New Yorker magazine arrived today, but I demonstrated my appreciation for fine literature by opening the Robinson Helicopter Company’s newsletter first. For folks with Robinsons on order, the exciting news is that HID landing lights are available as an $850 option (only took them about four years to catch up to Cirrus!). The newsletter relates the interesting statistic that the people of traffic- and crime-plagued Sao Paolo, Brazil keep more than 1000 helicopters busy shuttling among approximately 250 helipads and heliports.
The most bizarre note concerns a couple of guys who decided to fly a Robinson R44 from California to Scotland. They made it over the North Atlantic, completing the 7,000 mile trip in 16 days. Most shocking to me is that they chose to do the trip in a helicopter without pop-out floats (a helicopter ditching is followed within seconds by the helicopter sinking like a stone; an airplane by contrast will float for a few minutes).
Details: http://www.maverickmccann.com
Phil,
I know you’ve made multiple trips across the U.S. in a helicopter and that’s impressive, to me at least.
But after reading their story, my own cross country feats: northern Vermont, northern New Hampshire, northern New Jersey all to southern Virginia alone pale in comparison to what these pilots did.
I was not surprised at their deciding to fly a helicopter that wasn’t equipped with pop-out floats, though. Just goes along with my theory that most helicopter pilots have more than a little daring in them.
Regards,
Mark