Flying a Helicopter?

[MossRoad]

These guys were cowboys, plain and simple. I've been around stunt pilots, too. We hosted a number of airshows. Some were disciplined like machines. Others were insane. These guys were the kind to go out on a windy day and fly their cubs backwards, landing from where they took off, flying float planes from snowy fields next to the runways, do "carrier" takeoffs from taxiways ending over drainage ditches, fly gunner missions below tree-top levels down the river, flying under the occasional bridge and herding cows... generally, a menace to society sometimes. The nearest thing I can think that comes close to them is self-employed crop dusters.

 

[om21braz]

Well because it just goes from point A to point B it's only one third of what's happening in an Apache, and it doesn't do nap of earth flight at night. E model Apache is the hardest most complicated flying machine ever made. HS

Having been on the inside of one once, there doesn't appear to be anything there that isn't absolutely necessary.

 

[ray66v]

You can sum it up this way, there are old pilots and bold pilots but no old, bold pilots.

Charlie Kulp, (aka: The Flying Farmer), and Bob Hoover, to name just two, retired old bold pilots.

 

[MossRoad]

Charlie Kulp, (aka: The Flying Farmer), and Bob Hoover, to name just two, retired old bold pilots.

I met Bob Hoover. Nice guy. Always gave you the eyeball when fueling his plane. Its not a turbo commander! Don't put jet fuel in it!

 

[Bird]

These guys were the kind to go out on a windy day and fly their cubs backwards.

I once flew a helio courier backwards across Red Bird Airport (now known as Dallas Executive Airport). It's easier with a helio courier than a cub.:laughing:

 

[ray66v]

I met Bob Hoover. Nice guy. Always gave you the eyeball when fueling his plane. Its not a turbo commander! Don't put jet fuel in it!

I did too. My dads friends, would give up hangar space to them, when they came in for air shows. So, I met a lot of the greats.

When I met Hoover, I was still too young to know why everyone was making such a big deal, over the guy in the straw hat???

I have never been as impressed though, as I was the first time I saw Charlie Kulp, loop a stock, 64 hp J3 Cub, about 300' above ground level. I turned to my dad's friend, who owned a J3, and said, how is that even possible? He said, it's not.

 

[tractorshopper]

My squadron was H-60 Seahawks (same as the Blackhawks, but different tail wheel and configurations and gray instead of black). I had to the pleasure one time of flying with our new CO, who had actually been one of the test pilots of these Sikorski's. That was the best air ride of my life. No roller coaster could have done it justice.

 

[dickfoster]

These guys were cowboys, plain and simple. I've been around stunt pilots, too. We hosted a number of airshows. Some were disciplined like machines. Others were insane. These guys were the kind to go out on a windy day and fly their cubs backwards, landing from where they took off, flying float planes from snowy fields next to the runways, do "carrier" takeoffs from taxiways ending over drainage ditches, fly gunner missions below tree-top levels down the river, flying under the occasional bridge and herding cows... generally, a menace to society sometimes. The nearest thing I can think that comes close to them is self-employed crop dusters.

It's not hard to play helicopter if you have a stiff enough head wind.
Yep crop dusters are a crazy lot for the most part. The only guy I saw get fired from Cessna was an Ag salesman who got caught trying to fly drunk at a convention. They got him in Palm Springs trying to take off. They called me because I was the only Cessna employee in the area. I told the cops to hold the plane and contacted Wichita. Cessna wired him his last check and fired him on the spot, sight unseen. There is zero tolerance for that sort of thing in most flying circles.

 

[dickfoster]

Charlie Kulp, (aka: The Flying Farmer), and Bob Hoover, to name just two, retired old bold pilots.

I've met Bob Hoover too and I don't think he was a bold pilot, just one that really knew what he was doing, how to fly and had a ton of experence. He probably had more stick time hours than I had lifetime hours. That guy was really great.