That's awesome. Agree that's one of the things that make helos fun. Just have to make sure the ground is firm enough to take the weight of the aircraft. Don't know if your instructor has any tips on this. Also that there are no obstructions around.

 

Tempus Fugit ... 20 years ago... Concorde retired
Aérospatiale/BAC supersonic Concorde airliners were retired in 2003 after 27 years of successful commercial operations with Air France and British Airways.
70 years ago the idea of a Trans-Atlantic supersonic airliner resulted in the first flight in 1969.
50 years ago, Concorde demonstrated it could fly and keep up with the shadow during a Solar Eclips to conduct scientific research !
(Artist: Don Connoly)
.

 

That's amazing. It's one of the big regrets in my life that I'm unlikely to get another chance to go supersonic. Yes, there's commercial space travel but the costs are out of this world!

 

Found this pic of 22 year old transport pilot Shirley Slate taken in 1943, hope its not a re-post.

 

No, it hasn't been posted before.
I find it amusing that aviators of yesteryear were more likely to be smokers, not realising the negative effects on their blood's oxygen carrying capacity (which is of even more importance at altitude than at sea level).

 

The good ol days. A friend of mine was told by his wrestling coach that "cigarettes was a good way to catch your breath". This was late 1970s.

 

Early Female pilots " Aviatrix " were a special category...
British aviatrix Amy Johnson (1903-1941) flew solo from England to Australia in 1930 but died in an accident in the North Sea off shore Herne Bay
She is remembered with an amazing statue at the dike promenade of Herne Bay ( 10 Km north of Canterbury ).
.

 

If I am not mistaken Bremont produced a watch in her name.

 

And a wrist watch...
Women Airforce Service Pilots
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As a non-aviator I am intruding on this thread. I picked up some aviation related items and want to share some pics. My watch is on the covers to obscure the original recipient.

 

Thanks for sharing. Great stuff. Don't feel like you're intruding. Everyone's welcome here
Of particular interest to me is the NORAD public relations pack, as I'm mainly into military aviation. The old issues of Life magazine covering Apollo 11 are cool too.

 

Great collection. The AVRO Arrow is to Canadians as the BAC TSR-2 is to Brits of a certain age...

 

Those first two portraits of twin-engine GA aircraft -- pure aero-porn. Thanks for posting all that cool stuff!

 

Yesterday was one of the more noteworthy training days. My usual training aircraft is a Robinson R22 two-seat helicopter, but it has been out for maintenance and inspection for a few days, and rather than skip a training day (which is difficult for me to get onto the calendar in the first place) I opted to fly its larger sibling, the four-seat R44. With nearly double the horsepower of the R22 but only two skinny guys on board, I suspected flying the R44 was going to be a lot of fun. I was not disappointed -- I just had to be careful about keeping the speed down while in the airport traffic pattern, as it had a tendency to run away pretty quickly.

Here's a shot of one of the R22s I train in...


...and here's a shot of the R44 I flew yesterday.


The R44 has hydraulically actuated flight controls, and since this was my introductory flight in a new aircraft, I was tasked with flying it for a complete approach and landing cycle with the hydraulic system switched off (as a contingency procedure). I felt like I was wrestling an alligator trying to get the thing down to the ground and keep it pointed straight. Another comparison would be driving a 1970s full-size American sedan, with the power steering pump disabled.

Overall I was surprised by how easy of a transition it was flying a larger, more powerful aircraft -- I expected to fumble around a lot more than I actually did.

 

How long is the cross over (flight hours and classroom) for the type-rating from 22 to 44 ?

 

Good question with an interesting answer. Becoming flight qualified in an R22 will qualify a pilot to fly any light, piston-powered helicopter, except the Robinson R44. Being qualified to fly the R44 requires at least 5 additional hrs of aircraft-specific flight instruction, I'm not sure about classroom time.

Why is the R44 being singled out like this, you ask? I'm sure it goes back to the mast-bumping issue associated with the R44, which the R22 is subject to, also. Like all aircraft, the Robinsons have specific operating limitations, which if exceeded, can lead to bad consequences. The FAA has whole sub-sections in its rules and regulations devoted to the specific dangers and restrictions associated with the R22 and R44 helicopters.

 

Apologies if already posted.

 

After shooting down two more "unidentified objects"...

Edited photo from "World of Fighter Jets" via Facebook