Helicopter Jumps near Houston Feb 21

[ar5000 0]

For my birthday this year, I'm renting an R-44 for the afternoon near Houston. PM me or post if you want in on some loads. This is the same chopper & pilot who flew at the SSM Halloween Boogie. Awesome pilot, awesome aircraft. Pics/video of the helicopter at the SSM event at http://www.networkabilene.com/heli/. $50 per load to 6k.

In addition, would someone please let me know what I need to do to make it possible to jump in Class B airspace. Are there any documents I need to file with the FAA/NTSB, etc. to guarantee clear airspace?

If not, I'll have to pay to ferry it to the nearest DZ and jump there. This wouldn't be tragic (its only 17 miles) but I'd just like to know what ALL my options are.

Thanks!

Alex

[c10edges 0]

ugh..... cant you just wait until march 7th. gosh... freaking school. I think i saw this helicopter do a demo jump at Houston christian highschool. anyways have fun

[ar5000 0]

It's on a Saturday. What class are you going to be in Saturday?

[voilsb 1]

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For my birthday this year, I'm renting an R-44 for the afternoon near Houston.

Is "near Houston" at Waller, Spaceland, or elsewhere?

Brian

[ar5000 0]

My plan is to jump at the home airport where the helicopter resides (EYQ). It's about 17 miles east of Waller. Should that not work out, my fall back plan is to host this at a nearby dropzone or a private area just outside the class B airspace. I've got several possibilities at the moment and will clarify as soon as I know which one it will be.

Would ya'll prefer a DZ (probably most convenient), a non-DZ airport (lowest cost), or a private area all together?

[propacker 0]

keep in mind that if you jump somewhere that is NOT a USPA dropzone - you aren't covered by USPA liability insurance. Unless you go the demo route with all he hassles that go with that, and then get demo insurance for the day.

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

to guarantee clear airspace?


I don't think that animal exists.

As I understand it... FAA does not make a hole in the sky for jumpers. A NOTAM will advise other pilots of the hazard, and ATC will advise the jump pilot of known traffic in some cases. But it is up to the pilot and the jumpers to only jump when they have determined that traffic is clear.

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[michaelmullins 77]

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keep in mind that if you jump somewhere that is NOT a USPA dropzone - you aren't covered by USPA liability insurance. Unless you go the demo route with all he hassles that go with that, and then get demo insurance for the day.

Sorry, not true. First, there is no such thing as a USPA dropzone. There are USPA Group Member Dropzones and there are Dropzones that are not group members, liability insurance is equally valid at both.

Next, as long as the jump is not an Exhibition Jump (An exhibition jump, also called a demonstration or display jump, is a jump at a location other than as existing drop zone done for the purpose of reward remuneration, or promotion and principally for the benefit of spectators) and is not done in an area that would require an FAA Letter of Authorization (jumps over or into a congested area or an open air assembly of persons), the USPA liability insurance would be valid.

If the jump is to be done over or onto an existing airport, then you would need the permission of the airport management. That airport would then become like any other DZ, after all, that is how all DZ's at airports started!

If the jump is to be made at some other location, just make sure that the landing area meets the minimum requirements of the BSR's, it is not in a congested area, is not over an open air assembly of persons, give the proper ATC Notification, and your USPA liability insurance is valid.

[ar5000 0]

Mike,

Thanks for adding your expertise. I hadn't even thought about contacting the airport management. I had assumed the company owning the chopper would handle that. It's no secret what we are going to do with it. Would a phone call suffice, or should I get this in writing? Or, should I leave it to them?

I had planned on putting down in the grassy area east of all the buildings. Google Earth shows an area of about 400'x400' clear of any obstructions. I don't see how anyone could miss that.

[michaelmullins 77]

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Mike,

Thanks for adding your expertise. I hadn't even thought about contacting the airport management. I had assumed the company owning the chopper would handle that. It's no secret what we are going to do with it. Would a phone call suffice, or should I get this in writing? Or, should I leave it to them?

I had planned on putting down in the grassy area east of all the buildings. Google Earth shows an area of about 400'x400' clear of any obstructions. I don't see how anyone could miss that.

A phone call would suffice. However, I caution you that the FAR's specifically require approval of "airport management", NOT the "airport manager". It used to say "airport manager" but there were problems with the airport manager, who, at many small airports is an upaid volunteer, giving permission that the "airport management", the guys on the airport board, may not wish to give. If you will go to airnav.com and select the airport, it should display the owner and/or manager of the airport. If the helicopter is based at the airport, you may wish to get that owner/operator/pilot to help pave the way if they are good relations with the airport. Stress that this is a one time event and you are not asking for permission to continually jump on the airport.

Notice of the jump needs to be given to ATC (depending on location it may be a Center or an Approach Control) at least one hour before the jump, and not more than 24 hours prior to the jump. You may also wish to give notification to the Flight Service Station.

Under no circumstances contact the FAA FSDO. You do not need them for this and if you do contact them you will open a can of worms as they usually do not know their own rules well.

I suggest that you read your USPA SIM (available online) and it will give you good info.

I would recommend that you do this jump at one of the local DZ's. You may come out better, even with a ferry, as the helicopter could make more money with more jumpers. I believe that most DZO's would be happy to have the helicopter come in as a special event, you could make arrangements to share some piece of the jump price with them, and it would be more politically correct.

Mike

[I3uller 0]

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For my birthday this year, I'm renting an R-44 for the afternoon near Houston. awesome aircraft.

Alex

R-44....awesome aircraft? Whatchoo been smoking dude?

[propacker 0]

I stand corrected - and I learned something.

[ar5000 0]

Are you knocking the R-44 based on reliability or its flight capabilities?

While The R-44 is the only chopper I've ever been on, the pilot did do something things on each load that you simply can't do with a Cessna or otherwise. The ride up was as exciting as the ride back down. Besides, when was the last time you rode to altitude in a leather seat

[JohnRich 4]

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My plan is to jump at the home airport where the helicopter resides (EYQ)...

I've jumped there at Weiser Airpark before, but I don't know what the aircraft owner went through for permission. I point this out just to let you know that it has been possible to jump there in the past, and therefore likely to be able to do so again now. There are plenty of grassy areas for experienced jumpers to land in safely. You just want to avoid the runway so as not to interfere with other aircraft taking-off or landing.

[I3uller 0]

I'm knocking Robbies in general. The R-44, while safer than the R-22, is still a mess. I fly Schweiser 300s...more expensive but worth it. You get what you pay for with the Robbies. . I mean there is a separate FAR specifically for the Robinson. You have to get a specific certification to fly them. 27 percent of all Robbies ever made have crashed. From mast bumping to insanely low rotor inertia...the list can go on haha. Personally I won't get in one. The biggest problem is that you have a very very demanding aircraft that is extremely inexpensive so it draws inexperienced pilots. Demanding aircraft + inexperienced pilots = bad news. I mean as long as your pilot knows his business and can step up to Robinson's ridiculous emergency procedures (like initiating an auto-rotation within 1.1 seconds of engine failure) you'll be fine!

[c10edges 0]

To answer your question, i am in school in New Hampshire. O and the school i am at, i have saturday school.

[ar5000 0]

One of the guys who works with David Lowe (the pilot) said David has about 7000 hours logged in similar type aircraft. You can take that with a large grain of salt if you like but that still doesn't equate to an inexperienced pilot. Not to mention that we are going up with the intention of bailing out at some point.

I'd be curious to see how the 27% number breaks down between the 22 and 44. I suspect that the far majority falls toward the 22. Its primary use is training and sounds like anything less than finesse in case of an emergency would likely result in catastrophy.

I'll also add that you can commercially insure them for about $5k per month. The insurance companies and actuarials obviously don't plan on replacing your $450k aircraft with any regularity. Its probably a safe bet that it will get us to 6k a few times without any problems.

[SimonBones 1]

It's a nice aircraft to jump from. I've got a couple dozen jumps from R44s and have only had good experiences. I've taken some really nice photos of exit shots too. Hope to see it at the DZ

108 way head down world record!!!
http://www.simonbones.com
Hit me up on Facebook

[BartRN 0]

PM sent... count me in

Some canopies can be fun to fly, but treat you like their bitch on opening. -- Jarno

[ar5000 0]

Simon, can I put you down for a few jumps either way?

[SimonBones 1]

Maybe, will it be at a DZ? Need more details. I've done plenty of helicopter jumps so the novelty has worn off a little bit. I wouldn't go drive across the city for a few pricey hop n pops on a nice sunny saturday away from the DZ.

If operations were at the DZ, I might go for one.

108 way head down world record!!!
http://www.simonbones.com
Hit me up on Facebook

[hungry 0]

The place you are talking about is an old dropzone as is still listed as such. We made a night jump from the R-44 last month. Dave knows how to get hold of the airport owner to ensure permission to jump. And count me in!!!

Liquor in the front, Poker in the rear

[I3uller 0]

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One of the guys who works with David Lowe (the pilot) said David has about 7000 hours logged in similar type aircraft. You can take that with a large grain of salt if you like but that still doesn't equate to an inexperienced pilot. Not to mention that we are going up with the intention of bailing out at some point.

I'd be curious to see how the 27% number breaks down between the 22 and 44. I suspect that the far majority falls toward the 22. Its primary use is training and sounds like anything less than finesse in case of an emergency would likely result in catastrophy.

I'll also add that you can commercially insure them for about $5k per month. The insurance companies and actuarials obviously don't plan on replacing your $450k aircraft with any regularity. Its probably a safe bet that it will get us to 6k a few times without any problems.

The main thing thats better about the R-44 is its extra weight adds stability and it has a much higher rotor inertia than the 22. Bailing out is all well and good but if you have an engine failure the helicopter is going down. Whether it goes down slow or fast its still going down and I wouldn't think jumping out of a descending helicopter would be the smartest of plans. The base price on a R-44 Raven I is about $320,000 and dealers tend to take 3-4 percent off of that. I personally have not had any time in a Robinson. I base my opinions off of the experience of several fellow pilots (retired Cobra pilot from Vietnam that is now an FAA examiner and an FAA accident investigator who was told by her employer, the FAA, that she can not fly Robinsons) that refuse to fly them. As the old Cobra pilot said "Those piles of shit have made Frank a very rich man." Now I'm sure that that R-44 will get you up and back down again just fine, especially with your pilot's experience in them. Mostly it just takes a lot of skill to react to emergencies correctly. Like I was saying earlier the R-22's manual states that to safely land the helicopter under auto-rotation the collective pitch must be lowered within 1.1 seconds of power loss. You've got to be damn near superhuman to recognize the power loss and initiate an auto-rotation in 1 second without knowing its coming. Enjoy the jump by all means and I'm sure everything will be fine...flying a Robbie is a "calculated risk" in my opinion and calling it a great aircraft is a bit of a stretch I think The Bell 204 is a wonderful aircraft. It has so much rotor inertia you can set it down, pick it back up, turn 90 degrees and set it back down again all without any power.

[chuckakers 370]

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Are you knocking the R-44 based on reliability or its flight capabilities?

While The R-44 is the only chopper I've ever been on, the pilot did do something things on each load that you simply can't do with a Cessna or otherwise. The ride up was as exciting as the ride back down. Besides, when was the last time you rode to altitude in a leather seat

If you're talking about the kind of "things" I've watched some helo pilots do on skydiver airlifts, I wouldn't get on the load if you paid me. Oddly enough, some of the "things" I've seen have been in the Houston area.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[wmw999 2,132]

Yep. It was certainly a DZ through 1975; I made my first freefall there. There's probably still some pea gravel somewhere.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)