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Reflections on a Last Flight - A New Era Begins

It is 22:08. The aircraft is back in the Hangar, locked up for the night. My First Officer has gone home, leaving me with a hearty handshake and wishes of good luck. As I sit here by myself in the Pilot's office at Newark International Airport, I cannot help but look back at the past 3 years of my life. I started with this company, HeliFlite Shares, LLC, in May 2002. Fresh out of the Army and not having a clue about how to operate in "The World". All I knew is that I needed a job, and the Bell 430 sure looked like a cool ship to fly. I had been to NYC before, and had family in the general area, so how bad could it be to drop everything and move accross the country?

I was sent to Dallas Texas, well Hurst, Texas to be exact, to attend Flight Safety International's Bell 430 Pilot Initial course. Wow! Two weeks of TDY and I got to stay in a real hotel, no tent or Hummvees in sight! This job is cool!

About two days later, I learned that Level D Flight Simulators and I do not get along. After nearly defouling the sim cockpit on several occasions, I quickly became familiar with the benefits of Dramamine. What an awesome concoction that stuff is.

Two weeks later and I am driving from TX to NJ. I am an official Bell 430 pilot now. Look out NYC, here I come. I am armed with the knowledge that EFIS looks neat, Autopilots fly approaches better than I do, and Calfskin Leather seats smell much better than a load of Grunts. I know that Flight Safety gave me a bunch of free books, and some even had pictures. Wonder what they're for? Oh hell.. I'm a 430 Pilot now!!

My first flight with HeliFlite was with Captain Jim, the base's lead pilot, in N431HF. It was what I would later come to call a "Pop Up" trip, and it was from Newark "All the way" up to White Plains, NY, then into New York City's East 34th Street Helipad, then back to EWR. I remember taking the controls for the very first time. Wow. They're really gonna let me fly this thing? Cool! Wait a minute. I never had to taxi in the sim, and Hueys didn't have wheels. How do I do this? I'll just pull this, and push that, and... oh wait... I didnt want it to do that.... ahh hell. Can't I just hover taxi it?

I remember flying down the East River for the first time. Jim was pointing out landmarks that I'd need to learn. Spuyten Duyvil, Harlem River, Yankee Stadium, Hells Gate, Triboro Bridge, North Tip, Big Alice, 59th St Bridge, UN Bldg, Roosevelt Island.... Hey Jim.... where are you going? You're descending pretty quick! Wheels? Ok I'll put them down, but what are you gonna do? Land on that sidewalk under the highway down there? Oh... Thats the Heliport? Are you kidding?? You're going to land THIS.... down THERE? Wait a minute... I dont think I like this idea. You sure you've done this before? Its not big enough! JIM!!! Ok. Nice landing. Lemme get out and see how close we are the the FDR. Damn I have to take a picture of this. My Army buddies would never believe this stuff.

A few months later, and I am finally getting the hang of all this whizbang stuff. It is much easier to fly, communicate and navigate when you have more than just one VOR and one ADF. GPS is a cool gadget. Weather Radar is fun, and TCAS is now a must have. How did I fly without all this stuff? But alas, I can no longer fly with the doors open (or off for that matter), NOE flying is frowned upon for the most part and in the winter, I have to wear a Tie! What's up with that? Oh well. It's been almost a year since I last had to rip open an MRE. Almost have the aftertaste out of my mouth!

Speaking of winter, where's my truck? I went to sleep last night, and it was right there. I woke up this morning to find that someone had replaced it with a pile of snow! I never had this problem in California. You did not need any tools to help you locate your vehicle in the morning. Snow belongs in the Mountains, and should be used only for Skiing and Sledding, and the occasional snowball fight. That is all it is for. Note to self: Not a big Northeastern Winter fan.

Fast forward to 2004. I now have about three hundred hours in the 430, and feel very comfortable in this high tech airborne chick magnet. I am proficient with all the systems and limitations, and it really feels natural now. I've been back to Flight Safety twice for the refresher course, and all those books and pictures finally make sense. I am approched by our Chief Pilot and Director of Ops. They ask me if I'd be interested in upgrading to Captain. It took me a whole 2.7 seconds to say "Absolutely", and once again I was off to Flight Safety in TX. Two weeks, and a 4 hour oral, and 4.5 hour checkride later, I was a real, live Airline Transport Pilot. It said so right on my certificate! I'm so cool. Wait a minute. Now I'm gonna be in charge of stuff! I have to actually sign things, and I can get in trouble if they aren't done correctly! Was this a good idea? Here we go.... feet first again.

May 18th 2005. Today. I was scheduled for a 1600 departure from EWR, which meant a 1430 show time. At 1145am, dispatch calls to tell me there has been a change (Completely unheard of in Corporate flying!!!). I now need to get to the airport ASAP, for a 1400 departure heading up to Connecticut. No worries at all. I called my FO to tell him about the changes, and headed in to the office. I took my time preflighting the aircraft, spending an unusual amount of time admiring this ship that I was about to command. This aircraft was designed by an artist, not an engineer. Look at the lines. It looks like it's 20 knots over Vne just sitting in the hangar. It is N431HF. The same ship I made my first 430 flight in. That seems like so long ago. Back to the mission at hand. Get the newspapers, cross the seatbelts, clean the floor mat, clean the windshields, order the fuel load and call for a pull out. 30 minutes to takeoff. Gotta do the weight and balances for the days three "live" flights. Wait. Only have paperwork for two of them. Call dispatch and have them re-fax the third tripsheet. 20 min to departure. Double check the Maint log. Nothing due on this bird today. 15 min before takeoff, I walk out to the aircraft. I have my camera with me, so I start with the pictures. "This is me walking out to takeoff on my third to last flight", "This is me a little closer to the aircraft as I walk out to get ready to takeoff on my third to last flight", "This is me..." well you get the idea. A lot of pictures.

The first flight of the day goes off without a hitch. The weather is beautiful. About 72* under high scattered to broken cumulus. Light breeze out of the Southwest. Visibility unrestricted. For what was maybe the second or third time in my entire career, I seemed to have tailwinds going both ways. Normally of course, it is the opposite.

Back at Newark, we have about 15-20 minutes between flights. We are "Live" out of EWR on this leg, so do I shut it down or leave it running? I wont have much notice when the pax get here, but I dont wanna burn all that fuel. Compromise. I'll shut one engine down. I love the smell of burning Kerosene anyway. Our Director of Maintenance comes out to check something, and then proceeds to tease me about leaving. Can't help but smile. I might actually be missed around here. I'll sure miss these guys.

Ok. Back in the game. Pax show up, and I crank the #1 engine and call for a clearance. It takes longer to call ground control and taxi to the helipad (I finally figured that whole ground taxiing thing out btw) than it does to fly to the East 34th St Heliport. I remember when I thought this Heliport was unsafe. Just another LZ now. Throttles Full Open, NR/NP 100%, IIDS Check Clean and Green, Gear Down, Three Green No Red, Force Trim Off, SCAS on, Brakes Released, Window Down, ECS Off, Pax Awake and belted in. Before Landing check complete. Load one passenger, and 90 seconds after we land, we're back in the air headed to EWR again.

"N431HF proceed Overhead the 22s at 1000', Sierra Pad cleared to land, taxi in with me, call Clearance on your way out.". "1HF Roger".

Break time.

45 Min later, we're headed back into the city. This time we're going to the West 30th St Heliport. More pictures now as my First Officer skillfully navigates this big black beast up the Hudson River. I will never get tired of seeing the Statue of Liberty from a helicopter. There is Ground Zero... those bastards. Darm the Empire State Bldg is big. Lots of sail boats out today. More Pictures. Oh yeah. Still working here. Make the radio call Gene. Cleared to land, Spot #2.
Call dispatch with the on times. Pax just called and said he's be 10 minutes late. Nothing new. Check voicemail. Nothing interesting. Sit and wait.

Pax arrives with a smile and a handshake, as always. Time to take this man home. We takeoff and head south on the Hudson. Around Battery Park and Governor's Island. Call JFK for the tracks route east. Cleared in. On goes the Autopilot for the first time today. Gotta take some more pictures. Is it me or is ATC unusually friendly today? Did someone tell them I am leaving? Clear of the class B, we contact KFRG tower. They're busy, but they answer us on the first attempt! Something is up. Are they THAT happy I'm leaving? Cleared to land in the Bravo Runup area, taxi with tower. Ok. Now I KNOW something is not right. The FBO parked us on the front line!! Right up next to a jet! WOW! I feel important. I volunteer to let the passenger out, so I can thank him and say goodbye. He was one of my favorites. Again, another solid handshake and kind words. Why cant they all be like this?

Time to head back to EWR...again. 5 minutes out of KFRG, my FO asks if I'll take the controls so he can adjust his sun visor. I gladly accept. He finishes and I volunteer to relinquish the controls. He declines, telling me instead to "have fun". Have I mentioned that I'm gonna miss these guys? As we approach the city, he takes my camera out of the case and starts taking pictures. Of me. Flying my aircraft. On the second to last flight. He even videotaped my landing from 1/2 mile out. Yes, you can even see the bounce in the tape.

Break time once again. Another opportunity to take more pictures. All different Angles, all different views. I want to remember this aircraft. Everything about it. Exterior, interior, cockpit, tail#, etc etc.

Dispatch calls. Pax is due in about 2030. Cool. My last 430 flight will be at night. I love flying at night, and there is not much in the world that is as awesome a sight as New York City from the air on a clear night. I was going to get to see it one more time. I am one lucky guy. 2020, and I am sitting in the aircraft going thru my pre-start checks. Fuel Valves on, Fuel Primes On, Emergency Lights and Standby Att Indicator On. Battery On, Buss Interconnect On. Throttle first engine set, engine start. FADEC is too cool. <180amps, Inverters on. <100amps, second engine start. Second generator on, Avionics Masters on, Fuel Primes off, Engines to flight idle, EFIS/AFCS power on.

Pax is loaded, doors are closed, FO is strapping in, and I am calling for a clearance. Again, it is going to take longer to taxi out to takeoff, than it is to actually fly to our destination. This is my last takeoff. Make it a good one that nobody will remember. I don't want this passenger to notice anything different about this flight tonight. For him it should be as smooth and comfortable as any other. Just a walk in the park. I've done this flight hundreds of times. But this time if different, at least for me. N431HF, Sierra Pad Cleared for takeoff, proceed direct to the control tower, then over the 22 numbers at 900'. 1HF roger, here we go.

85% tq, airspeed alive. 60kias and 200', gear up. 75 kias and nose up for the climb. Leveling at 900' 45 seconds after wheels up. Accelerate to 145kias. Wait. Why rush it? It is my last flight. Slow down. Nothing wrong with 120kias. Make it last a bit longer. Nope, can't do it. I still have a job to do, and my job is to get my pax to his destination as quickly as I can. 145kias it is.

The city is like a jewel on a clear night. It just sparkles. Tonight was one of those nights. I am getting paid to do this. Wow. You can see forever. My FO is trying to take another video as we head up the Hudson river to West 30th St. Not surprisingly, the memory on my camera is used up. Oh well. I've taken some great pictures that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Dont get greedy.

Throttles full open, 100%x3, Three Green No Red. Cleared into spot #2. My last landing in the 430. Airspeed is good. Closure rate is good. There is a slight right quartering tailwind. No biggie. Over the bulkhead now, cleared down on the left and right. Forward and down, forward and down. Come on Gene, nice and soft. Ehh. Not great, but not bad. Taxi to the spot, brakes on, throttles to idle. Done. Wow. That wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. Or maybe it just hasnt sunk in yet? My FO gets back in, and I ask him to take the controls so I can go say goodbye to the ramp agents. Another round of handshakes and kind words. Sure gonna miss this.

Back in the aircraft, I get strapped in and start going thru the before takeoff checks. This time my FO just says "Your aircraft". I thank him, but this is his leg. He insists that I fly it home. Ok. Twist my rubber arm. Here we go again on my real, live last flight in the 430. Dont get stupid Gene. Checklists. Everything where it should be? Yup. Ok. Radio call. N431HF, Spot two to go South. Here we go. Power is good, 100' on the RadAlt. Nose it over and away we go. The aircraft seems to know it is the last leg of my last flight. It seems like everything is moving in slow motion. That's fine with me. NOW I will do 120 kias and enjoy the view. The Empire State Bldg is all lit up in Red White and Blue. That was nice of them to do that for me, thanks guys. Here comes Ground Zero again... those bastards. Maybe the next time I'm in NYC, the new tower will be standing. That would be nice. I think I'm gonna slow it down as we pass "the Lady". Wanna take one last, long look. The tower controller at Newark seems to be preoccupied with something other than 127.85. Fine with me. Just means I get to head down towards Staten Island at 90kias. Darn. Cleared into the Newark Class B. 900' Over the runway 22#s. Ok. If I have to. Shortly thereafter, I hear the words I've been dreading all day (Even tho I've heard them several times today already). "N431HF Cleared to Land Sierra Pad, Taxi In with me." "1HF, Roger". As if to add insult to injury, the controller comes back on and says "Thats it for you guys, right?" Of course he was only asking if we'd be back out again tonight, but if he only knew how right he was.

Ok Gene. One last chance to get a greaser. I want to have to open the door and look to make sure we're on the ground. Dont want to feel a thing. Nice and easy. 3 Green, No Red. Wind directly off the nose. Nothing to it. Chirp. Chirp. Ok, not baby-butt smooth, but definitely acceptable. After landing checks. Landing and Strobe lights off. Emerg. Lights and Stby Att Ind off. Force Trim On. SCAS off. Xpdr Stby. EFIS/AFCS off.

Wow. Even get a ground guide. Somebody told somebody something. Taxi into parking, throttles to idle. Start the 2 min clock. Avionics Master Power Off. Inverters Off. #1 Generator Off. Instrument lights set for daytime. 2 minutes, throttles off. #1Gen Off, Buss Intcon press. Fuel Valves Off. Rotor Brake on. No, really. Rotor Brake On. It's been working all day. Now it decides to quit? Oh well. Coast down it is. Why do I care? Am I in a hurry? Nah. Enjoy it. I think maybe this old bird might just miss me as much as I'll miss her. Maybe that's why the rotor brake went TU. I dunno. It sounds nice tho.

The blades finally come to a stop, just about the same time as my time in the Bell 430 does. It has been a wonderful machine, flown in a wonderful place, with a group of incredible people who have taken me in and made me feel like a welcome part of their "family". To say that I will miss it all is a complete understatement. As much as I may hate New Jersey, I really loved my job.

I look on this forum and see how many unhappy, and downright miserable people there are in this industry, and quite often I wonder how I got so lucky. I would love to chalk it up to skill and perseverance, but it wasnt. It was pure, dumb, unadulterated luck. I only wish everyone could experience the things I have in the past 3 years. It has been truly amazing. I have grown exponentially as a professional aviator. I have matured. I have learned. I have taught. And perhaps most importantly, I have made many, many friends along the way. This is by far what I am most grateful for.

I know there must be one burning question going thru your head right about now (Assuming you've managed to stay awake this long). "If this job was so wonderful, why on Earth are you leaving it?". That my friends, is a question that will be answered in another installment to come perhaps sometime next week.

So now, at 0020, I will sign off. Turn out the lights. Take one last look in the hangar to make sure all is as it should be, and then I will head out to my truck to leave EWR for the last time as a HeliFlite Shares Bell 430 Pilot. It has been good, but it is time for me to move on.

Blue Skies and Tailwinds to all my friends at HeliFlite Shares, LLC, Liberty Helicopters, and those at the NYC HeliPorts. Thank yor for everything.

-Gene Bishop
Bell 430 Captain
HeliFlite Shares, LLC
KEWR

Some thoughts on EMS

While I do not work for a Hospital based contract, I can give you an insight to my community based operation.

I've seen posts in the other forum about how terrible the medical crews can be, and how it is really the nurses and medics that run an EMS operation. In my experience that is not at all the case. My medical crews have always been consumate professionals and they know their jobs and do them well. They also know that they are not pilots and they know that my job is to keep them safe.

My company has a "3 to go, 1 to stay" rule and it has worked well for us. We all have to be comfortable with the flight in order to launch. If one does not feel comfortable, be it me, the nurse or the medic, we don't fly. I've had instances where a crewmember did not feel comfortable with the weather and expressed concern. I was able to explain that in the desert, weather can appear much closer than it really is, and showed him on the radar that the storms were not anywhere near our route of flight, and in fact were moving away from it. Once he understood why I was comfortable with the flight, he was willing to fly.

I also see pilots who cannot stand when the med crews ask them questions. I guess toes have been stepped on in the past, but the questions I get are normally out of curiosity and wanting to know more about the aircraft. They are in no way meant to question my skill or authority and I have no problem answering them. These folks entrust me with their lives, and I want to keep that trust so I do what I can to help them feel as comfortable as possible. If there is something they don't understand or something that bothers them, I will do my best (situation permitting) to explain it to them. I will never force a crewmember to get into an aircraft if he/she feels it is unsafe to fly. I do my best to explain why I feel it is safe, but if in the end they do not share my view, we don't fly.

The long and the short of it is this: My job is to get the helicopter and crew safely to the patient, then get the patient safely to the hospital, then return my crew and aircraft safely back to base. My number one goal is not to save lives, but to return home to my family in the same condition I left them. So far I've been lucky enough to have extremely professional crews to work with, and they've never questioned me about a flight that was turned down. They trust me, I trust them. We work as a team to get the job done. It works well. It also helps that I actually like the people I work with. I wonder how many of these accidents came about from a clash of egos and personalities. While I don't have that problem with anyone, I can easily see how some might and that can definitely cause problems.

Something else that's in my favor is that I am also a chicken when it comes to bad wx in VFR-only helicopters. I will turn around and cancel a flight long before the weather ever forces me down, but should I find myself painted into a corner, I will not hesitate to find a place to land and wait out the storm/low ceilings/low vis. I try very hard to ensure that I use my superior judgement to avoid having to demonstrate my superior skills. ;-) The EMS helicopter accident rate is never far from my thoughts when I am flying, and the last thing I want to do is add to it. Our job is hard enough without constantly being in the FAA's safety microscope.

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