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From The Abyss to You Only Live Twice, the website Rotary Action (www.rotaryaction.com) offers an A-to-Y list of movies and television shows that feature helicopters in starring or supporting roles. For our special issue on helicopters in the movies, HeliNews chats with Tony Lee of Pigasus Press, the founder of the helicopter fan’s ultimate guide to film.
Three helicopters were short-listed in the US Army’s Light Observation Helicopter contest in 1960. One became the JetRanger. One became the MD 500. And not much became of the FH-1100. But as New Zealand correspondent Tim Haller discovers, this affordable classic has a retro charm that takes him back to his days of mobile living.
Behind every reliable aircraft is a reliable engineer. (If this isn’t an old aviation adage, it should be.) Martin Bass recently spent some time in the hangar with Heliflite’s Dan Devine, a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer, to discover just what an engineer’s role is all about.
What do you get when you combine a UH-1H, a top of the line Minigun, 6000 rounds of ammunition and a shooting range full of junked cars? Way too much fun. Elan Head reports on Dillon Aero: defenders of freedom and destroyers of Corvettes.
Want to learn how to fly in the mountains? Then go to where the mountains are. Elan Head travels to Wanaka, New Zealand, to study the art and science of mountain flying with one of its masters: Simon Spencer-Bower of Wanaka Helicopters.
When Dave Latham discovers an unwelcome co-pilot, he uses the resources at his disposal to manage the situation. CRM rule number one: fly the aircraft. Then get safely on the ground and buy a lotto ticket…
In the second half of the 20th century, helicopters took the silver screen by storm. In the second installment of our three-part history of helicopters in the movies, film critic MV Moorhead looks at rotary wing’s many starring roles: from the pimped-out Bell 47 Batcopter to Blue Thunder.
Although there are a few exceptions, most helicopter pilots don’t spend a lot of time looking at instruments. So it’s easy to forget what they are – and aren’t – telling you. HeliNews reviews the basics of true versus indicated airspeed, and how that relates to wind finding in flight.
Pilots are responsible for giving their passengers appropriate safety briefings, but people who work in and around helicopters need something more. HeliNews talks to the Bell Helicopter Training Academy about its new 1st Responder DVD training program.
In a departure from our regular ‘Where to’ columns, correspondent Karla Courtney travels all the way to Cape Town, South Africa, for a taste of adventure (and some of the best wines on the continent). Leave your helicopter at home – you can rent one while you’re there.