ROTORS ENGAGED! CLEARED FOR TAKE-OFF!!
When was the last time you looked at a helicopter and thought “How cool is being a helicopter pilot?” Probably very few would have thought about it, I presume. There is a gaga in the aviation field when it comes to being a pilot. The most sought after or I should say overrated are the fighter pilots (pilots who fly fighter aircraft in the armed forces). Walking on the tarmac in their overalls tightened up with their anti-G suits and aviator sunglasses, fighter pilots have a separate fan following which makes them look like Hercules or Achilles.
Is flying a fighter aircraft that tough? The answer is yes; because there are a lot more controls inside the cockpit of a MiG 29 than a space capsule such as the latest Crew Dragon, from Space X. Or at least it looks so to any layman. Wait! Is that why they have such a huge fan base? Nah! It is because of the action that is shown to us by them like an air display where these magnificent men and their mean machines do crazy stuff in the Air, which many of us can’t even imagine doing with two legs. That is exactly what hypes up a fighter pilot. Honestly, no offense but I beg to differ. Though it is tough becoming a fighter pilot I strongly believe that becoming a helicopter pilot is even tougher.
I have a few friends and colleagues in the aviation industry for quite a while now and I am someone from this field as well. Over the last few years I have seen a bit of aviation; spoke a lot about it with my colleagues and friends. I see there is some injustice done to the helicopter pilots in terms of recognition. I am sure not many Rotor heroes mind that but that is the reality. Okay, let us analyse a situation.
What happens when there is an engine failure in aircraft (including helicopters)? Civil airliners that fly large aircraft such as an Airbus 320 or a Boeing 737, generally fly at higher altitudes such as FL 360 which gives them enough time to react in case of an emergency. And any such wide bodied civil airliner would have standby to standby safety measures and in case of an engine failure, there is still time to get the bird on the ground or maybe do something to recover. In the case of a fighter aircraft, the pilots have two options; try and land if possible or eject and let the aircraft crash in an uncharted territory avoiding loss of life. In both cases, the chance of survival is 50 per cent. What happens when a helicopter faces an engine failure? Can they eject? Do they have enough time to decide? Unfortunately, helicopter pilots do not have the luxury of time or an ejection seat.
Whilst this is being discussed we also need to understand the diverse applications in which a helicopter can come in handy and not its elder sister, fixed-wing. Roles such as Air Ambulance, Search and Rescue, Combat drops, air-ground combat roles, VVIP carriage to dispersed sites are some unique roles that can be done only by helicopters. Hence, I feel that much credit needs to be given to a helicopter pilot so as to keep them at par with the other Ace in the industry.
I am no expert to comment on the technicalities involved in getting an aircraft fly or land but on a comparative scale, the chances of survival of helicopter pilots are less than 25 per cent in case of an eventuality. Looking at this, the question that we need to ask our aviation experts is “What are we doing to make it safer to fly Rotors?”. Probably, this is one of the reasons why the helicopter industry witnesses a low intake of candidates who aspire to be pilots.
Helicopters are beautiful machines; versatile but not safe enough, yet. They look ravishingly awesome but how easy is it to fly them. The kind of stress that a helicopter pilot goes through, both civil and military, is a lot more than others and that is why I respect them. Being an Air Traffic Controller, I would always love to speak about the amount of stress involved in my job; controlling air traffic in various environments. I strongly believe that flying helicopters needs a lot of patience, a quick mind and a swift pair of limbs to keep the bird safe, be it in the air or on the ground.
The next time you come across a helicopter pilot, remember this:
Not all men fly
But only a few can be helicopter pilots
