« previous next »
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 »

Author Topic: Bush Flying  (Read 15037 times)

Offline Rooster Cruiser

  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2005
  • Retired Chicken Hauler
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #30 on: December 26, 2008, 02:24:48 PM »
Well, I made it home safely, but it took me 41 hours to get back to SoCal from Mozambique!   ::eek:: ::unbelieveable::  Flew FQTT-FAJS by PC12, then hopped aboard Delta Airlines for the long trip back to Atlanta via Dakar.  19 hours onboard the 767 including the fuel stop in Dakar where they forbid anyone to deplane!  Now I know what its like to be in a coccoon for an extende perioud of time.

If I ever get the time to figure out how to post videos to YouTube, I'll get some of my more memorable videos there and share them with you all here. 

Sure is good to be home!

RC
Logged
"Me 'n Earl was haulin' chickens / On a flatbed outta Wiggins..."

Wolf Creek Pass, by CW McCall

Offline Chopper Doc

  • Cockerel
  • ***
  • Posts: 124
  • Any tool is a weapon if you hold it right.
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #31 on: December 26, 2008, 03:22:06 PM »
Glad to hear you made it home in time, RC.  Also nice to hear that you're back in the skies again.

Great pics, great posts.  I'm looking forward to the movies once you figure how to post them.

By the way, early Bell JetRangers were powered with an anemic C-18 which required water injection to make full power.  In those days the engines were the limiting factor in the power train; later upgrades would see the engines become more powerful until the transmission became the limit, then the tranny guts would get changed up, accepting a more powerful engine and making the input driveshaft the new limiting factor... and so on.  But thankfully, there is no longer anyone using water injection to get more power from a turbine.

And now we return to your regularly scheduled programming, already in progress.
Logged
"I keep a bottle of stimulants handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy."
  - WC Fields

Offline Mike

  • Supreme Overlord
  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 3384
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #32 on: December 26, 2008, 06:04:09 PM »
I actually got to fly a Long Ranger 4 years ago for a couple of flights (well, "got to" is an over-statement, more "had to") that still had water injection.
I remember how surprised I was since I never heard of that sort of thing prior to getting into the aircraft. Can't say it was the most comfortable feeling
to inject water into a turbine while taking off from a rooftop at max gross . . .
I am sure it was alright but it still seemed strange since I grew up flying transmission limited aircraft.
The ship has since been upgrated to a L1 and the injection went away and I've never seen one since.
Logged
Dear IRS: Please cancel my subscription.

Offline Chopper Doc

  • Cockerel
  • ***
  • Posts: 124
  • Any tool is a weapon if you hold it right.
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #33 on: December 26, 2008, 08:44:39 PM »
The LongRanger started out with a straight C-20 - it needed all the help it could in that airframe.

A more common and useful engine was the C-20R (the Soloy "LR" conversion).  It made the LongRanger into a good lightweight utility machine with excellent fuel endurance, but was temp limited and not much use hot/high.

The L1 was heavier, the C28 burned more fuel and was still useless hot/high - not much of an improvement.  The L3 used a C30P which still burned lots of fuel and had acceptable hot/high performance, but was once again torque limited (in a hover you don't dare think about left pedal).

The L4 is a good machine: the engine, transmission and drivetrain are well-matched to provided good performance, it has acceptable endurance, good useful load, and a cabin layout well-suited to longline or internal cargo carriage. 

If I had to make up a good utility fleet I'd choose LR's for the light jobs and L4's for intermediate use.  Good machines, easy to maintain, simple and relatively cheap to operate.

And you don't need to use a "steam engine" to make them fly.
Logged
"I keep a bottle of stimulants handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy."
  - WC Fields

Offline G-man

  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2047
  • Cogito sumere potum alterum.
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #34 on: December 26, 2008, 09:47:55 PM »
Quote from: Chopper Doc on December 26, 2008, 08:44:39 PM
The L4 is a good machine: the engine, transmission and drivetrain are well-matched to provided good performance, it has acceptable endurance, good useful load, and a cabin layout well-suited to longline or internal cargo carriage. 

However, the High altitude T/R with Tracs is a MUST. Makes it possible to do this @ 8K..

Logged
Life may not be the party we hoped for---but while we're here--we might as well dance..........

Offline Chopper Doc

  • Cockerel
  • ***
  • Posts: 124
  • Any tool is a weapon if you hold it right.
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #35 on: December 26, 2008, 11:25:58 PM »
I've rappelled from medium Bells in the past, and even done longline rescue work from beneath a Hughes 500, but I've never rapped from a LongDog (not even an L4).  Don't get me wrong, I like the 'Dogs but just never had the chance.

Here in the Canadian Rockies they use Alpine's 407s for longline rescue - lots of power in a very stable, zippy platform.
Logged
"I keep a bottle of stimulants handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy."
  - WC Fields

Offline G-man

  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2047
  • Cogito sumere potum alterum.
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #36 on: December 26, 2008, 11:47:54 PM »
Quote from: Chopper Doc on December 26, 2008, 11:25:58 PM
Here in the Canadian Rockies they use Alpine's 407s for longline rescue - lots of power in a very stable, zippy platform.

The 407 is nice and stable---but we can outlift it in an L4 at certain altitude/temp conditions..
Logged
Life may not be the party we hoped for---but while we're here--we might as well dance..........

Offline Rooster Cruiser

  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2005
  • Retired Chicken Hauler
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #37 on: December 27, 2008, 06:15:36 AM »
Uhm...

Lemme see...

Yep, this is the thread I started about Bush Flying!  Wow, it kinda gets lost in the mix, don't it?   ::complaining:

Ok.  Here come the promised videos as posted on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCVPOgc0KCY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-40wJVhVFis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwD4P0JGZY0

I posted them in the order they were made that day, so I recommend you watch them in that order.  Afraid these are the only decent flying videos I have from my Bush Flying experience.  Hope you enjoy them.

RC

Logged
"Me 'n Earl was haulin' chickens / On a flatbed outta Wiggins..."

Wolf Creek Pass, by CW McCall

Offline Rooster Cruiser

  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2005
  • Retired Chicken Hauler
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #38 on: December 27, 2008, 06:41:45 AM »
Now, the rainy season was already in force for about a month before I made these videos.  I have seen thunderstorms, I have seen typhoons, and I have seen plenty of winter weather.  But I have never seen weather like this!  The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (or ITCZ) decended upon Mozambique, and flooded it with low clouds and very heavy precipitation!  Just check it out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqMPR1VA8Qo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzjdefnlwis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQRP-T-83Ws

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkFpssm72QA

Logged
"Me 'n Earl was haulin' chickens / On a flatbed outta Wiggins..."

Wolf Creek Pass, by CW McCall

Offline Chopper Doc

  • Cockerel
  • ***
  • Posts: 124
  • Any tool is a weapon if you hold it right.
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #39 on: December 27, 2008, 05:09:26 PM »
I guess we did hijack the thread (only a bit) but we were just marking time until you got around to posting those videos you promised.

The flying vids are a little unnerving when the prop image sincs with the video frame rate.  Makes me kinda jumpy to be that close to the ground with the fan not turning.  Nice neighbourhood in the second set, by the way, RC.  They look like an African Venice or something.

Happy new year, RC.
Logged
"I keep a bottle of stimulants handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy."
  - WC Fields

Offline Rooster Cruiser

  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2005
  • Retired Chicken Hauler
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #40 on: December 28, 2008, 07:02:34 AM »
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8NlCMtAV4I

During my time in Mozambique I made several trips out of the Bush to Johannesburg South Africa.  I spent one night in Johannesburg at the Southern Sun Hotel near Tambo International airport. As I was checking out that morning, a group of Hotel workers came out of an employee area, assembled in the Hotel Lobby, and began singing and dancing! They sang two complete songs before I remembered that I had my camera in my pocket and got it out to take this video.

I have no idea what the song is about, but I was told they were singing in the Samba language. This is not a language that is well known to Americans. Quite a memorable performance.

« Last Edit: December 28, 2008, 02:25:54 PM by Rooster Cruiser »
Logged
"Me 'n Earl was haulin' chickens / On a flatbed outta Wiggins..."

Wolf Creek Pass, by CW McCall

Offline Chopper Doc

  • Cockerel
  • ***
  • Posts: 124
  • Any tool is a weapon if you hold it right.
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #41 on: December 28, 2008, 07:33:27 PM »
Cool.  Lucky you.

I get to visit interesting places in the arctic and watch the locals drink themselves stupid.  Not as enriching, watching that.
Logged
"I keep a bottle of stimulants handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy."
  - WC Fields

Offline G-man

  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2047
  • Cogito sumere potum alterum.
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #42 on: December 28, 2008, 07:40:13 PM »
Quote from: Rooster Cruiser on December 28, 2008, 07:02:34 AM
I have no idea what the song is about, but I was told they were singing in the Samba language. This is not a language that is well known to Americans. Quite a memorable performance.

Based on the other videos you posted, and analysing the words in this song--me thinks it was an anti- "WATA" dance. Too much "wata" in the streets an all..  ::thinking:: ::thinking:: ::whistle:: ::whistle::
Logged
Life may not be the party we hoped for---but while we're here--we might as well dance..........

Offline Frank N. O.

  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2446
  • Spin It!
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #43 on: January 27, 2009, 05:07:05 AM »
A very (very) delayed welcome back and thanks for the videos, I'll take a look at them asap, although I better read/reply to the threads here I missed first.

I must say, that was quite the thread-jacking indeed, even for this place! |:)\ ::rofl::

Frank
Logged
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
— Leonardo da Vinci

Offline Frank N. O.

  • Alpha Rooster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2446
  • Spin It!
Re: Bush Flying
« Reply #44 on: January 28, 2009, 07:40:28 AM »
Just saw the videos now, and wow! I thank you very much for taking the time to record and upload them, it's probably the closest to seeing Africa I'll ever get. We get floods over here, more exactly on the westcoast, but that flood was wild, and that driver must've gotten driving-lessons here in Denmark!

Those first videos so much made me want to fly again but no place I've seen will give a intro flight lesson if you weigh more than 100kg (220.4 lbs) and I'm still above that so no flying for me in a long time, if ever  :'(

Frank
Logged
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
— Leonardo da Vinci
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 »
« previous next »