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GMC Forum _ CHILL OUT _ Helicopter Flying Low Around My House This Morning
Posted by: AK Rich Sep 25 2012, 08:13 PM
This morning as Bens V-chat was starting there was a comotion in the skies around here , it turns out there were a couple cement mixers staged on the road behind my house and they were using a helicopter to ferry concrete to a job site that wassn't reachable by road, probably on one of the islands here at the lake. I took a few pictures mainly for Ben because I know of his love for heli's 
Check it out!
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Posted by: Andre Nieri Sep 25 2012, 09:10 PM
That's insane, man! I'm no heli-lover but that certainly was incredible!
Posted by: Slavenko Erazer Sep 25 2012, 09:42 PM
Interesting... what were they doing / building? 
Posted by: GregH Sep 25 2012, 10:34 PM
I used to work for a helicopter company. We did a lot of external load work like that. Construction, logging, and setting power poles (those large metal ones) was the kind of work we mostly did. I was also involved in some work with the petrolium industry (moving equipment, supplying offshore rigs and camps). It was interesting work that took me all over the country and to some other parts of the world (I worked in Sudan for around 6 months). It is interesting how percise the pilots can be putting a 20 pound hook on the end of a 250 foot cable right in a workers hands. The helicopters I worked on were a little bigger (Boeing BV107 and CH234s) for the most part. I did work on a few Bell UH1s (like in Rich's pictures).
I worked on this one when it had an American regestration.
Posted by: AK Rich Sep 25 2012, 11:29 PM
I have an update and some video footage, I also talked to the guys at the mixer and they told me the heli was hauling 36 yards of concrete at a pay rate of $2200 an hour! 
They were running for just over 4 hours. My camera only shoots 30 seconds of video, check how fast this guy drops his empty bucket and flies off with a full one!
I worked on this one when it had an American regestration.
Wow Greg what an awesome job! Very impressive sir!
Not sure what is being constructed Slav but I think I am going to go see if they need any framers
Posted by: Ben Higgins Sep 26 2012, 01:55 PM
This thread is just too cool for words ! 
So is that.
Posted by: GregH Sep 26 2012, 07:59 PM
Is the helicopter back today?
Not to hyjack your thread, Rich but you got me remembering some of the projects we worked on.
At the time I was working on helicopters, the concept of working on live power lines was new. Someone at the company came up with the idea of putting people in a basket to work on power lines in the air. As I watched them build the basket (and I built the communication system between the basket and the helicopter) I wondered what kind of idiot would get in a basket under a helicopter. I came to the realisation that I was that kind of idiot.
I am the idiot on the right.
Posted by: AK Rich Sep 26 2012, 11:09 PM
Not to hyjack your thread, Rich but you got me remembering some of the projects we worked on.
At the time I was working on helicopters, the concept of working on live power lines was new. Someone at the company came up with the idea of putting people in a basket to work on power lines in the air. As I watched them build the basket (and I built the communication system between the basket and the helicopter) I wondered what kind of idiot would get in a basket under a helicopter. I came to the realisation that I was that kind of idiot.
I am the idiot on the right.
Ah the Guinea pig forging through uncharted territory
Most impressive! But I can't help but wonder, Was working in that basket under those blades was like working in hurricane force winds? No copters today ,I guess they may have finished up yesturday,probably a good thing too because its very windy today, looks like another storm is on the way.
Posted by: GregH Sep 26 2012, 11:33 PM
Well, there is always some wind under a helicopter. This one was probably at around 12,000 pounds, so there is a 6 ton downdraft under the thing. But we were around 60 feet below it and right underneath it so the wind wasn't too bad.
We were the first people to ride in it. They had done one flight before with ballest but this was the first live test. It got my attention a little more when (on the same flight) the pilot deceided to see how it did in forward flight. At around 60-70 knots the basket was trailing at around a 30 to 40 degree angle so when I looked straight ahead all I could see was the ground. 
My fellow passenger was the guy who came up with the idea. I think he felt obliigated to test it. I was just live ballest.
I have more wierd helicopter pictures but I doubt there is much interest in them here.
Posted by: Ben Higgins Sep 27 2012, 09:22 AM
Wow. Greg that is incredible !!
Woah.. I guess you guys must have been strapped to the basket ?
I'm certainly interested in hearing more of your stories Greg !
Posted by: GregH Sep 27 2012, 06:51 PM
Woah.. I guess you guys must have been strapped to the basket ?
Well, we had a harness and strap so that if we fell out we would only be hanging about 5 feet below the basket. But the same force that made the basket trail at an angle kept up stuck in position so we wern't going anywhere.
Here is a picture from another project I was involved in.
Prudhoe Bay in Alaska is active in the oil industry. They had a problem getting supplies in the spring and fall. With the bay being half iced over they couldn't supply by ship and until the ice became solid they couldn't bring supplies on top of the ice. So Boeing built a hover-barge. The barge could hover over broken surfaces but it couldn't propel itself over the ice. Someone thought of towing it with a helicopter so we gave it a try for a season. The helicopter in the picture is pulling the barge (if I remember correctly, at around 7 knots). It would stay in this position for around 4 hours and then would have to go get more fuel.
It worked without problem but I gather it wasn't practical sense we only did it one year.
My part in the job was minor but the helicopter involved, 84CH, was one that I had worked on for months (wiring radios and instruments).
Posted by: Ben Higgins Sep 27 2012, 06:58 PM
Wow ! I cannot imagine the skill level required of the pilot to fly in and maintain that position !!
Prudhoe Bay in Alaska is active in the oil industry. They had a problem getting supplies in the spring and fall. With the bay being half iced over they couldn't supply by ship and until the ice became solid they couldn't bring supplies on top of the ice.
Yes, I know of Prudhoe Bay. Is it not possible for ice breakers to sail into port there ?
Posted by: GregH Sep 27 2012, 08:04 PM
The pilots said it was scary for the first few minutes then boring for the next several hours.
I guess there is a part of the year when ice breakers can't handle it (or possibly can't ecnomically handle it).
But they must of found another solution that worked.
Posted by: AK Rich Sep 27 2012, 11:27 PM
Here is a picture from another project I was involved in.
Prudhoe Bay in Alaska is active in the oil industry. They had a problem getting supplies in the spring and fall. With the bay being half iced over they couldn't supply by ship and until the ice became solid they couldn't bring supplies on top of the ice. So Boeing built a hover-barge. The barge could hover over broken surfaces but it couldn't propel itself over the ice. Someone thought of towing it with a helicopter so we gave it a try for a season. The helicopter in the picture is pulling the barge (if I remember correctly, at around 7 knots). It would stay in this position for around 4 hours and then would have to go get more fuel.
It worked without problem but I gather it wasn't practical sense we only did it one year.
My part in the job was minor but the helicopter involved, 84CH, was one that I had worked on for months (wiring radios and instruments).
Thats not a job , That, Is an adventure!
Amazing picture there Greg, It reminds me of the old addage, If there is a will, there is a way.Great stories! I 'll bet you have a million of them. Also I had the feeling you may have done some work up here.
Posted by: Ben Higgins Sep 28 2012, 09:54 AM
Haha, you said it !!
Maaaan, imagine zoning out whilst doing that !!!!
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