Aviation thread

how to be a good Samaritan in a helo

I know there are a few .gov pilots on here. Any recommendations for a flight suit, gloves, and potentially a used helmet? I volunteer with a search and rescue org and eventually need a set of these. Thanks!

 

Are you flying for them or doing the rescue part? Flight suit is not the greatest for running around in. Everyone who was rocking one during SERE regretted it.

 

I'm currently deployed so I can only tell ya who makes my desert bag: "Propper International, Inc." Coveralls, Flyers CWU-27/P

 

Whatever you get, make sure it's actual Nomex and not a cotton clone.

I know there are a few .gov pilots on here. Any recommendations for a flight suit, gloves, and potentially a used helmet? I volunteer with a search and rescue org and eventually need a set of these. Thanks!

I'd say eBay would be a good bet, and "CWU-27*" will pop some good results. Although you might want to look into what kind of comm setup you have in the aircraft or you'll have to modify a helmet with a suitable jack...that'd be the long pole in the tent. A Gentex helmet is going to be pricey.

how to be a good Samaritan in a helo

 

Brilliant!

I know you have more experience on this but from what I have read they are getting hit but then they are getting too close to their contacts.

 

 

Helicopters are always closer to the ememy, we always get shot and but we only count the bullet holes in ourselves not the ones in the airframe.

 

Are you flying for them or doing the rescue part? Flight suit is not the greatest for running around in. Everyone who was rocking one during SERE regretted it.

 

I'm currently deployed so I can only tell ya who makes my desert bag: "Propper International, Inc." Coveralls, Flyers CWU-27/P

 

Whatever you get, make sure it's actual Nomex and not a cotton clone.

 

Thanks for the info. The whole organization wears flight suits as a sort of uniform, without even considering its effectiveness in the field as search and rescue worthy. I'm one of the few younger guys on the crew - and also one who really wants to get as much training as possible and actually go out and do S&R ops - urban or in the woods.

Deployed to a different place, flying over the same place:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^Excellent pics as usual; thank you! If you don't mind, can you disclose what kind/brand of cameras & lens combo were used for the pics?

Warthogs are badass! Love the shots but shouldn't you have both hands on the controls??

 

^Excellent pics as usual; thank you! If you don't mind, can you disclose what kind/brand of cameras & lens combo were used for the pics?

 

 

Canon EOS Rebel XS and Canon EFS 18-55mm lens. Nothing special honestly, just some post shot wizardry in Adobe to crop and chop.

 

Warthogs are badass! Love the shots but shouldn't you have both hands on the controls??

 

 

Most of the shots were by the boom operator. How he manages...I honestly don't want to know, lol.

Sick pictures, you guys get some of the greatest sights.

Canon EOS Rebel XS and Canon EFS 18-55mm lens. Nothing special honestly, just some post shot wizardry in Adobe to crop and chop.

 

Thank you!

Here are a few that I took while I was up at the Ft. Wayne air show a few months back. My SAR organization did a combat SAR demonstration with our Huey while two Warthogs and a Raptor gave "covering fire" above us. They had pyro on the ground and we did it with a low ceiling and in the rain. It was a spectacular day.

 

 

 

 

 

Great pics.

 

Never heard of a civilian search and rescue organization. Details?

nice Pics, thx for posting

Great pics.

 

Never heard of a civilian search and rescue organization. Details?

Not sure about a helo-based civilian SAR, but there's always Civil Air Patrol. "The United States Air Force Auxiliary" and stuff. They have a cadet program for high school age kids and an adult member program to perform local SAR efforts with light aircraft and ground teams (I'm not a member, I just stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night).

Great pics.

 

Never heard of a civilian search and rescue organization. Details?

 

 

Not sure about a helo-based civilian SAR, but there's always Civil Air Patrol. "The United States Air Force Auxiliary" and stuff. They have a cadet program for high school age kids and an adult member program to perform local SAR efforts with light aircraft and ground teams (I'm not a member, I just stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night).

 

 

www.iasar.org

 

We started several years ago with restoring a UH-1H Huey. Since then we've gotten the Huey flying, acquired a C47 (under restoration), a Bell 47 (flying), and a few other Huey's that we've swapped and traded for parts. Most of our activity has been veterans events, training, and fundraising, but we have partnered with Project Lifesaver to provide and aerial SAR platform for lost kids with autism and the elderly with Alzheimer's that are banded with radio trackers. We are also working on partnerships with local authorities to provide SAR services should they be needed.

 

As far as our operations go we are fairly young still, but we have a highly dedicated and trained group of volunteers that have been at this for some time. Though mostly civilians our crew is pretty hand picked from people who held professions in this type of field and/or people who are dedicated enough to learn and commit themselves to a SAR org. So while it is civilian, and the only civil helio SAR org in the Midwest, it is regimented and operated very tightly. Our friends in the National Guard have actually praised us for having better maintained aircraft than them.

Very cool!

Resurrection.

 

So... My place in Indy. I'm about ten miles from a small muni airport that offers rotary licensing for about 15k. I'm thinking about doing it, since, we have 30+ acres on which I can easily land a helicopter....and I may have a reason that I would need to go somewhere about 50 miles away several times a week....(near a muni airport as well) thinking a helo would make that a quick jaunt.

 

 

Am I insane?

 

How much do helicopters cost? Maintenance? are these flying coffins?

Would you like the fast, long, real, or rosy answer?

 

You only need about 75' square to land you chopper in

 

The quick of it is you can get helicopters from 60K to 2.5 million and they will carry the same weight and have about the same range.

 

They take MUCH more maint. than an airplane. There is TBO on everything (Time between Overhaul) and you change things before something happens because w=once it fails you usually do not have a second chance; Although I have had a few close calls but Blackhawks have two engine and another pilot to help out.

 

If you buy the right helicopter they are very safe and MUCH more fun than general aviation planes i.e. a Cessna 172 etc. However they are not meant for long range travel as the costs ae easily double for cheap choppers and 4X higher for a decent on.

 

If you want to talk or want lots of details and recommendations on type, size, etc etc message me and we can talk... just too much to write.

 

Resurrection.

 

So... My place in Indy. I'm about ten miles from a small muni airport that offers rotary licensing for about 15k. I'm thinking about doing it, since, we have 30+ acres on which I can easily land a helicopter....and I may have a reason that I would need to go somewhere about 50 miles away several times a week....(near a muni airport as well) thinking a helo would make that a quick jaunt.

 

 

Am I insane?

 

How much do helicopters cost? Maintenance? are these flying coffins?

 

For the love of everything holy, buy a Huey and hire Capt. and I to come be door gunners!

For the love of everything holy, buy a Huey and hire Capt. and I to come be door gunners!

 

Oh.... fcuk.....

 

I was thinking "SUV in the sky" not "Death from Above"

Would you like the fast, long, real, or rosy answer?

 

You only need about 75' square to land you chopper in

 

The quick of it is you can get helicopters from 60K to 2.5 million and they will carry the same weight and have about the same range.

 

They take MUCH more maint. than an airplane. There is TBO on everything (Time between Overhaul) and you change things before something happens because w=once it fails you usually do not have a second chance; Although I have had a few close calls but Blackhawks have two engine and another pilot to help out.

 

If you buy the right helicopter they are very safe and MUCH more fun than general aviation planes i.e. a Cessna 172 etc. However they are not meant for long range travel as the costs ae easily double for cheap choppers and 4X higher for a decent on.

 

If you want to talk or want lots of details and recommendations on type, size, etc etc message me and we can talk... just too much to write.

 

I do.