~ A Whirleybirds-Eye View ~ ... learning to better fly a helicopter in Oregon

[boxcar]

.
Recently picked up this really cool chopper, the Nemeth Designs' Eurocopter EC-135, skins for this flight provided by the amazing Chris Brisland, repainter extraordinaire. These skins are "an exercise in white", as he describes it. Interesting what all one can do manipulating alpha channels & all, demonstrating conclusively that white is not always white, so to speak. :-)


So here we go, out of Troutdale, Oregon just east of Portland & meandering towards my home base of Stark's Twin Oaks, 7S3.

.
.


http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w1.jpg

Parked my white van by the hanger & hopped into the EC-135. That van, in fact, does resemble mine: a white short shorty Sprinter.

.
.
.
.
.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w2.jpg

Am continuing to be enthralled by this OrbX FTX scenery.


.
.
.

.
.


http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w3.jpg

Let's get after it, shall we?


.
.
.
.

.


http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w4.jpg

Climbing out...


.
.

.
.
.


http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w5.jpg

...& heading westward.


.
.
.
.
.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w6.jpg

Great panel. No doubt things are set incorrectly. Haven't read the manual yet, heh.


.
.
.

.
.


http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w7.jpg

Following I-84W for now. Nice, nice.


.
.

.
.
.


http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w8.jpg

Cool repaint, eh?


.
.
.
.

.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w9.jpg

Banking south to overfly my sis' just west of Powell Butte.


.
.
.
.

.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w10.jpg

Cool shot, eh? :-)


.
.

~ more coming - - - wait a few minutes, please...~

.
.
.

[boxcar]

.
.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w11.jpg

Clean machine. :-)


.
.
.
.
.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w12.jpg

Autogen on "Dense". Is way enough, actually, while using FTX.


.
.
.
.
.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w13.jpg

Haven't installed the really cool downtown Portland addon yet. Soon though. Still looks pretty good though.


.
.
.
.
.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w14.jpg

Had to stop & hover over the Willamette River to check the graphics, man.


.
.
.
.
.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w15.jpg

Am still swimming in this yummy scenery. Just amazing stuff.


.
.
.
.
.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w16.jpg

This Nemeth Designs Eurocopter EC-135 is mighty fun! Flies sweetly, she does.


.
.
.
.
.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w17.jpg

Another tight shot showing Chris' fine repaint work.


.
.
.
.
.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w18.jpg

Getting near 7S3.


.
.
.
.
.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w19.jpg

Time to begin a gentle bank towards starboard, swinging towards Stark's Twin Oaks.


.
.
.
.
.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w20.jpg

And there she is, just off to the right.


.
.
.
.
.



~ still more to come - - - hold on a few more minutes...~

.
.
.

[boxcar]

.
.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w21.jpg

Here comes boxcar!


.
.
.
.
.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w23.jpg

Am loving my new home airport. So much there. See the critters in the field out there?


.
.
.
.
.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w24.jpg

Will try & put her down right there.


.
.
.
.
.


http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w25.jpg

Pretty strong crosswind today. Coming around & into it for landing.


.
.
.
.
.



http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/w26.jpg

OOOoooooooops... boxcar need more practice. Eggbeater lessons from famous Dutch airman proving less than acceptable.


.
.
.
.
.




Next time we'll do a better tour of 7S3 while hovering about, gaining experience in the whirleybird & generally having lots of fun.

.
.


Thanks for tagging along, peeps! Hoping you all have a fine weekend!


.
.
.

[azzaro]

It's a good thing your tail rotor's got that nice cozy thing. You could have dug a serious ditch.
Actually, it looked like pretty well all my helo landings. Seriously. Nice bird and scenery. And some excellent shots!!! — Bob

[NMLW]

Great chopper flight David. Lovely shots and beautiful scenery. :eek::cool::cool: Bet the folks at that golf course really appreciated the flyover. :D

[lifejogger]

Nice shots David, the scenery is great and it looks like you were flying that copter fine until the end. I have tried to fly a helicopter a few times and it was not a pretty sight.

[boxcar]

.
Thanks, guys. http://clicksmilies.com/s1106/cool/cool-smiley-015.gif It'll take a while to get the hang it it... plus forgetting all Jan taught me, ha ha hah! 'Tis fun though, admittedly.

.

[VFR_Steve]

I'm the 1st to admit I am rubbish at flying the choppers, I could do with learning.

Stunning shots dude!!

[peer01]

Cousin, impressive, VERY impressive! The lethal thing seems to listen to you :eek::eek::eek: Don't know what to say. My compliments! :cool::cool::cool:

[darrenvox]

ya box car, im nowhere near you in landing helis...oh ya i can takeoff but my landings are brutal...

[boxcar]

.
You fellas are so hilarious, man. Especially Jan: "The lethal thing seems to listen to you." :eek::eek::eek: Cracking me up, cousin!!

.

[ViperPilot2]

Nice set of shots, David!

Nice to see some familiar territory; I have family that live in Troutdale, south of the Airport
right on Troutdale Rd. :D

I'm like Darren... I can get 'em up in the air, but can't land worth beans!
I dunno, though; Dutch instruction isn't that bad, is it? :p

Alan :)

[mtflyer]

Nice shots of one of my favorite helos David !! :cool:
Some good flying too, you got her on the ground without breaking anything didn't you?

Good stuff twin, keep it up my friend !! :cool:

[adamb]

I need to learn how to fly those,that would be great for sightseeing.Great looking shots David,enjoyed them.:cool::)

Adam

[tr45]

Impressive pics David... FTX is just awesome... use it in all my pics and videos.
Landing choppers takes some patients... but once you do its a blast!

[Smutley]

Cracking set of shots Cousin. :)

[jcmmg]

Great shots David!! I like a lot that chopper and that repaint is simple and brilliant!!

About the lading, well is just matter of practice, but your fly was great!!! Very enjoyable to see!!

Best wishes,

Julio

[alexf]

Very nice set.
I have the scenery but not the helicopter. I fly the Dodo 206 as my only heli so I'm spoiled. Maybe I should give the EC-135 a try. Looks good.
I think I'll get her. Thanks for posting.

[boxcar]

.
Close to your relatives in Troutdale, eh Alan? It's pretty cool heading west on I-84 through the Columbia River Gorge & all of the sudden you're emerging in Troutdale. :-)

Nah, Dave, I crashed her on landing there (check the "Crash!" in the upper left of that last shot). Set the tail down a mite strong. S'okay... am undaunted. Heh!

Ubetcha, Adam. Low & slow sightseeing is precisely why I grabbed her. Have got a new set of skins from Chris for the next 7S3 flight... the livery "out of the area" but great colors & detailing.

Since you say that "Landing choppers takes some patients", Ted, I downloaded an air ambulance livery from Chris' website, ha ha ha hmmm........ Bob/Azzaro should appreciate that play on words.

And thanks, Simon. :-) And you'll enjoy this one, Alex. Night & day difference when compared to the default fare. No doubt that DodoSim 206 is a blast as well. Sure looks great.


.
By the way, here is how Chris describes this white livery:

"Here is a simple exercise in white. I am often asked how alpha channels work
or why should we not paint a true white aircraft, so here's an exercise to show
why my white isn't white and how darker alpha channels increase the reflection
factor of the paint. Just open the textures in dxtbmp and see what I mean."

http://www.eagleskinner.com/helicopterdownloads.htm

.
~Cool~ http://clicksmilies.com/s1106/cool/cool-smiley-010.gif

.

[wallyboard]

Great panoramic scenes David. Loved the ride.

[Ragtopjohnny]

Real good shots David my friend! Like FTX on your system, looks good, and shocked to see you learning a whirley bird! :eek:

Run for cover, at least until you're used to her! :p. :D

John Thuot II
A+/Network+

[eezeejet]

Well, you're certainly tons better than me. Every time I try to fly a heli, they get the Red Cross on standby. :eek::o

Awesome set of pix David, liking 'em! :cool::D

[GermanPilot]

Beatiful Shots, David! I'm a fan of Eurocopters, especially for the EC135 :) It's a great helo, eh?

[boxcar]

.
Your words mean a lot, Larry, coming from one known for wonderful flight images in scenic settings, thank you.

Not all that much transition really, John. Having flown interactive moon lander simulations before, the flight tendancies are quite similar to me.

Your favorable remarks are received well too, Alistair & Henrik. Thank you all once again for such positive responses.

.
Have been practicing this morning, hovering close to the ground for minute after minute after minute in getting it all down better. The next post coming up within an hour or so. Should be interesting...

.

[omega7]

Stunning shots David, make you think they are real:eek::eek::D:D

[FlyingKiwi]

I think those are some of your best shots so far David, that scenery is stunning. Most of my helicopter flights end very badly - you seem to be doing pretty well in comparison! :p

[boxcar]

.
Much appreciated, Leon & Leo. Am beginning to really get the hang of these machines. Fun stuff... takes very gentle stick & cyclic handling when hovering stationary. Practice makes perfect. :-)

.

[Menemeth]

Awesome! :)

[boxcar]

.
Thanks, John, for the comment. :-) Coming from a sim whirelybird master like yourself, it means a lot.

.