On 16/6/08 09:26, in article
, "Muddymike"
wrote:


I love that flight and I enjoy helicopters, though I know they have all the
glide propensity of a housebrick.

When I used to fly in one regularly we were told that in the case of an
emergency engine failure (not sure what other dead engine scenario there
could be other than "emergency") the aircraft could "autogiro" glide in for
a heavy but controlled landing. Was this just the operators trying to make
us feel safe? or did that only apply to that particular model, a Bell
Jetranger, I think.


I don't know Mike. The ones that fly to Scilly are Sikorsky S61s and they
give you a fabulous flight over Land's End and Mousehole Bay etc. If you
ever do it, sit on the right of the aircraft on the outward trip as this
gives the best view leaving Cornwall and approaching Scilly.
http://www.islesofscillyhelicopter.com/helicopters.html
Approaching the islands the colour and clarity of the water is breath
taking. My one regret is that we are too old to be able to get jobs on
Tresco - assuming I could ever get Ray to give things up here, of course!
I'd live there in a red hot minute. ;-) Mike Nelhams, who is the Curator
of the Abbey Gardens, travels a lot, giving talks and taking parties on
garden tours. He freely admits he has the best job in the world.
When you get to the heliport to take the flight there is a short safety film
which shows someone clambering through an emergency exit with a relaxed
expression and it usually raises a bit of a laugh. We can never hear the
safety talk on the helicopter because of the noise of the engines, so we
simply sit back and enjoy the ride. ;-)


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online but not completed - shop to come and some mild tweaking
to do!)