On 10/24/2018 at 6:32 AM, Rimshot said:

Here's a nice video of an IFR arrival at EHAM in a Piper Saratoga:

 

Fun to watch, thanks for sharing!

John

On 10/15/2018 at 7:25 PM, Paraffin said:

Fly a helicopter? 🙂

Back when I was a commercial photographer, I chartered helicopters out of airports like Opa-Locka in South Florida, and out of several large International airports in Central and South America. Availability of mechanics, avgas and jet fuel mean that many helicopter charter outfits are based at large airports.

You'd want to follow the correct ATC procedures, but the advantage of a helicopter is you can stay well away from the arrival and departure paths for the heavies. A helicopter is also an ideal platform for sightseeing and appreciating a complex airport scenery file, although doing that may break real-world regs if you're buzzing the terminal and tower!

Funnily enough we find that choppers tend to get routed right over the airport where I work (EGCC), when you'd think ATC would keep them well clear. I was talking to one of the DMs about this the other night after we saw one go over. Being that this was at night, I suspect that chopper was either the Greater Manchester Police one, or possibly the air ambulance one (which actually landed on stand 28 a few weeks ago after someone was injured in a crash with one of the pushback tugs). Anyway, he was telling me that Manchester ATC prefer to send choppers over the airport, passing overhead where the remote ramps are, because that means they are well clear of the runways and above the height of incoming and outbound traffic, but can be tracked both visually and with the radar very well for being in so close, so ATC know exactly where they are, which is what they prefer because this ensures they are well clear of any STAR or SID tracks.

On 10/24/2018 at 12:11 PM, Chock said:

Funnily enough we find that choppers tend to get routed right over the airport where I work (EGCC), when you'd think ATC would keep them well clear. I was talking to one of the DMs about this the other night after we saw one go over. Being that this was at night, I suspect that chopper was either the Greater Manchester Police one, or possibly the air ambulance one (which actually landed on stand 28 a few weeks ago after someone was injured in a crash with one of the pushback tugs). Anyway, he was telling me that Manchester ATC prefer to send choppers over the airport, passing overhead where the remote ramps are, because that means they are well clear of the runways and above the height of incoming and outbound traffic, but can be tracked both visually and with the radar very well for being in so close, so ATC know exactly where they are, which is what they prefer because this ensures they are well clear of any STAR or SID tracks.

I took a copter flight from McCarran Intl in Vegas to the Grand Canyon and back in 2013.  Coming home to Vegas, at dusk, was exciting because we flew right over the airport and its tarmac, over where the mail carrier jets were parked, the heavy jets which looked like toys from the copter's vantage point,  We slowly went down and landed at our spot, flying over a taxiway on the way in, and I was surprised by how long we remained in hover before touching down.  That was the last copter flight I have ever flown in real life, and the only one that had a destination, the canyon, in mind.  When we landed in the canyon in the late afternoon, they had a lunch/dinner spread out for us already on tables there, which was delicious, we went there before taking our pictures.  I was plied with food once similarly on a hot air balloon flight I took in 1987, a free flight given to me by a pilot that worked with the guests at my hotel, he wanted to reward me for referring them to his company over others.  And I was rewarded in grand fashion to the jealousy of my employees!  I asked him to offer them rides later on, which he did, which resolved that diplomatic crisis.

John