Pirate!!

Ahoy!

Just had my second offering accepted on the JetPhotos.Net website.

To view, click here. Hope you like it.

LAfrequentflyer

My father has 5K+ hours in one of those...

In fact, this day in 2004 he was flying a 206L when he passed away. The helo is still in service as he made a perfect landing on a 'tad pole' in the Gulf of Mexico before the heart attack took his life. The passenger (a friend of his for 18+ years) lived...

tad poles are 10x10 oil pipeline maintenance heliports scattered around the GoM used by oil companies to test / maintain stretched of oil pipelines to/from the off-shore fields...

bobloblaw

http://ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id...11X00786&key=1

Sounds like your father did a great job of setting the helicopter down saving the life of his passenger. It seems that the passenger was familiar with the operation of a helicopter to shut the engine down and go get help. Sorry for your loss!

LAfrequentflyer

The passenger had watched him and asked questions often so he knew where things were and what to do if things went south. As they did in this case.

I'm typing this while looking at one of his many awards - this one is for completing 20,000 consecutive accident and violation free flights hours in helicopters.

-LAFF

Pilotpip

That's a tough way to go LAf. However with 20,000 hours in helos it sounds like he really enjoyed his career. In a way I hope that I get to go out doing something that I love to do like your father did.

vagabond

Very sorry for your loss, LAFF. You spoke of your father often and I feel as if I know him. At least he went out doing something he loved and was passionate about. Nothing like finding my mom drowned and having to sit there helpless, wondering at the senselessness of it all.

SikPilot

20,000 + hours.......there must have been some great stories. LAF, where did your dad learn to fly? Military? Did u get any stick time with him?

LAfrequentflyer

Lots of good stories..All passed down by co-workers , he didn't care much for grandstanding / talking about work. He did learn to fly in the military. However, the world changed and increasingly large numbers of 20 something kids were joining the ranks of helicopter flying w/out the benefit of military training or selection. My father made it a point to mentor , coach them.

I flew with him a few times. From KLFT to Houston once in a Bell 407. One summer he took a company 206L to Canada for a new paint job. I went along on that trip as well. Cross country in a 206 w/ a experienced pilot is a lot of fun.

Fixed wing time he didn't have much off. Just 190+ hours from military training before going to helos. Fixed wing time was in T-6 (the original WW2 trainer).

He knew how to fly and loved flying single pilot. Thats all he ever wanted to do. Fly by himself w/out FOs or F/As. Just him and a bunch of passangers he could scare!

-LAFF