Cockpit View EMS Helicopter EC 145

[@ThaiLifeAmerican]

Love the use of autopilot system! Im fixed wing commercial and most of my commercial flying was all single pilot night and a lot of hard IFR. My autopilot was my most reliable crewmember...I got out just after they upgraded our 1900d's to the Garmin G950. WOW that was fun for the 1800 hours or so I got before I retired! They didn't upgrade for safety so much as the extra 250 pounds of cargo and reduced maintenance costs. I got to fly the 1900D with the Garmin G950 NXi and APS 65 Autopilot from 2018 to 2023 when I retired, though half the time I was still flying the original avionics updated with dual GTN650xi GPS's. It was fun, paid less than a Walmart truck driver and at times somewhat dangerous but I wouldn't change it for anything...I had the chance to go to jets many times and I just loved all that noise.....what? What's that you said? I can't hear my wife screaming but I think she is saying to get off the computer that we are late for something...I won't hear ya later, but I may see you!

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

AP's are great but they do take up a lot of the useful load capabilities in a helicopter. Most are 3 axis but I have seen some with 4 axis APs installed. I used to also fly ATRs as a line captain in a Part 121 outfit. AP's were on almost from wheels up to decision height on most flights. Only reason we'd kick them off was every few approaches just to remember how to actually fly the thing by hand.

[@argonwheatbelly637]

Procedural. Crisp. Nicely done. Flying is in the blood. Thanks for what you and the crew do!

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Thanks. Everyone has their calling I suppose. Flying just happened to be mine so I can't take any credit for that. Credit belongs to the Creator.

[@curtissheppard1996]

Best ride I ever got off the ground. Helicopter in the shotgun seat.1994 fire season. Wow. Great pilot too. Tree top level going like hell. ❤

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

I fly fixed wings also but there's just something about helicopters that make them so much more fun to fly - especially with rockets and missiles and cannons on board!

[@KyleMorpheus]

the EC-145 is a beautiful machine!

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Yep

[@FlyTaylor]

Coming from a Paramedic, I just wanna say you guys are like celebrities to me lol 🤙🏾

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

It's like chewing gun and walking at the same time. I could teach my grandmother how to fly - and she's no longer with us. The trick is knowing what to do when schtuff goes south.

[@samuelmarquet5767]

Juste merciiiiiii. C’est un beau cadeau de présentation.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@marklester9679]

Thanks for the ride along.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Not a problem!

[@edwingitonga3780]

Wow what a surreal pov flight thank you for an amazing video ❤

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@omegawaves]

KZbin suggested this video to me today, and I immediately recognized your departure hospital , since I drive by it frequently and it took me an extra minute to identify the destination hospital but the football stadium in the distance gave it away. Go Heels!

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Yeah, it was UNC - but it was a DUKE helicopter :)

[@jizmoglass4202]

Awesome video. Thank you for this. Love all the noises and buttons. Beep, bop, boop. Arma 3 style. Cheers. safe flying. That spool up. Love that sound. 😉💚👍

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@marcusmaximus451]

Superb flying, kind regards to you and take care, Mark from the U.K. 🇬🇧😀😀👍👍🌞🌞

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Thank you very much for the kind words Mark.

[@Pilot_Perspective86]

Awesome flying Captain!

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Thanks!

[@bruce2357]

I remember two occasions one in the late 70's and the other in the early 80's when I saw an EMS pilot cram their helicopter into a very tight space. One was when he landed in the small parking lot of a tiny community hospital and the other was when he landed in a ridiculously small open area next to a car wash. The car wash had power lines on one side and was sketchy as hell, trees and buildings on the other side. The fire truck that was there had his radio blasting over the outside speaker so we could hear the dispatcher saying that the pilot wanted the FD to advise him of any obstacles and there were many and they did a great job of giving him the heads up. The FD was not there because of an accident, they were only there as safety in case the chopper went down, the patient came from the hospital next door. Just like the other hospital this was a very small hospital that didn't have a helipad.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Been there, done that. Many times over. I'll have to post a couple of shorts showing one of the tighter LZ's that we landed in while flying EMS. There were several. Our rules said we had to clear all obstacles by 30 feet vertically and 15 feet horizontally. Those limits were often pushed - especially when flying in the mountains. In the military we had no such prohibitions so it basically came down to the pilot in command's decision on where to put 'er down. Basic LZ ideal conditions were defined by twice the length and twice the width of the helicopter / rotor system. Fire departments were trained to select basically 100 x 100 foot LZ's or larger as the optimum space.

[@joeruddy549]

Air Methods, my daughter flew with Life-Net (Air Methods - NY) for 9 years. Great group of pilots, flight nurses and flight medics.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

It's a fun job as long as you can keep hospital admin folks out of the picture.

[@ejripley]

I got so confused when I saw another seat next to you. All the helicotpers I've ever seen that do this have the sled in that spot and the patients head or feet are there. That must be a big helo. Safe flying buddy!

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

I've flown A-Stars in EMS configured as you mention. Hated the patient position. The 145 is a big upgrade.

[@overbank56]

Thanks for the inside views & showing Preflight check you don't move the stick much

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

The stability systems on most IFR rated helicopters negate the need for a lot of micro adjustments with the controls. The systems automatically detect airframe movement, look to see if the pilot caused the movement, and if not then the stability system automatically corrects for the movement without input from the pilot. You'll notice during the landing that I kick off some of the stability systems and take more manual control of the helicopter. Some pilots do this and some pilots don't. I'm old school. I like for the airframe to "talk" to me and let me know everything that's happening during certain modes of flight. Landing is one of those. You'll see once I kick off the systems the control inputs increase dramatically in frequency. As far as control displacement, a little goes a long long way. Helicopters are generally much more sensitive to control inputs than airplanes. Sorry for the book ;)

[@notar187]

Awsome video, thanx for sharing

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Thank you!

[@andybrugman3619]

Knowing what a helicopter needs to start and fly what are all these extra stuff for its a flying laptop

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

You are basically correct. The issue arises from the fact that to fly single pilot IFR under FAA Part 135 operations you have to have an operational auto pilot - along with several other gizmos and gadgets. I have plans to redo this particular video with voice over pauses to explain exactly what I'm doing during the start, enroute, and shutdown sequences. Stay tuned.....

[@C-beezy]

Unless you want medevac to wait until its sunny and clear to come get patients, you need all that IFR gear in the cockpit

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

You'd be surprised at how seldom it gets used though.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

You'd be surprised at how seldom it gets used though. Folks don't want to spend the money to have approaches and departures to and from helipads certified.

[@Satisfactoryfield]

Its my dream to be a helicopter pilot. Is it really that hard? Thank you for this video.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

It's kind of like anything else. It looks and feels difficult at first but it becomes second nature after a bit. The hardest part of learning to fly is to keep yourself out of situations you or your aircraft are incapable of handling. As in all endeavors some folks are naturals and some folks are very mechanical in their stick & rudder skills. It's the mental situational awareness that makes the real difference in your success.

[@douglasnorby4006]

Love it inside view

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Thanks!

[@WhiteHawk77]

I was wondering if you could answer a question? When flying along at an average speed, how much force would you guess is centring the cyclic if you were to make an average turn to a reasonably large heading change? I recognise this is probably a difficult question to answer, but it’s hard to get the information.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

I'm not quite sure what you're asking but it all boils down to a few simple physics calculations. Eg, if a X thousand pound helicopter is traveling at Y knots you can figure out the momentum or force required to maintain that vector. From there you can determine the amount of force required to alter that original force. From there you determine the force needed to accomplish this change in vector dependent upon how large a vector change you want and at what speed of a rate of change you desire. Something akin to Einstein's E=MC2. There are a bajillion mathematical calculations to consider, but an "easy" way to calculate what I think you may be asking is that the force required to make a standard 60* angle of bank turn requires twice the power required to maintain straight and level flight. That's simple aerodynamics. Standard bank angles require a predetermined power adjustment to maintain altitude and airspeed. The 60* angle of bank rule holds true for anything that flies IF the rate of turn that provides is what you want. If you want to accelerate that rate then you'll need added back pressure on the stick to pull additional G forces, which in turn requires more power. There are several excellent text books that go over all of this in much greater detail. I'd recommend picking up a copy of the US Army's "Helicopter & Airplane Aerodynamics" if you really want to get into the topic. I still have my dog eared copy from flight school way back in 1984.

[@WhiteHawk77]

@@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation that wasn’t quite the aspect I was asking about I’m afraid. All I need to know is the forces going through the cyclic stick, not the helicopter, so how much pressure does it take to move the stick to initiate a turn, for example like you did to the right near the end of the video, and does it change in that particular helicopter based on how fast you are going in forward flight. I assume you have also flown other types of helicopter where the mechanical or otherwise links to the flight surfaces feel different through the stick so how different are they in terms of force through the cyclic as well? Again, probably a tricky thing to answer without you having used a force sensor on the stick in flight. So don’t worry if it’s not easy to answer, it’s not that important, it’s only to dial in a FFB stick for flight sims is all. 😁

[@hiddenacresoutdoors]

@@WhiteHawk77 Oh that's an easy one to answer! Practically no force is required at all. In fact, if you are in something like a Bell 209 and let go of the stick without the force trim engaged, the stick will fall over by itself and buddy then you're in for a frantic couple of seconds. You can move the stick around with one finger. I was always in the habit of kicking off the "Buck Rogers" electronics and hand flying the final portions of the approach myself. It's MUCH less heavy on the stick than an airplane is. Most helicopters are running about 3,000 PSI hydraulic cylinders that actually do the work thru actuators connected to the sticks. Some birds (like an Apache) have so much force feedback that without the hydraulics you're just along for the ride to the site of your death. Older birds like Huey's and VN era Cobras you could actually control w/o hydraulics but it was some seriously heavy control input required as you lost airspeed. I'd say a good setup for your FFB stick for a helicopter is about as close to zero as you can get it. An index finger on top of the stick moves it anywhere it can go.

[@WhiteHawk77]

@@hiddenacresoutdoors cheers man, I’ve searched for info and got bits and pieces, like the cyclic being light to move but still unsure how light and if there was any feedback of any kind. Thanks for your time.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Not very much at all. Without force trim engaged the cyclic will just fall over in some lighter aircraft. Set it up to where it feels like the power steering on your car and you'll be in the ballpark.

[@69adrummer]

What is the lock/latch for on the collective?!

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

To keep the collective from inadvertently riding up while on the ground and also to lock the collective down if you exit the bird while it's running.

[@69adrummer]

@@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation Oh very cool. Thanks. Have a great day!!

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

You also!

[@lanefrost7653]

Any chance you’d be willing to make a video explaining the startup and shutdown procedures?

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

I can possibly do a voice over on this video to explain what I'm doing. I've retired from flying EMS these days though. Would that be suffice?

[@spaghetti9845]

Id take that. To be fair since you are taking your time to do these i'd personally be happy with anything.@@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Ok. I'm out of town at the moment but will get something rolling once I get back home.

[@lanefrost7653]

That would be great!

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

I'll let you know when it's completed.

[@Verbal_DEU]

Pls more h145 cockpit videos with heli sound

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

I'll see what I can do.

[@abracadabra1fois]

Thank you for this superb video, how many hours does it take to master this precision landing? I'm trying my hand with EC135 from RotorSim under Xplane. Very enriching to watch this superb machine get started. Thanks. Friendship from France.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

The short answer is a lifetime. In all honesty it varies significantly. Just as we all can't be Formula 1 drivers, not everyone - even pilots - ever really get the hang of it. In fact, I have a very short short list of people I'd let fly my family. I know thousands of pilots and that list I could name on one hand with fingers left over. As far as the best tip I ever got on landing a helicopter smoothly, think "forward and down" all the way to ground contact. Then smoothly lower the collective and neutralize the pedals. The trick is, as in all flying, to control the aircraft rather than to react to what the aircraft does on its own. It's the one difference between precision flying and mediocrity.

[@abracadabra1fois]

@@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation Thank you for this philosophical response, full of common sense and I wish you very good flights.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Anytime. Can you tell I used to be a standardization instructor pilot in the AH-64A Apache? ;)

[@abracadabra1fois]

@@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation You mean that you were an instructor pilot on AH-64A Apache if the translation is correct and if I understood correctly?

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

@@abracadabra1fois Yes. Four days after graduating flight school I was in the AH-1 Cobra qualification course. Roughly one year later I was in the AH-64A Apache qualification course. Less than three years after that I was in the Apache instructor pilot course. I spent the remaining 13 or so years of my 22 years in the military serving as an instructor pilot and standardization instructor pilot in the A model Apache.

[@周伯瑀-l3n]

very good friend

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Thanks for the compliment!

[@garymfra3962]

Real cool Thanks

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

My pleasure. I need to do a voice over of this vid explaining what knobs and dials and switches I'm fiddling with and why. I'll eventually get that done.

[@DCSHacks]

Never thought to slip onto the pad for full visibility during a HEMS flight - Who knew!

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Anyone who grew up flying Cobras or other tandem seat cockpits. You'll find it's mainly the gunship pilots (tandem seating) that employ this technique. Other birds have chin bubbles.

[@Fealinqs]

Dang, wish the Blackhawk had those comfy seats

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Bet you wish you had air conditioning also! We had that in guns btw. Just sayin....

[@helicopterovirtual-msfs6254]

Excelente máquina

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Yes and thank you!

[@fredelliott6985]

You make this look like a walk in the park. I crash every time I attempt to fly a helicopter in MSFS. Guess I will stick to Cessnas and Beechcrafts. Nice video though. Just curious what was your total flight time in the video?

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

If I remember correctly it's roughly a 40 minute flight from pickup to drop-off on this video.

[@h67driver]

Were you using a checklist during this startup? I don’t see it in the video.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Certainly

[@Pierre-AndreDelitroz]

magnifique, merci

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@chaddytee726]

got to luv a FADEC system

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Actually it's not. the 135 has a FADEC. The 145 does not. You still have to modulate the start and twist the throttles in the 145.

[@chaddytee726]

@@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation I stand corrected!

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

No worries. I'm old school and prefer having manual control. That's one reason you see me kick off parts of the automatic stabilization systems during the landing phase.

[@chaddytee726]

@@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation luv it great to watch

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Thanks

[@etienneleroux6253]

Lol the boop of the Hamilton T1 is well known among some HEMS crews

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Some? I thought it was all :)

[@martinleicht5911]

Yawda put some rocket pods on that thang !! 😂

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

I'd settle for a mini-gun like we had on the Cobras back when I flew those!

[@StianNorwaylive]

WOWHOW MUCH THAT HELI COST?

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

If I recall correctly, roughly 8.5 million dollars. But you have to remember that that was roughly a decade ago.

[@Jetjockgordo]

A new H145-D3 with a medical interior is now about $14 million US dollars.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Wow. When I started flying Apaches in '86 they were running $18 mil per copy.

[@zzouhairhardi2764]

Is it possible to help someone else fly and fly and to fly to fly? Yes, can he fly with his own wings? If he wants to fly, but there is not enough money to fly.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

I'm not quite sure what you are asking due to the language barrier. However, I think you are asking if you can learn to fly for cheap. The answer is yes. If you were to join the military and get selected for flight school and successfully complete flight school then the government pays all the costs and also pays you a salary. That's how I learned to fly helicopters. I did pay for my own fixed wing training though.

[@bobotrinec]

5 min?????no start????😢😮

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Gotta wait for the crew to get the patient and all of their medical equipment secured.

[@z109216]

💪

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Thanks

[@bobotrinec]

3 min??????😮😮😮

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Gotta wait for the crew to get the patient and all of their medical equipment secured.

[@bobotrinec]

startuj jź-ty jsi pomaly nejaky ne????

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Gotta wait for the crew to get the patient and all of their medical equipment secured.

[@forrestlewis108]

Do you have the chapter labeled as war thunder memes? 😂

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Not sure what you mean

[@thomaskeeney5796]

The pilot with his GoPro on his helmet was moving his head around way too much to watch.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

It's called "situational awareness". Sorry you didn't enjoy the film.

[@Jetjockgordo]

Ah, the old DFL before the EFB and before the PED ban.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Yep

[@Ubi-o]

Butter landing. Try that in msfs 2020. It will never happen like that.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

All you need is a few thousand hours and probably tens of thousands of landings ;) On very rare occasions I've even landed when you couldn't even tell you've landed. You keep lowering the collective looking for the ground contact and realize you're already full down on the collective. The trick is to pass it off nonchalantly when it happens! A trick I was taught in flight school way back in the middle ages was "forward and down, forward and down". Try that and see if it helps.

[@staceylpittman532]

Nash General.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Winner winner chicken dinner! Mutual aid back to UNC.

[@Gruby7C1h]

I really want, and don't want to fly one of these.

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

I also fly fixed wing stuff. Helicopters are much more fun in my opinion.

[@Partsocaster]

Mutual aid to Nash for UNC?😂😂😂

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

I'd have to go back and look but I certainly wouldn't be surprised!

[@Partsocaster]

@@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation Well you’re in a duke machine, picking up a patient from Nash and landing on the rooftop pad at UNC soooo….. 🤣

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

@@Partsocaster You'll love the short vid I'll post after while. Both Duke birds sitting on the pads at UNC!

[@Partsocaster]

@@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation Oh we used to crowd it once in a while too! Dude would be over at IGX pissed off🤣

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Thank goodness I can now go to bed at night and not worry about the tones dropping! ;)

[@mikewalker8709]

slo take off

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

It sure ain't a sports car. You always keep your takeoff spot in sight when you're below single engine flyaway altitude/airspeed combinations in case you have to go back to it. The instant where the nose pitches forward is when you've achieved the necessary altitude you can then convert to airspeed to successfully complete a single engine flyaway if one engine suddenly fails.

[@JohnBaileyDarke]

Helmet cams suck

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Nobody is forcing you to watch. Please feel free to view some of our other vids filmed from different perspectives.

[@M.Đ-z4u]

I hate helicopters

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

As is your right.

[@LemmMax-fj5vs]

😂😂😂😂

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

Yep

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

I decided that that was what I was going to be somewhere around 10 or 12 years old. Never regretted the decision. Good luck to you. Stay in school, study hard, stay away from drugs, and set your mind to overcome the challenges that you will face in your journey. Good luck!

[@hiddenacresoutdoors-aviation]

I do too! I also fly fixed wing airplanes (single and multi-engined) but helicopters are just much more fun to fly.