Thread: Flying in for the roar

Although written with a lot less expletives than I would have used I think Tussock is pretty much spot on with the above 2 posts. I have flown my share of hunting parties into the hills,
We used to average 300 people + gear in March/April alone. A bit of gear is alright as long as it is thought out and able to be crammed. My mate and I take a bit more gear for the roar than would be expected of pilots but with no problems. I tend to go for 20+ days with a possible relocation.
We used to look forward to my old boss every year, at least once, screaming over the ground idle noise "its not a fu%kin Huey you @#$%"
Some hunting parties flew with us every year were orginised and a dream and were always looked after if extra flying was needed.
Some were just demanding ignorant idiots who thought because they were paying a decent bit of coin their demands should be met with no regard to safety.
My other favorites were wankers that reckon they generated more flying hours by doing their annual roar trip than I or other pilots had. They were the ones that new what they were doing and always ended up doing something dumb trying to prove their point. I could go on for hours.
I would never let anyone else load my machine apart from small items that were going in with them.
Another good bit of Tussock advice is to duck no matter what until the pilot is out of the machine. He should by then have the collective and cyclic frictioned up. Do not under any circumstances throw anything around a machine. We have had to replace several blades over the years due to idiots doing this. Not friggin cheap!
Its not rocket science but it seems when the machine is running and it has to be loaded people tend to panic or are too relaxed and do somthing dumb.
I know some pilots use funny gestures and language to get your attention but always keep an eye on them, your safety is their responsibility.
It should be an enjoyable experience for you as it is, I hope, the start of an adventure.
Another tid bit. Please refrain from having to tell the pilot your hunting stories. If he asks all good, if not he or she can wait for the magazine.
Again a classic was being blamed for no animals in the area or block that you may have suggested and as you lift off and before you gain translation you spot a couple of animals. It has happened a lot!