Whadya Mean You Don’t Know?

"Can you take this?"

"Is the weather good enough?"

"Can you land there?"

Pilots get asked questions like these all the time and sometimes the answer is "I don't know."

Unlike the airline world, the VFR helicopter industry is regulated but not engineered. Much of the operation is made up as we go along. The information required to take a load, fly to a remote site or land at an unprepared spot is sometimes insufficient to give a definitive answer. The pilot will require more data.

When a pilot says "I don't know." he really means "I need more detail in order to make a decision."

Professional crew understand this language and provide those details proactively by pre-weighing loads, enabling onsite weather reporting (remote cameras, radio communication, etc.) and are aware of helicopter limitations and therefore encourage the pilot to do a detailed reconnaissance of proposed landing zones.

Running out of power because the helicopter got into the downflowing lee slope of a mountain top is rarely a pleasant experience. Be a proactive, professional crew member and ensure your pilot never has to say "I don't know."

In Search of the Perfect Crew