Tag Archives: YouTube

Fueling a Robinson R44 Helicopter

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A video from the FlyingMAir YouTube channel.

Lots of the folks who watched the video where I flew from home to the airport noticed that I parked right in front of the fuel island at the airport and wanted me to show how the helicopter is fueled. Well, that fuel island is now out-of-order and fuel comes from a truck. The other day, when I was feeling kind of punchy after flying through a hailstorm, I took a moment to video Dana, the FBO fuel guy at Wenatchee, as he refueled my helicopter, Mr Bleu. It was raining pretty hard and I whined about that but I think the results are worth sharing. So here, by popular demand, is how to fuel an R44 helicopter. Enjoy!

Some notes to answer questions I know I’ll get:

  • Robinson R44 helicopters burn AvGas, also known as 100LL. It’s a 100 octane leaded fuel.
  • On the day this video was posted, AvGas at my airport cost $5.52 per gallon.
  • My helicopter burns between 14 and 17 gallons per hour, depending on my flight profile.
  • I don’t do “hot fueling” — in other words, fueling the helicopter while it’s running. That can be dangerous.

When you do the math, you might say, “Wow! Only $80-$90 for an hour of flight time. Operating a helicopter is a lot less than I thought. Why are tours so expensive?” But that’s not taking into consideration are the other costs of owning and operating a helicopter: regular maintenance ($3K to $10K per year) and insurance ($8K to $20K per year) are the two biggest. Robinson Helicopters also need a complete overhaul every 12 years of 2200 hours of flight time; that’ll cost me about $250K or more than $100/hour. Taking all costs into consideration, my cost to operate is well over $400 per hour. It’s one of the reasons why I and so many other pilots are offended when strangers suggest splitting the cost of fuel in exchange for a ride. It’s like “sharing the cost” of a nice meal out by just paying half the tip.

If you’re really curious about R44 operating costs, you might want to download this document from the Robinson Helicopter Company: https://robinsonheli.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/r44_2_eoc.pdf Just keep in mind that Robinson is in business to sell helicopters, so these numbers are optimistic.

And another note to answer a specific question someone asked on another video the other day. When fuel comes from a truck (as opposed to self-serve), I have to request fuel service. I can do this two ways: (1) make a radio call to the FBO (fixed base operator) or fuel provider, which is usually on the common traffic advisory frequency at small airports like Wenatchee Pangborn (KEAT), or (2) land, shut down, get out, and go into the FBO building and ask in person. I’m a regular customer at Pangborn, so I have an account there and they bill me once a month based on what I bought. At other airports, I pay either at the truck or inside with a credit card.

If you have other questions, please don’t hesitate to post them in the comments. And don’t be offended if I’ve answered them here and tell you to read the video description. Thanks!

Helicopter Flight to Crescent Bar

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A video from the FlyingMAir YouTube channel.

Join me and Penny the Tiny Dog for a flight from our cherry season base in Malaga, WA to an orchard at Crescent Bar in Quincy, WA. I’ll fly you down the river and tell you a little about what we’re flying over and past while also telling you a little about helicopter operations.

Before you ask, the blue rag over my iPad keeps the sun off it so it doesn’t overheat. (I usually use a yellow rag, which works better because it’s a lighter color.) If you ask in the comments, I’ll tell you to read this description and then you’ll feel silly. Just saying.

Answering more questions:
– This is NOT a video game. If you think it is, it’s time to shut off your gaming platform and go outside. You might need sunglasses; it could be bright out during the day. Real life is cooler than video games if you work a little to make it that way.
– The helicopter is a Robinson R44 Raven II — the same one that appears in the photo at the beginning of the video. You can learn more about them here: https://robinsonheli.com/r44-specific… I own this helicopter. It is the third one I’ve owned since 2000.
– I have been flying for about 20 years. My nearly 4,000 hours of flight time is in R44, R22, Bell 206L (Long Ranger), and Bell 47 helicopters.
– The video was recorded with a pair of GoPro cameras, one of which is connected to the helicopter’s intercom system. Both cameras record audio, but I dialed down the helicopter sound to about 25% of normal volume so it wouldn’t be annoying. I wouldn’t mind leaving it out altogether, but lots of folks seem to want it, so there it is.
– The intro music is by Bob Levitus, famed Macintosh book author. By this point, he may have written more books than me. I should ask him.
– Penny the Tiny Dog weighs 7 pounds and flies with me quite often.

My helicopter has ADS-B Out and is picked up by radar facilities. You can see my track for recent flights on Flightradar24:
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n7534d
This is a great site for tracking any almost any flight, including the airlines.

I’m trying to drop flying videos like this one every Sunday morning and usually drop “extras” with more info about owning and operating a helicopter midweek. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything new! And tell your friends. The more subscribers I have, the more motivated I am to keep producing videos like this one.

R44 Helicopter Panel Overview

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A video from the FlyingMAir YouTube channel.

Lots of people have been asking me to give them more information about the helicopter itself, so here’s my first plain information video. In it, I give you a guided tour of my helicopter’s instrument panel, from top to bottom. Airplane pilots will recognize a bunch of the instruments, but there are also a few that are helicopter-only. Keep in mind that this is just an overview — I don’t go into deep detail about any of the instruments or knobs that I discuss. The video has two parts — I got a phone call from a client and had to fly while I was in the middle of recording it — so you get the added benefit of seeing the instruments actually reading something near the end. Can you spot the blades still spinning?

I’ve also gotten requests to show what my helicopter looks like, so I included a photo in the beginning. I should mention here that the intro music was created for me years ago by Mac author Bob Levitus; I’m only using a tiny piece of the opus he composed and recorded for me. (Maybe I’ll use the whole thing as background music for a flight in the future.)

I mention in this video that I can be tracked in flight via ADS-B. You might try https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n7534d to see a list of my recent flights. Click Play to see my route. If I’m in flight when you look, it’ll show you my flight progress. Flightradar24 can track all kinds of airplanes — including commercial flights — and even has iOS and Android apps so you can track flights on your mobile device.

If you have any comments or requests, please put them below. I do read all the comments and use them to improve future videos. I don’t answer questions that are answered in the video description, so you may want to read these before posting questions.

If you haven’t caught on yet, I release flying videos on Sunday mornings and “extras” midweek. I hope you subscribe and tell your friends! I’m trying hard to build the channel into a library of videos folks want to watch and share and every new subscriber motivates me to make more, better videos.

Helicopter Cherry Drying Lesson

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A video from the FlyingMAir YouTube channel.

Join me and Justin for a quick look at some of the orchards we’re responsible for drying this season followed by a cherry drying lesson. This is 90% of what a helicopter pilot needs to know to be a cherry drying pilot. (Don’t try this at home, kids!)

Justin is doing most of the flying in this video. I’m sitting in the left seat, waving my hands around an awful lot and providing directions to see the orchards and then instructions as we fly low-level on a practice flight over the fruit. It’s a sunny day — I don’t teach during real-life cherry drying missions. This video is kind of long but I think it’s interesting enough to keep most folks watching.

Helicopter Landing at Hood River

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A video from the FlyingMAir YouTube channel.

In this video, I’m on my way from Wenatchee, WA to Hood River, OR to deliver my helicopter to my mechanic for its annual inspection. Weather prevented me from flying the direct route, which would take me between Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens to cross the Cascades. At this point in the flight, I’ve been dodging clouds and low weather for about a half hour and I just can’t seem to go in the direction I want to go. Hood River is nearby and I have to pee, so I make a detour and land there.

What’s really cool about this video is the clouds. Helicopter pilots seldom fly above the clouds but nearly all of this video has clouds below me. You’ll also see a rainbow over my head for a good portion of this clip and great views of Mt. Hood out ahead of me.

I hope you enjoy the flight. Keep the comments coming and please tell your friends about my channel. The more people who tune in, the more often I’ll drop these. Thanks for stopping by!