Ferry flight - gettin' there (slowly)

[RotaryWingBob]

We started bring our new Raven II home Saturday. The Robinson factory demands that ferry flights follow I10 into Texas, and carry a factory approved pilot, in this case dealer Mark Boyer. Only two souls can be on board, and both have to be helicopter rated pilots. Therefore, my partner in the helo, Buck and Mark flew N3149L on her maiden flight from Torrance, CA (TOA) to Phoenix (PHX).

After Robinson school, I met Buck and Mark in Phoenix, where we got together for dinner. The next morning, Buck flew commercial back to Philly, and Mark and I started the next leg from PHX to Tucson (TUS) to Las Cruces (LRU) to El Paso (ELP) to Midland Intl. (MAF). The cool part was passing by the "bone yard" at Pinal.

Today, Mark and I flew to Wichita Falls (SPS, Kickapoo Airport, and I have a fuel receipt to prove it!), then on to Tehlequah, OK (TQH) where we did an off-airport landing at a Chinese restaurant with a quasi helipad in the rear (for lunch) before making the one minute flight to the airport. We decide to hole up here because it looked we could only get about 100 nm before hitting turbulence and other wx associated with that (damn) front.

Tomorrow, we'll try to get as far as wx permits, and then try to get back to N99 on Wednesday. More pictures to follow, but here's one Mark took of me at Cutter Aviation's ramp in PHX.

We now have around 17 hours on the Hobbs, and the helicopter is running great. At 22-23" MP, she wants to settle in at 115-120 KIAS and just keep chuggin' away.

 

[AdamZ]

Wow Bob How do you see where your going with that cover on the copter? Guess you really need that IR for the helo.

Seriously what an adventure. It sounds like so much fun. Take lots of great photos. I can't wait for a ride and to see it at the Fly B Q in May of 07.

 

[wesleyj]

I hate to be an old wet blanket, but I have to seriously wonder how wise it is to own and fly an aircraft, that requires as much hoop jumping as a Robinson, special required training, special routes to get to TX, special pilot required to be on board, and then has to be two of them, kinda makes one wonder what the factory and the FAA know but are not telling.

 

[infotango]

I'd guess that the ferry flights are included in the cost of chopper and they are trying to reduce liability/are mandated to place the requirements in for insurance reasons.

Flying just isn't the way it must have been a few years ago. Sometimes I really wish I could have been around during the aviation boom of the 1970's.


Really cool chopper. I'd love a ride in it Bob! Post lots of pics!

 

[RotaryWingBob]

I hate to be an old wet blanket, but I have to seriously wonder how wise it is to own and fly an aircraft, that requires as much hoop jumping as a Robinson, special required training, special routes to get to TX, special pilot required to be on board, and then has to be two of them, kinda makes one wonder what the factory and the FAA know but are not telling.

It's the route I would pick, even for a normal flight. I10 gives you a place to autorotate down to that won't kill you and is accessible to get assistance...

Most of the "special training" would apply to all helicopters.

Robinson isn't hiding anything -- they go into excruciating detail on accident causes -- the same kind of accidents Schweizer. Enstrom, Bell, A-Star, etc. etc. pilots get into -- wire strikes, low RRPM rotor blade stall, dynamic rollovers, etc. If you're not getting that kind of traing, you ought to be asking why.

You might also ask why Schweizer and Enstrom don't sell very many ships, and Robinson sells more ships a year then Piper and Cessna combined sell airplanes...

 

[RotaryWingBob]

I forgot a photo!

I did an off-airport landing so we could eat at an Asian buffet restaurant Mark new about. Steep approach in with wires. Good food, and I was happy with both my landing and max performance take off after chow...

 

[wesleyj]

But i dont beleive that Schweiser and Enstrom have a SFAR written especially for them.

Could be the price.

 

[tonycondon]

It must be nice to land off field and then take off again...

cool stuff Bob

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

I forgot a photo!

I did an off-airport landing so we could eat at an Asian buffet restaurant Mark new about. Steep approach in with wires. Good food, and I was happy with both my landing and max performance take off after chow...

Cool, couldn't you just takeoff vertically and transition to horizontal flight, if you wanted to blow the fuel?

 

[gprellwitz]

I have to say, it's ultra-cool to be able to land at a restaurant like that. How do you make sure it hasn't been outlawed by the local municipality?

 

[AdamZ]

Wow thats a better photo of the bird Bob she looks awesome!

 

[Skip Miller]

I did an off-airport landing

Hey! Are you claiming these airports (and restaurants!) for the goflyamerica.org CONUS Challenge?

-Skip

 

[RotaryWingBob]

Cool, couldn't you just takeoff vertically and transition to horizontal flight, if you wanted to blow the fuel?

Yes, but staying in effective translational lift is safer. I hate it whan I make a big hole in the ground, Dave

 

[RotaryWingBob]

I have to say, it's ultra-cool to be able to land at a restaurant like that. How do you make sure it hasn't been outlawed by the local municipality?

Mark had been there before, and it was ok with the owner. I don't think most towns in OK care.

 

[RotaryWingBob]

Wow thats a better photo of the bird Bob she looks awesome!

Give you a ride soon, Adam. Mar's taking her up to Cherry Ridge for an inspection and pinstriping, I expect to be bring her back to N99 mid week next week. Stay tuned

 

[Earthroamer]

Mark had been there before, and it was ok with the owner. I don't think most towns in OK care.

tsk tsk tsk....and you were that close to Tulsa. Very sad indeed. By the way. There is a nice Bar-b-q restaurant just south of Claremore, OK (Very close to Talequah, OK) that has a pad for helo's. Buddy of mind has an R22 and has taken me there on occasion. Or you could have landed on my wife's boss's boat dock that the roof was converted to a helo pad. Great restaurants there at Grand Lake, OK.