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Now That's Flying!
Afghan Helo Rescue Mission
A friend sent me this picture yesterday. It shows a helcopter hanging just the back-end onto a building on a cliff in Afghansistan while wounded soldiers are carried out. The pilot is an EMS pilot in the real world. Gosh -- that's great flying. It reminds me of those pilots in Alaska that put skis on their planes, and then land uphill on the side of a mountain for tourists. When the tourists are doing taking pictures and such, you turn the plane around, then ski the plane down the mountain until it is fast enough for take-off. This could get even more exciting, say, if you skiied off a cliff. The plane would still fly out okay, but it would be a heckuva ride.
In this case, there are so many risk factors it isn't funny. Doesn't look like too much rotor clearance. There are a lot of small things on the ground around the copter. Then you've got mountain winds, thermals, and eddies. Finally, your entire weight and balance changes each time somebody gets on or off the helcopter.
Way to go guys! That's quite a piece of work.
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