A little refresher training: Airplanes and Helicopters

[onthebeach]

In my travels nowadays around the various FBO ramps, I'm starting to see a tendency for airplane drivers to park way too close to helicopters.

Remember you don't know when the helicopter is going to fire up and go. If it is a skid-equipped aircraft, the only way it can do same is to hover taxi and that puts out a lot of wind. A lot.

So, for all you new men (and for you old ones who've gotten a bit complacent...) if you don't want your nice jet or your spiffy turboprop or your neat piston twin or your fantastic, state-of-the-art single-engine piston or turboprop airplane a) sandblasted, b) wing-rocked, and/or c) control-surface-slammed, please be alert for skid-equipped helicopters parked on the ramp and allow at least 150 feet...preferably 200...of space between you and them.

On crowded ramps, I personally would take the time to call the FBO and insist that a marshaller park me away from such helicopters.

Oh, and for you new fling-wing guys, it works the same way but in reverse...so PLEASE park your skid ride well away from the shiny planks on the ramp. This does not mean you are a second-class citizen, far from it. Rather, it marks you as a courteous and professional pilot who understands that YOUR aircraft can and will cause problems if parked to close to airplanes, period.

If in such cases you are concerned about your pax having to walk an extra hundred yards, you can ask the FBO to have a van meet you at helicopter-side after you are shut down. When you explain why, I'm sure they'll be accomodating.

In conclusion, rotorheads and plank drivers, let's keep those "airplanes" shiny and in good condition...working together I'm sure we can do that.

 

[helimech]

I take it you had a bad encounter with a helicopter?? Most of the high time rotorheads do do their best to avoid such situations. I try to put it in the grass if there is a patch around, but at some of the larger fbo's it's ALL pavement and we try and go for the farthest spot. What is it with some pilots trying to park their aircraft as close as possible to another aircraft?Especially when the ramp is empty. Is it some sort of contest or something?
I had a GIV SP pull up next to me the other day and we had to go out and do a quick promo ride for a company, we taxied out at almost flat pitch(yes it has wheels) and then departed from the outer portion of the Flight Centers Really nice ramp. Perfectly normal departure for a helo on wheels. When we returned we did the opposite, landed out on the outer portion of the ramp and taxied in, nowhere near close to the GIV, I think we actually parked further from where we had previously been parked. The Captain, obviously a newbie to helicopters, I don't think he had ever been up close to one in his career, came up, not even with the blades stopped. Just walked right up and started bit*hing us out, he even came up to the left side of the cockpit, right to our potential customer and was going on the typical rant we here from people who have no clue what they're talking about, "you guys blew my ailerons all over the place, my rudder was banging left and right, you a$$hol*s need to be more careful......" bla bla bla, Oh and by the way the wind was 19 gust 28. Then I proceeded to "politely" introduce myself and try to explain to him that his GIV puts out more wind than my helicopter, even when I do hover it. Then he goes on about if there's damage, we'll be liable for it and all this other crap! So guys, please, most of the helos you see out there, including some of the flight schools, the pilots do know how much wind force they put out and are usually fully aware of it. We also like to keep our "helicopters" shiny and in good condition, so we don't like to just sit there and blow dust and dirt all over the ramp, we're not doing it on purpose.

 

[onthebeach]

>>I take it you had a bad encounter with a helicopter?? <<

No, not at all, and that wasn't the intention of the post.

My intention was to point out to the plank-driving side of the house that it's apparent that some of them just aren't thinking when they park their airplanes in close proximity to helicopters.

As you rightly observed, there aren't any extra points given out for how close we can park to another aircraft on a ramp. Let me re-emphasize that marshallers are almost always available with a little prior notice to assist in parking on crowded ramps.

Also, you are to be commended for parking well away from the airplanes, that is just a part of the "fly neighborly" concept that has been observed in the helicopter world for many years.

Let me take this opportunity to give an "advanced" operating tip: If you land at a unfamiliar airport and notice a building by the ramp with "air medical," "air ambulance," or the like, and/or the "star of life" logo, DON'T park your airplane close to that area. It's probably an air medical helicopter base and the helicopter's out on a call; when it returns, it'll have to be parked there so as to service oxygen, hook into shore power line, etc.

Let's keep those "airplanes" shiny and undamaged.