Shortest time to 1500 hours via experimental?

[StanFoster]

I feel David Lyons accumulation of experimental hours in his Helicycle is nothing but phenomenal! David bought his helicopter with 102 hours on it as a means to acquire 1500 turbine hours to help land an offshore helicopter job. Is he ever going at it! I started a thread " Helicycle nearing 1000 hours", not too many days ago when he had 982 hours. I blinked and he is at 1038 hours as of last night! His goal is to have his 1500 hours accumulated by this April! Amazing dedication David. I bet you are hands down accumulating more hours than any other experimental pilot ever. If not, I sure would like to know who else will reach 1500 hours quicker. David, I am personnally asking you to straighten out some of your flying later in March and fly that beast to Bensen Days. You should be on the cover of every flying magazine out there in my opinion. Please consider it. It would be one Keystone event at Bensen Days. Expect to find a free camera mount with your cable reinforcing kit you are ordering from me........................IF you promisee to fly to Bensen Days! You knew there had to be a catch to a free camera mount! Ha. Way to go and I hope you can make the flight to Wauchula, Florida! Stan

[Monarchist]

Stan, it's an incredible amount of flying...a testament to the quality of the Helicycle. BJ would be proud.

With all those hours being accumulated, there HAS to be some good flying stories to tell...hope he can post some!

-John

[bryancobb]

Originally Posted by Monarchist

...With all those hours being accumulated, there HAS to be some good flying stories to tell...hope he can post some!...

That's the problem...
FLYING + EATING + BATHING + SLEEPING = 24 HOURS/DAY!!! LOL

[laflyboy]

Stan,I will give it some thought, I appreciate the offer. Hopefully I can stay on track to get to where I need to be. I may be to optimistic in being able to get to 1500 by April, but you have to set goals right. I also corrected my typo, I am at 1029 not 1039. I guess I need to be more careful about that.

[Monarchist]

David...I see you fly in SE Texas...do you ever get up to Austin in your ship?

[StanFoster]

David- I will send you a camera mount anyway. I know that mount would not be the determining factor to fly to Bensen Days. I have one made up for you and will send it next week.

Stan

[WaspAir]

I hope the 1500 hr employment plan works out and wish him well.
I don't know anything about his other experience and qualifications. But I would be very curious to know if employers in general will count time in a single seat light experimental with a turbine powerplant as satisfying a "turbine" requirement, where that used to mean B206, AS350, or other much larger ships. I also wonder how valuable an employer might rank turbine Helicycle experience compared to the same number of hours in a piston R-44, or an S-55, or whatever.

[choppergabor]

Originally Posted by WaspAir

I hope the 1500 hr employment plan works out and wish him well.
I don't know anything about his other experience and qualifications. But I would be very curious to know if employers in general will count time in a single seat light experimental with a turbine powerplant as satisfying a "turbine" requirement, where that used to mean B206, AS350, or other much larger ships. I also wonder how valuable an employer might rank turbine Helicycle experience compared to the same number of hours in a piston R-44, or an S-55, or whatever.

Exactly my thinking! As I do read most ads they don't even count now CFI hours into the needed 2000+ they require nowadays. Turbine time is usually 500 hours minimum and night vision is becoming a standard requirement even for offshore because of insurance purposes......Good luck either way I do hope he gets the job and finds it to be what he desires it to be. Man it is a tough market with all the Vets still flying!

[JEFF TIPTON]

I know of one individual that applied for a medivac position. His last job in the Army was a UH60 maintenance test pilot. They did not want to hire him because he had no single engine time.

He mentioned to them he has owned and flown a Cessna 150 for many years.

He was hired!

[Jason O]

It would be interesting if you posted what you have replaced. If you choose not to do it on this forum, I would understand, but I hope you are doing it on the helicycle owners forum. It would be an invaluable list of what to look for as other people accumulate time.

Originally Posted by laflyboy

Stan,I will give it some thought, I appreciate the offer. Hopefully I can stay on track to get to where I need to be. I may be to optimistic in being able to get to 1500 by April, but you have to set goals right. I also corrected my typo, I am at 1029 not 1039. I guess I need to be more careful about that.

[PW_Plack]

I wonder if it would help to show up for the interview in the Helicycle.

Q: "Hmmm...It says here you have 1500 turbine hours. How recent?"

A: "Didn't you smell the kerosene while I was parking?"

[StanFoster]

Ask "Jim Little" how his only turbine time that was in his Helicycle landed him a job with the Louisana Fish and Wildlife. He was then trained in a 206 and loves his job last I heard.


Jason- Dave is on the Helicycle flyers forum and I have read his parts that wore out. He has posted most of them here. The biggest part was the main transmission that had a preload on a bearing disappear causing a vibration at 800 hours. His tranny was one of the earliest built, and they have upgraded to better materials and techniques. Dave bought the Helicycle in 2009.....and the original owner bought it in the 2nd assembly run....and only had 102 hours on it.


Stan

[laflyboy]

Jim is now working for a company out of Mississippi flying a turbine Bell 47, doing Agg. work and he loves it. And yes, flying the helicycle is what got him his first helicopter job, hopefully it will work for me also. Everyone that I have talked to says that time in any helicopter is what matters the most, with turbine time coming in second. The really cool thing is the Helicycle does both.

[9aplus]

Have talked with our Chief Pilot on this 1000+ h hour build way on Helicycle, his opinion is
that "that 1000+h" means lot of "cyclic" and possible lack of procedures and MCC...
Initial application and success on FO offshore position, may be positive only
in case of twin turbine rating, IR and at last 100 h on twin turbine.
(Opinion background is from JAA/JAR(Parts FCL) point of view, not FAA)

[choppergabor]

The entry job for offshore does not need twin turbine at all. The entry jobs are for jet rangers and long rangers. Nobody wants to fly them anymore and those are the only available gigs you will get if hired. They won't even let you look at, let alone fly the twins I can guarantee you that. Instrument rating is a must though. I know I had interview with them.