# Helicopter Pilots can you do this?????
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [August 2, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122 "2013-08-02T01:10:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/1 "2013-08-02T01:10:22Z")
It is an RC model but check it out, I am reasonably sure something really bad would happen if you tried this in a real one. Enjoy
[http://www.rccoh.com/IMG/videos/insane.helicopter.html](http://www.rccoh.com/IMG/videos/insane.helicopter.html)
**Capt**
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/2 "2013-08-02T01:15:13Z")
No. I can’t.
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/3 "2013-08-02T01:20:19Z")
That is a real one. Go watch _Flight of the Phoenix_. The original. 😃
That dude has some mad skilz! By the way, I immediately recognized that airfield. Used to live just down the street and been there many, many time.
Thanks for the link!
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### Author:  [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/4 "2013-08-02T03:32:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> No. I can’t.
Sure you could do it.
Once.
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### Author:  [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2013, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/5 "2013-08-02T03:39:11Z")
If anyone COULD do those moves in a real chopper, no way would I want to be in the passenger seat.
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### Author:  [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/6 "2013-08-02T03:41:55Z")
Forget the Pilots, How many Cameramen could keep it in frame? Even assuming they know the routine, that is impressive.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/7 "2013-08-02T04:42:05Z")
I know guys who can do stuff like that with an RC helicopter, but they’re not likely to do it that close to ground.
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### Author:  [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2013, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/8 "2013-08-02T04:43:52Z")
I don’t think a people carrying chopper has been built yet that can do that.
People forget that models are not to scale in HP / weight / momentum …
People forget that air does not scale.
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### Author:  [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2013, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/9 "2013-08-02T07:31:03Z")
Amazing mating dance, but I’m not sure it would fool a real dragonfly.
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### Author:  [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/10 "2013-08-02T14:21:21Z")
[Chuck does his best…](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrSyCXgZFSw)
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### Author:  [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/11 "2013-08-02T15:27:07Z")
[I have video of me trying that.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRJbp1Uz64s)
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### Author:  [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/12 "2013-08-02T15:54:09Z")
I asked my husband. He said “not while transporting a patient”.
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### Author:  [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/13 "2013-08-02T21:18:09Z")
that’s sorrta how I looked while learning to hover.
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### Author:  [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/14 "2013-08-02T21:24:23Z")
What’s the power to weight ratio of an RC chopper?
What’s the power to weight ratio of small choppers?
I expect that getting that good involves making a few mistakes that result in crashes. With an RC, that costs a few tens of dollars, at most a bit north of 100$. With a real helicopter, not only did it cost you tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars but perhaps your life.
In other words, non-RC pilot daredevils have a much shorter lifespan than RC ones.
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/15 "2013-08-03T01:36:35Z")
I’ve seen the Red Bull Stunt Helicopter perform…it does loops and all kinds of crazy stuff. Not quite as crazy as the video in the OP, but it’s impressive. Worth a google.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-pilots-can-you-do-this/665122/16 "2013-08-03T01:49:41Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> What’s the power to weight ratio of an RC chopper?
>
> What’s the power to weight ratio of small choppers?
> I expect that getting that good involves making a few mistakes that result in crashes. With an RC, that costs a few tens of dollars, at most a bit north of 100$. With a real helicopter, not only did it cost you tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars but perhaps your life.
>
> In other words, non-RC pilot daredevils have a much shorter lifespan than RC ones.
It’s not only power to weight. The electric motors in those RCs can deliver full torque in an instant.