Not a helicopter pilot, but have flown fixed wing with helicopters around. Helicopters usually fly a different, lower pattern. Then either land on a designated spot (marked with “H”) or a taxiway. They then “hover-taxi” to the parking spot.
It depends. First, FAR 91.126:
So at an out-of-control uncontrolled airport, you avoid the traffic pattern. I’ve only flown helicopters to and from controlled airports. At those, there were established/accepted routes that did not conflict with the fixed-wing traffic pattern. At VNY, helicopters would land (or come to a hover) on the taxiway near their FBOs. At WJF, I was cleared to land on any non-traffic area.
As well, any kind of a fly-in is going to have semi-weird non-standard operating rules to cope with the traffic volume.
At big airports the helos sort of operate orthogonal to the airplane traffic. e.g. …
Hover-taxi from their parking area to an open-enough paved area where they can apply full power without damaging anything else. Then take off in a direction perpendicular to the airplane runways and zip away from the airport at a couple hundred feet max. Then a couple miles later climb as necessary. Which usually isn’t much. Arrival and landing is similar, assuming decent weather. And although some helos and pilots are totally IFR capable, many helo missions aren’t really IFR-compatible. So no point in taking a fully instrument capable helo into the air if it can’t do its job (aerial surveying, air ambulance, whatever) in the clouds.
Here’s something interesting
and
An electric WIG machine under development to more or less fill the niche of many floatplanes such as the aging Otter that we recently discussed which crashed in the Puget Sound area.
In non-GA news, morons remain commonplace in the general public and also among passengers.
(Caution: Possible self-starting video)
Interesting concept. There were experiments with a Grumman Goose seaplane with hydrofoils and water skis way back in the day:
Doing it with a WIG (Wing in Ground-Effect) design is interesting, I wonder if they are really gaining all that much with the hydrofoils, unless the motors don’t have enough power to get a hull of the water alone. I’d also be interested in seeing how it compares to a plain old hydrofoil without the wing.
But man, the dynamic ssues witg a hydrofoil dragging in the water are difficult. That Grumman Goose had skis way out in front of the nose to keep it from pitching over when the hydrofoil hit the water.
I don’t see this as filling the same niche as current floatplanes. If you have to stay in ground effect, that means staying over water for the whole flight. I could see working on routes like Seattle-Bremerton, Boston-Provincetown, or connecting islands like Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket. Seems like it would replace boats moreso than floatplanes.
Granted WIGs can’t do inland lake-to-lake ops like a floatplane can. But a lot of floatplanes and amphibs are used in harbor-to-harbor ops in littoral waters.
Yes the thing is being built and certificated as a very fast boat, not as a limited-capability aircraft. I’m simply suggesting that many aircraft, and especially elderly aircraft, are in fact being used today as de facto fast boats. Those aircraft are in some danger of being replaced if this thing or its competitors end up working.
In more electric airplane news:
Still a long way from reality but a complaint in this thread is most these are paper airplanes. This one flew…if only for a few minutes. Supposedly will have a 150-250 mile range.
I look at it as the introduction of a new A/C propulsion system. If the motors show viability and are scalable then other designs will follow. Nobody wants to burn resources on supersonic engines but an electric motor has a future in aviation.
Sofia the 747 infrared telescope has retired. I hope it goes to the AF museum in Dayton.
I wonder if that’s 6 of the 10 total recovered or 6 of the 10 missing. They recovered 1 of the 10 on day 1.
A more exact accounting:
1 found immediately.
5 recovered from the plane.
1 a probable yet to be identified who was washed to shore.
So probably 7 of the 10 total recovered.
Well I was hoping it was the higher of the numbers. It must be awful for the relatives waiting on a body that won’t be viewable.
As we say in the business: “Purina crab chow”. Uggh. Nasty situation for all concerned.
If anyone gives me shite for buying live crabs to eat, I tell them ‘Given the chance, they’d eat you!’
Alice now has its own thread:
Fair is fair.
Flying Oct 8 2022
FAA Issues Emergency AD for de Havilland Otters
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The FAA has issued an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) for owners and operators of de Havilland Canada DHC–3 Otters in response to multiple recent reports of cracks in the left-hand elevator auxiliary spar.
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According to the AD, the FAA analysis of the reports indicates immediate AD action is warranted.
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“The FAA is issuing this AD to detect and address cracks, corrosion, and previous repairs to the left-hand elevator auxiliary spar,” the AD continues. “The unsafe condition, if not addressed, could result in elevator flutter leading to elevator failure, with consequent loss of control of the airplane.”
But note:
The directive is not a result of the investigation into the fatal crash in Mutiny Bay, which killed 10 people but does suggest one possible cause.
The directive warns that, if not addressed, the cracks and corrosion could lead to a structural failure in the tail and “loss of control of the airplane.”
A person close to the Mutiny Bay crash investigation said the directive was spurred when mechanics discovered a crack in the tail of another Otter during a routine inspection unrelated to the deadly crash.
They have identified the 7 bodies found, but 3 are still missing: