Jay Likes Planes

(This is a Bell 407 btw)

This was just so they didn't have to spend the time and money to make a second trip out there for just a bit more cargo. He wasn't comfortable with it but got pressured into doing it. Even at sea level on a hot day, it took pulling into 5 minute power to bring the helicopter into a hover overloaded like that.

Now the thing about these platforms is they can be over 100 feet above the ocean.

And because of an aerodynamic concept called ground effect (which I'm not going into the details of that here) it takes much less power to hover near the ground than it does to hover even 50 feet above it. So when his helicopter tried to takeoff and depart the pad, it lost ground effect as soon as he went over the edge of it.

The helicopter began to sink immediately and the only thing you can do is try to get speed and go through ETL (another aerodynamic concept) to get more lift and stop the descent. Being already at 5 minute power meant that if you try to pull any more collective the engine has nothing left to give and you will decay the rotor rpm. This will have the opposite effect and reduce lift rather than increase it. So the helicopter was stuck giving as much as it could which still wasn't enough. It only stopped descending about 20-30 feet above the water before it could start a shallow climb and fly away.

1) get my inspector add on to my maintenance license in a year or less- in the process of doing so will be tagging along 1 of my former instructors on his annual inspections for more "real world" GA experience the helis can't give me that'll be useful for the tests. + expanding building my maintenance & repair skills to antique wooden aircraft as the PT-19 needs some love.

2) beginning various experiments with aircraft fabric, I'm actually developing something totally new & never done before on an airplane. If I can figure out how to get the UV protection formula just right, I am gonna make one very cool lookin little airplane :3c

3) Finish the sport pilot license

Aviatrix Sweaters (American, 1930s), designed by Lucille M. Dingley (1911-2003). ASU FIDM Museum.

"Return to the Moon" Artemis Ⅱ 2026

Hehe thanks, gonna have to keep some in my toolbox as I find myself getting jet A all over myself pretty often (thanks to helis lol)