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36 SA Flyer

some type of designated grass or paved,

cleared or maintained ‘airport’ rather than

an unimproved ‘bush airstrip’.

Add in the common aviation hazards

of trees, power lines, telephone cables,

tall towers and the latest threat to anything

that flies, the growing number of cellular

telephone towers and power lines that

keep popping up around the country, and

operations become dangerous. These are

hazards that those who land on prepared

runways seldom have to think about. Most

bush operating helicopters face further

uniTue risks off field, for example, steep

slope operations, which have upset more

than one pilot trying to land. Add in the

dangers of rotor downwash blowing debris

up, whirling rotor blades and tail rotors

impacting tall grass and brush, and off

airport landings and their potential dangers

for helicopter operations become more

obvious.

Such operations should not be

restricted, but risks have to be identified

and managed through good pilot training,

good company operating procedures, risk

assessment and attention to detail. As a

pilot who has not flown recently lacks some

proficiency, it becomes obvious that many

could benefit from some refresher training

before venturing out into the wild.

And, as the following incidents show,

the ‘wild’ may be as near as your local

parking lot.

Helicopters provide us with incredible

freedom, but this freedom must not be

abused, as an American helicopter pilot

found out recently. According to the incident

report, the commercial pilot made a hard

landing, while trying to land in a parking lot.

He lost tail rotor authority, spun three times,

attempted to enter autorotation but hit the

ground hard, destroying the aircraft and a

passenger car in the process. He no doubt

entered vortex ring state.

In another case, a commercial

helicopter pilot while attempting to land on

a dusty field, experienced a ‘red out’ and

allowed his aircraft to drift into an outcrop

of bushes while hovering. The helicopter

then landed in a small pond damaging the

blade tips.

Then there was the commercial

pilot, who while surveying flood damage,

descended and attempted to ‘skid slide’

under a power line. He scared himself a

little and backed off and landed to check

for damage. He found minor damage to his

left skid, but then went on to attempt the

same thing. The skid failed, resulting in a

spectacular dynamic roll over.

A final helicopter example reported

that the pilot hit a wire on take-off from

a highway. This was an air ambulance

operation. They ended up landing safely but

with written off rotor blades.

These examples show that because

of their ability to operate in confined

areas, helicopters also have some unique

operating risks. All of these risks can

be avoided through good training, but

helicopter pilots need to be especially

critical of themselves, particularly when

regaining currency and proficiency after a

layoff from flying. This is especially true of

non-commercial pilots flying helicopters

because they may not have access to

the safety information that a commercial

operator may have, plus, pilots flying

for commercial operators have to pass

recurring proficiency check rides every

three to six months.

Like helicopter pilots, agriculture pilots

(Ag) also operate in a special environment.

Wires and trees around fields pose special

risks for them. As reported in the on-line

incident data from the FAA’s Office of

System Safety, a 4,000-hour commercial

Ag pilot failed to clear a wire on pull-up from

his spray run. The wire caught on the spray

pump, which broke a blade and damaged

the wing. The aircraft landed safely.

Another Ag pilot’s report was to the

point and very succinct: “During spray runs

flew under power lines. On next run hit wire.

Wire destroyed windshield and damaged

tail. Returned to base.”

And since both Ag planes and

helicopters are involved in Ag operations,

one 11,000-hour commercial pilot’s incident

report of an Ag helicopter incident simply

said, “Contacted power line at the end of a

spray run. Landed safely.” How lucky was

he?

Pilots operate daily in areas with some

or many of the risks listed. And they do this

safely. The pilots at risk are those who fail

to recognise potential risks, or those who

ignore them.

Like a rapidly changing river, low-level

helicopter flight paths can change almost

overnight. Cellular telephone towers tend

to ‘pop up’ along highways that helicopter

pilots like to use as low-level flight

routes. Add in the low visibility operating

capabilities of helicopters, and the new

towers become an even greater potential

threat.

With all of these potential risks, our

challenge for safer aviation is to keep up

with all of the changes in the low-level

landscape.

Out of the list of potential hazards

that helicopter and Ag pilots may face on

a daily basis, two of the most dangerous

are power lines and towers. Low altitude,

unmarked power lines pose the greater

threat. Although large power lines are

normally charted for their navigational

value, such lines pose significant risks for

pilots flying low through valleys, mountain

passes and down the centre of rivers and

other waterways. The problem is that not

all these lines are marked by the traditional

coloured balls designed to make such

lines more visible. Because not all lines

are marked, and because power lines are

difficult to see, pilots must learn to look

for parts of the power line system that can

be seen, such as the towers supporting

COLUMNS - JOHN BASSI

Radio towers have multiple wires

radiating in all directions for support and

are almost invisible, especially when you

are focusing on the actual tower.

Pilots have flown into wires

that they knew were there.