffer has been hailed a hero for steering the doomed helicopter away from the still busy football stadium.
One witness said: “The pilot saved hundreds of lives.”
But eyewitnesses said the tragedy could have been much worse had it not been for the heroic actions of the pilot in guiding the stricken aircraft away from the 32,000-seater ground.
The chopper appeared to develop engine trouble shortly after taking off from the pitch at about 8.30pm
“The pilot probably saved hundreds of lives. It’s still a tragedy, but it could have been much, much worse.”
I do hate the rubbish media on these occasions.It suggests Mr Swaffer may have purposely targeted the area to avoid or minimise the number of casualities.
CharlieOneSix wrote: ↑Mon Oct 29, 2018 10:05 amCaco - note that the photo of the two pilots in that MSN report is taken in a fixed-wing aircraft, not a helicopter. I still haven't see confirmation that she was part of the AW169's operating crew. The AW169 is certified for single pilot operation.
Mr Swaffer has been hailed a hero for steering the doomed helicopter away from the still busy football stadium.
One witness said: “The pilot saved hundreds of lives.”But eyewitnesses said the tragedy could have been much worse had it not been for the heroic actions of the pilot in guiding the stricken aircraft away from the 32,000-seater ground.The chopper appeared to develop engine trouble shortly after taking off from the pitch at about 8.30pm“The pilot probably saved hundreds of lives. It’s still a tragedy, but it could have been much, much worse.”I do hate the rubbish media on these occasions.It suggests Mr Swaffer may have purposely targeted the area to avoid or minimise the number of casualities.
Looking at Google Earth, I see tall pylons immediately to the Nor'ard of the stadium. This is what StreetView shows just across the road that runs past the stadium.CharlieOneSix wrote: ↑Sun Oct 28, 2018 11:21 pmI don’t understand that choice of departure track unless he was operationally restricted from departing to the north by either the CAA or his Ops Manual. To the northwest of the football ground is the River Soar which I would have thought would have allowed a safe departure route in that direction - safe barring any mechanical malfunction.
Good news about the FDR/CVR and as per the AAIB report both recovered intact.CharlieOneSix wrote: ↑Mon Oct 29, 2018 12:57 pmI cannot substantiate the report but elsewhere it is said that Izabela Lechowicz was a fixed-wing pilot on the Gulfstream. If she was not a helicopter pilot this is probably why the Police listed her as a passenger.
I'm wondering whether tail rotor authority might have been an issue here. A take off from an enclosed stadium where the w/v would have been minimal, a high power transition into what is normally the prevailing southwesterly wind direction and then the northwesterly tailwind is encountered suddenly as they go above the height of the stadium and before any translational lift is achieved. The tail rotor runs out of authority and the tail starts wagging the dog resulting in the rotation that onlookers saw. No height available to reduce collective and get back the tail rotor authority, simultaneously stuffing the nose down and flying away. Just a theory, nothing more.
From what I read the AW169 has a FDR/CVR.
https://london.mfa.gov.pl/en/news/polka ... lechowicz/I first came to the United Kingdom in 1997, just after finishing a degree programme in Food Technology in Wrocław, for a language course. I liked it and decided to start working here.
Shortly after I also met my partner, who back then worked as an airline and helicopter pilot. He took me out for a few flights, and that is how it all started. I knew this is something I want to do from the moment I touched the controls for the first time.
Growing up in Poland I never had anything to do with aviation at all. I always somehow linked it with military service, and that was never part of my aspirations. Perhaps this is why I was at first slightly anxious about signing up for proper pilot training, but I often take on a challenge before thinking how to go about it. It has worked well for me so far.
In 2003 I finally got my act together, borrowed some money, and started training in a flight centre in Stapleford. Provided there is favourable weather, this first step takes about half-a-year, after which you get a private pilot’s licence. That is just the start. After this you obviously need to fly hours and face even more exams. The real fun begins when you get the qualification to be a commercial pilot.
Although in those days it was complicated to get a job with an airline, private jets were just becoming more and more popular. I started with smaller, six-to-eight seaters and then moved on to bigger jet aircraft, like the Gulfstream.
One of the things I enjoy the most is the absolute unpredictability of piloting charter flights. I have no idea what I will be doing tomorrow because the telephone might ring at any minute and I will be flying to Switzerland, Russia, the Middle East or Seychelles. For this reason, I rarely make any plans for the weekend because everything might change at the very last minute.
Of course, I could work for an airline and have a so-called roster which specifies the dates and times when you fly, but frankly, I guess that would be way more boring.
Through my work, I got to see a lot places around the world. One of my favourite jobs involved me flying from Hong Kong through New Zealand, Tahiti, Bora Bora to Australia. Not everyone is that lucky to be doing this during working hours, right?
Now and then I meet some other female pilots at airports all around the world, but it is still a rare sight. According to studies, only three to seven percent of pilots on the market are women. For the past few years, I have worked as an instructor and examined many pilots in flight simulators. No one ever expressed it openly, but sometimes I noticed a surprise when they first saw a woman in the examiner’s seat.
In Europe or the United States, a pilot's gender is of little or no importance, and the majority of passengers react positively when they see me. I do not recall any significant problems in the Middle East either.
But it happens from time to time, for example in Russia, that when I try to give refuelling instructions, the agent who takes care of us at the airport ignores me and goes away in search of a male pilot. Similarly, our drivers easily mistake me for another stewardess, despite the uniform and a clear indication of my rank, and ask me where the pilot is.
Once I worked for a client who had a somewhat unusual sense of humour and when I introduced myself, said I would be the pilot during our flight and that I was from Poland, he joked: “Oh, that’s a nice change after all the Polish plumbers.” I only smiled at him wryly.
I think people rarely remember the role that the Polish Armed Forces played in this country, especially during the Battle of Britain. Fortunately, there are exceptions. Lately, I met one of the older instructors who greeted me with “dzień dobry” as soon as he heard I was from Poland and told me - with true admiration - about his teacher, a Polish pilot who decided to stay in Britain after the war.
Sometimes I remind people about the 303 Squadron and how Poles defended the sky over Britain. This is something we all should remember about.