Pilots Wanted!

[Guest]

The Hummingbird Air Charter fleet is exclusively Eurocopter, from our Service hub at Tampa's Peter O'Knight (KTPF) to Southbound destinations including Everglades Nat'l Park, Key West, Cuba, and the Caribbean, penetrating deep into the tropical "Land of the Hummingbird" itself, the island of Tobago as well as points in Northern South America.Make no mistake, this Charter service is like no other, and is designed for the successful and wealthy wishing to escape the restrictions of scheduled air travel and the limited destinations of fixed-wing aircraft. Under the skilled hands of an independent Hummingbird owner-operator, you may fly wherever, whenever you like. Hummingbird will pick you up in your back yard, if permitted and clear for one of our Eurocopters to land. From there, we will safely ferry you, not "near" your destination--but "to" your destination.Our present fleet consists of:Our flagship Eurocopter Dauphin AS365N2/N3 (pictured) offering enhanced power with 2 FADEC controlled Turbomeca Arriel 2C engines. It Features a sleek, aerodynamic airframe, offering impressive speed and range, not to mention its good looks. Its advanced Starflex main rotor and distinctive tail rotor systems produce a smooth, low vibration ride. Inside, its quiet, spacious and leather-appointed luxury cabin will make you feel like a king. What's more, the AS365's standard single-pilot IFR system is complemented by the latest avionics including autopilot to reduce pilot work load. Its retractable landing gear delivers smooth, airline-type landings. It's sure to make your vacation getaway a private, personal, rewarding, and most memorable one. The nimble Eurocopter EC130, a new single engine helicopter offering particular qualities of silence, comfort and spaciousness. And soon, the newest Eurocopter, the dauphin 155B will be added to the Hummingbird Fleet. A twin-engine high performance, long range helicopter, the 155B offers a wider, roomier cabin making it the largest in its category that can accommodate up to 12 passengers and 2 pilots. Its advanced Fenestron tail rotor and five-blade rotor means it

[1mikel151]

Hey Mike, nice paint!!! Like the oval window area, very cool. Might want to tell your pilot his gear is not down yet! LOLGood luck! we are looking at Florida and possibly the Carribean area for new hubs as well, maybe we could get some interaction going!Regards, Michaelhttp://mysite.verizon.net/res052cd/mybannercva1.jpgCalVirAir International VAwww.calvirair.comCougar Mountain Helicopters & Aviationwww.cgrmtnhelos.com

[Guest]

Thank you my good and honorable fellow rotorhead!Yes, the pilot has just lifted off and likely should have left his gear down for safety but he sucked them up for the photo-op with the palm trees. ;-)Hummingbird is envisioned as a free-spirited charter service with absolutely zero managerial manipulation. The fleet is owned by its individual pilots, who can do what they want, when they want, or not fly at all.Good fun for those wishing to enter at the highest level of respectability and authority. As owner-operators, everyone at Hummingbird is on equal footing.Thanks. Yes, this livery is cool. The oval window treatment was inspired by the 155B and looks very nice from the tower. It endows Antti Pankkonen's benchmark-setting and auto-piloted Dauphin with a wonderful executive appeal similar to what's ahead in the 155B.You, Michael, would be an honored contractor and if nothing else, Hummingbird Charters will help you pay for your Eurocopters.Now, Bill Gates has called, wanting us to take him and his squeeze to Jurassic Park. A bit out of the way for us, but what the heck. Surely there's a Hummingbird owner-operator out there willing to accept that charter. The quoted price round-tip will pay for the Eurocopter on just one ride and our client didn't even wince.A password-protected site for the free downloading of all Hummingbird liveries, skins, sceneries, popular in-cabin music and announcements in is the works. For access to this site, e-mail (apsey at tampabay dot rr dot com). VITAL: Put the word "Hummingbird" in the subject lest your e-mail be deleted unread as spam from an unknown source. Zero spam at this location--as it should be. Effectively, I have an unlisted e-mail address. What a wonderful thing. I've beat the spammers at their own game. ;-)Respectfully,Mike ApseyCaptainHummingbird Charters

[1mikel151]

Hey Mike, sounds good! One question, if there is no managment per say, why would a pilot let his bird be painted?? I would think in a RW situation, that a pilot would like to keep the paint he has, especially if it is cool. I have to admit, I like the yellow, looks pretty sweet!I'll drop you a line as soon as I get caught up on some projects. I couldn't resist the paint on the new 130, I LOVE this thing! I just finished her paint and took her out around LA with some clients going to KLAX, pretty nice! Look forward to seeing your yellow as well! (not to mention the gazelle paint) Regards, Michaelhttp://mysite.verizon.net/res052cd/mybannercva1.jpgCalVirAir International VAwww.calvirair.comCougar Mountain Helicopters & Aviationwww.cgrmtnhelos.comhttp://forums.avsim.com/user_files/12509.jpg

[Guest adevins]

The black around the windows reminds me of the agusta 109E.Cool paint scheme though.Alan

[Guest]

Good catch, Alun. Strikingly similar in lines and looks to the EC Dauphins--less the tail rotor shroud, of course. Beautiful Italian sculpting.Mike

[Guest Lindy]

Let me add my admiration for the livery and design as well as the name of your VA -- Hummingbird. Very appropriate for a helo VA. ;-) I'm basically a bush pilot with BFU and ABC and for the last few months have been flying helos exclusively. I just may have to check out your organization. ;-) -Lindy :-rotor :-wave

[Guest Lindy]

Mike... what a great livery!! You really like purple, don't ya? ;-) But it's an unusual color for an aircraft and really makes YOUR fleet stand out from the crowd...... stunning. -Lindy :-wave

[Guest]

Yes, Michael, your livery is first rate as always. Beautiful, in fact!I've been working all morning on a new alternate Livery for Hummingbird, and also owe this thread an answer to your earlier comments, which will be along shortly.Mike

[Guest]

>Hey Mike, sounds good! One question, if there is no management per say, No management per se is correct. I'll shoot straight: Those who know me, know also I am something of an elderly curmudgeon, very often more truthful than patronizing, opinionated and unafraid to express my feelings/thoughts. Many run away from such as that but a valued few remain friends. No pity please, but I have latched onto a terminal illness and tomorrow I may die. I have no time to play word games.Honestly? I'm not "up" to being a manager and will give birth only to a concept which is self-sustaining. Who knows, I may get bored with it and there is undeniably gypsy in my soul. ;-)>why would a pilot let his bird be painted?? The thought came from the former "RPS" delivery service (now FedEx Ground). Fellows and gals driving those trucks owned them, I believe, and were independent contractors to RPS. RPS sold them the trucks, financed them, painted them, and fed the owner-operators enough business to make the truck payments. their house payments or rent, and buy groceries.And so it is that I envision Hummingbird Air Charters. I will finance your helicopter, pay for the paint job, pay your insurance, and give you enough business to make your payments and some profit to boot.If some bean-counter happens by to assume some "role" as bookkeeping policeman, so much the better. If not, oh well. ;-) Hummingbird has no repossession mechanism, so it'd be easy to steal one or our whirlybirds. I am investing in the honesty of the fleet and the pilots who keep it in the air.>I would think in a RW situation, that a pilot would like to keep the>paint he has, especially if it is cool. I have to admit, I>like the yellow, looks pretty sweet!Thanks. Actually, I began to have second thoughts about the yellow and if you will check the attachment, the current proposal is to issue the "Pearl" scheme. With it, I will offer your name (personalized on the fuse), your fave Aircraft ID, and anything else you like. :-) Moreover, I could easily offer the Hummingbird logo as a transparent "decal" which could be applied to whichever livery an owner-operater prefers.>I'll drop you a line as soon as I get caught up on some>projects. I couldn't resist the paint on the new 130, I LOVE>this thing! I just finished her paint and took her out around>LA with some clients going to KLAX, pretty nice! The only thing missing on the EC130 IMO, is an autopilot. One's rudder-foot can get mighty tired bridging the water from Key West to Havana.>Look forward to seeing your yellow as well! (not to mention the gazelle paint)Oh, the Gazelle is closest to my heart. What a beauty. Do you know I have RW experience with the Gazelle? :-)Okay, and now to digress:I am having trouble with the Hummingbird livery for the Dauphin in these areas:1. Have not found the secret to the "cap" on the rotor. Until I do, it will appear half-and-half. :-(2. The "steps" on the Dauphin (Shift-E) are textured outside the fuse. What this means is that I found it necessary to discard my wonderful "shadow" effect (a layer of graduated coloring) to make it work. The "Steps" use an odd upside-down, right-side up scheme prohibiting a graduated coloring of the .bmp. Re-painters will know what I mean.3. Although I corrected the color of the Bond Helicopter "red" intake screen, I can't for the life of me, figure out where the red is coming from. Bummer.4. Although I could correct the aircraft ID for the VC, I cannot seem to change the 2D panel. It is reported as a standard BMP, but the darned thing has an important alpha channel. When saved as a .bmp with alpha. the world outside goes black and I'm stumped.So, what do Hummingbird Air Charter owner-operators get? 1. A personalized, custom livery--name of "Captain" included2. Freedom to do whatever. No promises from either side.3. The satisfaction in knowing that you've made a grumpy old man happy in the realization that there is, in fact, hope for the straightforward and honest who need not patronize or play politics to win good friends--emphasis on "good."I have experienced threads here on AvSim in which I have participated deleted by the Hall Monitors.But you must e-mail me with a request to have a livery designed and please remember to put the word "hummingbird" in the subject line.Onward through the fog,Mike ApseyCaptain/Owner-OperatorHummingbird Air ChartersEDIT: Typo.

[1mikel151]

Hey Mike, sorry to hear about your illness, that must give you a different perspective on things! I get the impression from your posts that you are fast thinking and say what is on your mind, we'll call it enthusiasm! LOL I notice though, that you express yourself very well, and if the negative is intended, it comes across in a good way!Thanks for the insight into the business side of Hummingbird, an interesting deal, I can't see it working in the real world in this day and age, but a few years back, possibly!On the paint, I like the yellow more, calls out to me! LOL Antti has a penchant for using colored ploygons over texturing, via the pilots clothes, something he will have to chage unfortunately. I used photorealistic textures on the interior of the EC130 and the pilots clothes just totally take away from it. I understand exactly what you mean about the steps on the Dauphin. I am sure I have painted the rotor cap, I'll look into it. What program are you using for paint?? PSP or Photoshop? I have a neat technique that lets you find any part of the aircraft from the texture easily and quickly. I didn't know about the real world experience with the Gazelle, very cool. I know of your paint of it from Cyril, I had emailed him a few times, asking permission for the paint I did of the gazelle for Cougar Mountain Helicopters and he wanted to include it in the next package, but alas, my CEO was against it, but he mentioned your work.Mike I would be honored to fly for Hummingbird, but I am just not able to find the time. between my VA and the commitments to several other virtual organizations (Metro, Cougar Mountain, Lindy's Flight Service and a few others) and my own scenery design, I just can't find enough hours in the day, but rest assured, as soon as I get a break in this schedule I will check it out! Feel free to drop by our forum and say hey and let us know how Humminggbird is comimg along. We have a couple of guys that might like to check it out as well!Regards, Michaelhttp://mysite.verizon.net/res052cd/mybannercva1.jpgCalVirAir International VAwww.calvirair.comCougar Mountain Helicopters & Aviationwww.cgrmtnhelos.com

[Guest]

>I notice though, that >you express yourself very well, and if the negative is intended, it comes across in a good way!Welp, at times, it is negative but like pepper in the stew. I intend no personal insults but will be quick to fault a corporate (commercial) miscue.>Thanks for the insight into the business side of Hummingbird,>an interesting deal, I can't see it working in the real world>in this day and age, but a few years back, possibly!You're right, of course. Yesterday is gone. >On the paint, I like the yellow more, calls out to me! LOLAnd so it will be. The Yellow was not discarded and remains available.>Antti has a penchant for using colored ploygons over>texturing, via the pilots clothes, something he will have to>chage unfortunately. I used photorealistic textures on the>interior of the EC130 and the pilots clothes just totally take>away from it. I understand exactly what you mean about the>steps on the Dauphin. Yes. With the greatest respect for the shape-makers, those of us who attempt to re-paint their wonderful works usually flounder a bit.I am sure I have painted the rotor cap, I'll look into it. What program are you using for paint?? PSP or Photoshop? Adobe Photoshop 7. :-)>I have a neat technique that lets you find any part of the aircraft >from the texture easily and quickly. I'm all eyes/ears, of course!>I didn't know about the real world experience with the Gazelle, very >cool. You had to be there. ;-) Awesome.>I know of your paint of it from Cyril, I had emailed him a few >times, asking permission for the paint I did of the gazelle for Cougar Mountain Helicopters and he wanted to include it in the next >package, but alas, my CEO was against it, but he mentioned your work.Thank you. It's not me, it's Photoshop, of course. A good handle on that and a few plug-ins and the repaint world is your oyster.>Mike I would be honored to fly for Hummingbird, but I am just>not able to find the time. between my VA and the commitments>to several other virtual organizations (Metro, Cougar>Mountain, Lindy's Flight Service and a few others) and my own>scenery design, I just can't find enough hours in the day, but>rest assured, as soon as I get a break in this schedule I will>check it out! No worries Michael. I'll keep the light on for you. All you get at present is a repaint and the "aura" of flying make-believe missions in the make-believe world of the awesome Caribbean. My website, for subscribers only, will offer things that could not possibly be offered in the commercial venues of Avsim or FlightSim--if you catch my drift. ;-)>Feel free to drop by our forum and say hey and>let us know how Hummingbird is coming along. We have a couple>of guys that might like to check it out as well!>Deal.-- Captain MikeHummingbird

[Guest Airprox]

Mike,Nice idea!Regards the repaint, I notice you're repainting the N2 (offshore version---AS365BH.exe?) the VA I fly for has a repaint of the N3 version (AS365HL.exe) which I'm pretty sure covers the rotor cap and the intakes... you might have more luck with that version... just a thought.BTW, I like the yellow too.CheersAlun

[Guest]

>Mike,>>Nice idea!>Regards the repaint, I notice you're repainting the N2>(offshore version---AS365BH.exe?) Hmmm. Is the Bond an N2? If so, my mistake. It's the N3 I'm after.>the VA I fly for has a repaint of the N3 version (AS365HL.exe) which >I'm pretty sure covers the rotor cap and the intakes... you might have more luck with that version... just a thought.>I need to investigate that. Yes, you mention the two areas I am having trouble with. I dispensed with the "HL" only because I thought the BH (Bond) version was more current. I'm totally confused, now. You know what? I just added Johnathan's "Icelandic" repaint and although the rotor cap is solid, the "red" intake (behind the screen) remains. Remind me if I ever create an original to keep the re-painters in mind. Shoot, it keeps the model in the spotlight, if nothing else. Gmax will allow multi-textures on a single object. I believe designers are taking advantage of this but it's what confuses things for re-painters. >BTW, I like the yellow too.>Noted.Mike

[Guest Airprox]

Yep, N2 = AS365BH, N3 = AS365HL, both released same time, or there abouts, and the only diff is slightly different panel, and extra visual bits on the N2 (rescue beacon underneath etc,). If you try the iclandic tex on the Hl version, everything should look correct!CheersAlun