Helicopter Rescues Climber on Mt. Rainier (AP)

Grok Headline matches for Helicopter Rescues Climber on Mt. Rainier (AP)

Little Hope Seen for Rainier Climber
(AP)

Little Hope Seen for Rainier Climber
(AP) 06/19/2004 09:17 PM
AP - A helicopter rescued two stranded climbers from Mount Rainier on Saturday, two days after they called for help, but rangers held out little hope for a third man missing since an accident that killed his partner.

One Stranded Mount Rainier Climber Dies
(AP)

One Stranded Mount Rainier Climber Dies
(AP) 06/03/2004 09:46 PM
AP - One of two climbers stranded on Mount Rainier died Thursday before the other was plucked from the mountain by a helicopter, officials said.

Body of Climber Sighted on Mount Rainier
(AP)

Body of Climber Sighted on Mount Rainier
(AP) 06/18/2004 08:10 AM
AP - Rangers in a helicopter spotted the body of a climber at the bottom of a deep basin on Mount Rainier, a second climber was missing and two others asked for help, a park ranger said.

Why a Climber Battles Critics: Because
They're There

Why a Climber Battles Critics: Because
They're There 06/26/2004 06:19 AM
Acclaimed as the greatest mountain climber of his generation, Reinhold Messner is seeking to ban two books by former climbing partners, saying that they threaten his reputation.

Climber dies on Everest attempt

Climber dies on Everest attempt 06/05/2005 11:31 PM
A British software expert dies during an ascent of Mount Everest, the Foreign Office confirms.

Man Rescues Cat; Cat Saves Man From Fire
(AP)

Man Rescues Cat; Cat Saves Man From Fire
(AP) 01/27/2004 06:23 PM
AP - A man who rescued a stray cat from the cold got the favor returned on Sunday when the cat woke him as his house filled with smoke.

Town Rescues Trapped Ducks (AP)

Town Rescues Trapped Ducks (AP) 05/31/2004 08:24 AM
AP - The journey from downtown Burlington to Lake Champlain was fraught with peril for a duck and her 13 ducklings — but a group effort by concerned citizens saved the day.

Apple Mini Rescues The Microdrive

Apple Mini Rescues The Microdrive 03/08/2004 11:24 PM
Give Hitachi credit for making viable to the marketplace. Give them credit for convincing Apple this was the drive for them. By Richard Menta (MP3NewsWire.net via MyAppleMenu)

NASA to Have Standby Shuttle for Rescues
(AP)

NASA to Have Standby Shuttle for Rescues
(AP) 02/19/2004 07:39 PM
AP - NASA said Thursday that the shuttle will remain grounded until early next year, and once launches do resume, a second spaceship will be on standby to rescue the astronauts if their craft is damaged in flight.

'Miracle' Rescues Dry Up One Week After
Bam Quake

'Miracle' Rescues Dry Up One Week After
Bam Quake 01/02/2004 04:43 AM
Reuters via Wired News Jan 2 2004 3:43AM ET

Centerprise rescues CFL Computer Systems
from liquidation

Centerprise rescues CFL Computer Systems
from liquidation 04/18/2005 03:42 PM
Phoenix from ashes

Wireless: BT rescues 'fixed-mobile'
jugglers

Wireless: BT rescues 'fixed-mobile'
jugglers 05/24/2004 02:04 PM
IHT May 24 2004 4:19PM GMT

Texas Rain Storms Force High-Water
Rescues (AP)

Texas Rain Storms Force High-Water
Rescues (AP) 07/29/2004 08:31 PM
AP - City officials declared a local disaster Thursday after thunderstorms dumped more than a foot of rain on this Dallas suburb, damaging as many as 200 homes and forcing nearly 20 high-water rescues.

Mt. Rainier

Mt. Rainier 12/11/2003 12:33 AM
Here’s a picture Sheila or I (I forget) took a few years ago of Mt. Rainier. It’s taken from the car while driving south of Seattle on I-5.



And here’s Elvis.

Monaco bids farewell to Rainier

Monaco bids farewell to Rainier 04/15/2005 10:06 AM
Politicians and dignitaries from around the world gather in Monaco for Prince Rainier's funeral service.

Mt. Rainier allure persists despite risk

Mt. Rainier allure persists despite risk 06/04/2004 08:18 PM

2 Mt. Rainier Climbers Rescued; 1
Missing (AP)

2 Mt. Rainier Climbers Rescued; 1
Missing (AP) 06/19/2004 03:08 PM
AP - A helicopter rescued two stranded climbers from Mount Rainier on Saturday, two days after they called for help, but rangers held out little hope for a third man missing since an accident that killed his partner.

Monaco Says Goodbye to Prince Rainier
III (AP)

Monaco Says Goodbye to Prince Rainier
III (AP) 04/15/2005 09:49 AM
AP - Below a golden crown, Prince Rainier III was given a tearful farewell Friday at a funeral in Monaco's cathedral, closing a fairy tale that started nearly 50 years ago with his marriage in the same spot to Hollywood beauty Grace Kelly.

Prince Rainier health 'worrying'

Prince Rainier health 'worrying' 03/25/2005 06:28 AM
Monaco's Prince Rainier is in a "worrying" condition, and the prognosis is "uncertain", says the palace.

Monaco's Prince Rainier dies, 81

Monaco's Prince Rainier dies, 81 04/06/2005 02:43 AM
Monaco's Prince Rainier dies at the age of 81, after spending several weeks in hospital.

Monaco's Prince Rainier Dies at Age 81
(AP)

Monaco's Prince Rainier Dies at Age 81
(AP) 04/06/2005 02:27 AM
AP - Prince Rainier III, whose marriage to American film star Grace Kelly brought elegance and glamour to one of Europe's oldest dynasties, died Wednesday at the hospital treating him for heart, kidney and breathing problems. He was 81.

'Slim hopes' for ailing Rainier

'Slim hopes' for ailing Rainier 04/01/2005 06:12 AM
Monaco says Prince Rainier's health is "precarious" and there are slim hopes that he will recover.

Monaco Prays for Ill Prince Rainier (AP)

Monaco Prays for Ill Prince Rainier (AP) 03/27/2005 05:53 AM
AP - The people of Monaco gathered Sunday for Easter Mass with a special prayer planned for Prince Rainier III, facing a life-threatening battle against kidney, lung and heart failure in a hospital's intensive care unit.

Pope blesses 'worsening' Rainier

Pope blesses 'worsening' Rainier 03/26/2005 09:30 AM
John Paul II sends a blessing to Monaco's ailing Prince Rainier whose condition is said to be getting worse.

Monaco's Prince Rainier Dies at 81 (AP)

Monaco's Prince Rainier Dies at 81 (AP) 04/06/2005 08:59 PM
AP - The famed Monte Carlo casino was closed, its spinning roulette wheels at rest as Monaco mourned the death Wednesday of Europe's longest-reigning monarch, Prince Rainier III, who worked to overcome this tiny principality's reputation as "a sunny place for shady people."

Monaco's Prince Rainier on Respirator
(AP)

Monaco's Prince Rainier on Respirator
(AP) 03/23/2005 12:54 PM
AP - Prince Rainier III is suffering from cardiac and kidney failure and has been placed on a respirator, the palace said Wednesday.

Prince Rainier Moved to Intensive Care
(AP)

Prince Rainier Moved to Intensive Care
(AP) 03/22/2005 03:46 PM
AP - Prince Rainier III, who brought Hollywood glamour to this tiny principality when he married American actress Grace Kelly, has been moved to a hospital intensive care unit, the palace said Tuesday. His son and two daughters rushed to his bedside.

Kings and Queens Bid Farewell to
Monaco's Rainier (Reuters)

Kings and Queens Bid Farewell to
Monaco's Rainier (Reuters) 04/15/2005 09:50 AM
Reuters - Kings, queens and presidents bade farewell to Monaco's Prince Rainier on Friday at a funeral service in the cathedral where he married former Hollywood actress Grace Kelly and will be laid to rest beside her.

Monaco's Prince Rainier Dies at 81 -
Palace (Reuters)

Monaco's Prince Rainier Dies at 81 -
Palace (Reuters) 04/06/2005 02:27 AM
Reuters - Monaco's Prince Rainier III, Europe's longest reigning monarch, died at the age of 81 on Wednesday after a battle with lung, heart and kidney problems, the palace said.

Prince Rainier, Europe's Longest
Reigning Monarch, Dies at 81

Prince Rainier, Europe's Longest
Reigning Monarch, Dies at 81 04/06/2005 07:13 AM
Prince Rainier's storybook marriage to film star Grace Kelly helped promote the transformation of his tiny fief of Monaco.

A.I. Helicopter?

A.I. Helicopter? 12/18/2003 11:52 AM
CowboyRobot writes "Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization just launched the Mantis, a 'low-cost, intelligent small ...

The helicopter checkride

The helicopter checkride 12/17/2004 06:36 PM

Last Friday I took a checkride to add a Private helicopter rating to my Commercial pilot's certificate.  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will, in theory, examine applicants for this rating but in practice prefers that you pay a Designated Examiner.  The fun started at 9:00 am in Nashua, NH at CR Helicopters with Joe Brigham, a retired legend in the cranberry bogs of New England.  The oral portion of the exam lasted until nearly 11:00 am at which point the winds had picked up from calm to a typically unpleasant New England 10 knots gusting 15.  When the objective is to hold the helicopter steady within a foot or two of a reference point on the ground these kinds of winds make life tricky, especially in the Robinson R22, one of the world's lightest helicopters.

Running the startup checklist on the R22 takes about 4 minutes during which one tests the engine's dual independent ignition systems, the carb heat, the sprag clutch that enables the rotors to freewheel if the engine quits, and the low RPM warning horn that sounds if the blades begin to slow down.  The test complete, I called Nashua Tower to ask for clearance to a grassy area east of the paved 5500'-long runway.  Once we got across the runway Joe asked to see a sideways hover taxi then a backwards hover taxi.  These are done with the skids of the helicopter 3-5 feet off the ground.  I set the helicopter back on the grass and Joe asked me to pick it back up.  When we were 2' from the ground he twisted the throttle on his side of the ship to idle, simulating an engine failure.  The helicopter immediately started a yaw to the left.  I pushed the right antitorque pedal to bring the nose back to where it had been pointed.  As the R22 settled towards the ground I pulled the collective pitch control to use some of the rotational energy of the blades to cushion the impact.  Every time you pull more collective the helicopter wants to yaw to the right so I had to step on the left pedal.  We thumped down on the ground about 1 second after Joe had closed the throttle, reasonably smoothly and within about 5 degrees of where we'd started on the heading.  The standard for a Private rating is 10 percent and Joe declared that I had demonstrated a hovering autorotation.

The next maneuver was the Quickstop, simulating an attempt to take off and then an abort due to failure to clear trees or the appearance of an obstacle.  We had to get over to the side of a small hill about 1000' away.  I accelerated the helicopter to about 40 knots and 40' above the ground and then pulled sharply back on the cyclic to flare off the speed while simultaneously lowering collective to prevent the helicopter from ballooning up in altitude and using the antitorque pedals to prevent yaw.  At the end of the Quickstop Joe asked for a running landing to simulate bringing the helicopter down at a high altitude in which the machine lacks sufficient power to hover.  We slid into the grass.

We were near the hill at this point so it was time to demonstrate slope operations.  One approaches the slope at a 45-degree angle with the helicopter yawed so that the skids are parallel to the slope at all times.  You hover so that the upslope skid is about 2-3' above the ground and then gradually lower the ship until the upslope skid touches.  At that point you push the cyclic into the slope to lock the skid against the slope while simultaneously adjusting collective pitch to hold a level attitude.  After pausing in that position for a moment I lowered the collective to bring the downslope skid into contact with the ground while simultaneously adding addition cyclic towards the upslope to keep that skid locked.

Slope operations complete we started with a normal takeoff and normal approach.  Unless you are all by yourself in a Blackhawk you don't take off straight up in a helicopter.  You bring the ship up into a hover and then push the cyclic forward until the helicopter is flying fast enough that the blades are biting into fresh undisturbed air.  This is called "Effective Translational Lift" (ETL) and the helicopter rapidly picks up speed and then altitude beyond this point.  The normal approach and landing is a reasonably shallow angle coming down toward some traffic cones abeam the Nashua windsock.  Once back on the ground Joe asked for a maximum performance takeoff in which one does try to depart as nearly vertical as is possible.  This involves spending some time under the R22's "deadman's curve", a combination of having a low airspeed and a low altitude such that it would be impossible to make a smooth landing in the event of an engine failure.  Joe asked for a steep approach to the cones.  This is not straight down as you might think but rather just steep enough that you could clear the trees around a mid-size field before landing on someone's helipad.

Next up was an autorotation.  This involves closing the throttle about 700' above the ground and gliding down at about 65 knots and 1500'-per-minute descent rate.  Starting roughly 40' above the ground I began to pull back on the cyclic to slow our forward speed and reduce the descent rate.  When the forward speed was just about gone I leveled the ship with the cyclic so that the tail did not strike the ground and began to let the R22 sink towards the ground with just a bit of forward speed.  At the last minute I pulled the collective to cushion the final impact with energy from the rotating blades.

The final part of the checkride was escaping from a vortex ring state.  Joe took the controls and slowed the helicopter down so that we had lost almost all forward speed.  Then he lowered the collective to start a 500 foot-per-minute descent from our 700' altitude.  The helicopter began "settling with power" into its own disturbed air, falling suddenly much faster than the initial descent rate established by Joe.  The controls became mushy just as he said "You have the controls".  The way to escape from a vortex ring state is by pushing the cyclic forward to try to fly the helicopter forward out of the disturbed air while simultaneously lowering the collective so that the helicopter isn't beating the air so hard.  Once I had recovered some flying speed I pulled on the collective to resume a climb.

That was it.  What can one do with a Private helicopter rating?  Take friends for rides, basically, and that's about it.  I'll be starting work on my Commercial rating next week.

Two die as US helicopter crashes

Two die as US helicopter crashes 01/23/2004 11:01 PM
Two US pilots are killed when their helicopter comes down in north Iraq, the US military says.

Helicopter Anthropology

Helicopter Anthropology 02/10/2004 02:44 AM

Today was my 20th and last hour of helicopter instruction in Panama (tomorrow morning I'll get on an American Airlines flight to Toronto, staying at www.metropolitan.com).  After a couple of autorotations in which one learns how to land the helicopter after the engine quits we proceeded up the Rio Chagres.  This is a national park, established to protect the rainforest in the Canal's watershed.  In the past few decades Embera Indians have moved up from the remote malarial province of Darien, on the border with Columbia, to this region where the jungle environment is the same but access to health care and tourism jobs is much easier.

Our approach to the little village of grass huts involved flying up the center of the twisting river, about 10' above the water, at 50 mph.  Steep hillsides with big trees constitute the banks of the fast-flowing Chagres and constitute a bit of a distraction for a beginning student.  Thanks to the lack of development in Panama one is safe from powerlines, those perennial killer of helicopter pilots, but we rounded a couple of corners to find people motoring along in dugout canoes.

The little Embera village that we visited contained 84 people from 17 families, each of whom lived in an elevated grass hut.  A traditional anthropologist might spend God knows how long paddling around looking for this village and then 12 months living here in one of those huts.  The  helicopter anthropologist sleeps in an air-conditioned bed in a modern hotel overlooking the Canal, takes a 30-minute flight into the village, and waits for Johnson, the one resident who speaks English, to come down towards the riverbank as the rotors spin down.  Here's what we learned...

The Embera sustain themselves by catching fish in the river, killing wild pigs in the surrounding rainforest, growing some crops, and harvesting various wild plants.  They manufacture their own clothing, which is nada for the young kids, a loin cloth for the adults, and a beaded bikini top for women.  They make some cash by guiding cruise ship passengers on package tours and selling them handicrafts.

Technological comforts are limited to three hours of electricity per night and one channel of broadcast television that can be received through a gap in the ridge.  Cable and Wireless, the telecom monopoly that has been restricting Panama's economic growth (it cost $7 to make a one-minute phone call from my hotel to Canada), installed a pay phone around which the Embera built a thatch phone booth.  It has been broken for six months.

There are no shops.  You can't buy bottled water, Diet Coke, or any other packaged food.

At the center of the village is a single concrete building:  the schoolhouse.  The Panamanian government sends a teacher out for the wet season so that the children learn Spanish.  Imagine the dedication of this woman, a Latino from Panama City, to live in such a small isolated community in which many residents speak only the native Embera language.

[http://www.photo.net/philg/digiphotos/200401-panama-embera/ has some snapshots from the trip]

How not to land a helicopter

How not to land a helicopter 03/23/2005 01:19 PM
David Pescovitz: This video may be old news, but I'd never seen it before. A military helicopter tries to land on a ship and, well, fails. Link to 2.6mb WMV file (Thanks, Michael-Anne Rauback!)

Along those same JG Ballardian lines, the House of Rapp has a gallery of links to other aircraft crash videos. Lin k

Mi-24 helicopter in Afghanistan

Mi-24 helicopter in Afghanistan 07/07/2004 04:43 AM
Custom paint job on Afghan Hind attack chopper .. Mean Looking Mil 24 Hind .. Quote: .. images

usaattacked.com/mi-24_helicopter_in_afghanistan.htm
track this site | 5 links

Helicopter Fuck

Helicopter Fuck 08/16/2004 02:15 PM
Please don't try this at home. You may have spotted Japanese web oddity Micky Yanai's -- um -- work on Rotten.com. Now, Fleshbot has more on "the most creative porn actor who invented 'Helicopter Fuck!'," as one fan-site enthusiastically proclaims. Male pattern baldness mullet. Bad '80s novelty sunglasses. Spandex. Sequined American flag codpiece. If that doesn't add up to buzzkill, I don't know what does. Lin k to Fleshbot item, which includes pointers to "Helicopter Fertish" (sic) galleries. NSFW, duh.

RC Helicopter Simulator 1.0.12

RC Helicopter Simulator 1.0.12 04/21/2004 06:35 PM
A fully configurable radio-controlled helicopters simulator.

Helicopter rescue from waterfall

Helicopter rescue from waterfall 08/29/2004 01:45 AM
A girl and her father are winched to safety after falling into a river below a waterfall in mid Wales.
Grok Description matches for Helicopter Rescues Climber on Mt. Rainier (AP)
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Helicopter Rescues Climber on Mt. Rainier (AP)

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