Alone (as in Flying Alone)

Sunday (8 June 2014) I was back at the airport for a solo flight.  The helicopter was light on fuel and C2 wasn't able to be un-escorted airside (pending background check, etc.).  So we discussed how to get the fuel I needed to fly and get it done in the quickest way possible.  Time is money when the engine is running.  We decided it would be best to start up, fly to Quincy together, shutdown, and get fuel.  We would start up again, move away from the fuel pump, C2 would exit the helicopter and wait in the building while I flew patterns for an hour.  Practicing my approaches, landings, take offs, hovering, and pickup/set down.

Again for this flight C2, was going to let me do everything and only take the controls if needed.  We flew out of the Tallahassee Class C airspace and made our way to Quincy.  I can find it navigating by landmarks now, I often forget to program the GPS before I take off.  We landed and I maneuvered to the fuel pump.  For most of my training, I got really nervous when I have to operate really close to things that can damage the rotors.  Getting close to the trees or fuel pump always got me tense, this time, I decided I could put all that aside and do it myself!  My instructor told me where to park and I maneuvered to the spot and set us on the ground.  As I followed the shutdown checklist, C2 got out and began the fueling process.  

Getting fuel involves bonding the aircraft to the fuel pump.  It is often referred to as grounding, but technically you aren't grounding the helicopter.  The fuel moving through the hose can generate static electricity, if the static discharges near the fuel fill spout; it can start a fire.  Bonding to the fuel pump causes the pump and helicopter to share the static charge.  

After getting fuel and taking a bathroom break, I did the start up and hovered away from the fuel pump.  C2 gave me a few last minute pointers/reminders and with the throttle fully off, he exited the helicopter and I was alone.  After waiting for him to clear the area, I rolled the throttle back up to 80%, let the governor take over and waited for the RPMs to stabilize.  After a quick check of the instrument panel, I made a radio call announcing my movement from the fuel area to the active runway and slowly raised the collective.

I picked up really quick and began on a forward track half freaking out half trying to figure out why the controls seemed so strange.  The winds were calm but occasionally blowing from the South, so I was using runway 14.  I made a normal take off and then I remembered, 90% of the time there are two people in the helicopter.  When you take half the load out, in this case C2, it is really light and flies very different.  Then I remembered what I needed to do different to control the helicopter properly.

I flew traffic patterns for most of the hour, worked in some hovering practice and worked around the airfield with other aircraft as they flew around.  There weren't any skydivers but it was much earlier than when I normally flew on Sunday.  A few planes landed, got fuel and took off.  It was a pretty uneventful day at the airport.  After I had my hour of solo time, I taxied over to near the airport office and reduced the engine to idle.  C2 made his way out to the helicopter and after he had his seat belt buckled, I rolled the throttle back on and we made our way back to Tallahassee.

This hour of solo time was the list requirement I had not met to qualify for my private license.  After this all my flights will be working to improve my skills to meet the standards established by the FAA.  In about 4 weeks I will have my private pilot check-ride, then I start working on my instrument and commercial ratings.

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