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The future of WSB Skycopter/Skyplane traffic

bdcsi said:
Radio1360 said:
Doesn't NewsTalk 750, B-98.5 and Channel 2 Action News share the same helicopter?
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No, WSB Radio doesn't use the Ch. 2 chopper. It wouldn't be practical as they have different priorities.
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The Channel 2 helicopter is a Bell 206B JetRanger. Traffic chopper is a Robinson R22. The R22 is much cheaper to operate since it uses a piston engine. The Jet Ranger is turbine powered, costs a bit more to operate the Jet Ranger verses the R22.
 
And, a fair number of pilots won't fly the Robinson. After talking at length to one whose opinion I respected, I sorta side with him.
 
Actually, I never was employed by Metro or any traffic services.

The stations I used to work at include WFAS AM/FM, RNN-TV, and WGAU/WNGC.
 
littlejohn said:
And, a fair number of pilots won't fly the Robinson. After talking at length to one whose opinion I respected, I sorta side with him.
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I don't care much for the Robinson, either. I prefer fixed wing. Again, the Robinson is cheap to operate, and you know how radio managers and owners like "cheap".
 
I love TV traffic reports in my car, but the new plasma flat screen is hard to fit in the glove compartment, thank goodness my car has a radio for real-time info in Atlantas changing traffic, those maps are pretty but I rarely drive my couch or kitchen table to work. ;)
 
To correct those who don't know what they are talking about, the AM750 WSB Chopper is a BELL 206-L4 Long Ranger. A Robinson just doesn't have the power to carry a pilot, 2 reporters and all the camera gear and radio equipment.
 
The two problems with the Robinson which keeps me out of them are a) insufficient rotor mass for a decent autorotation; and b) the tendency of some of the blades to delaminate in flight. Robinson says they have fixed B. I hope so. As to payload, one driver, one pax and a couiple of radios and it's about loaded.
In re fixed wings, the problem is, if you follow the FARs, much of Atlanta isn't accessible. You got to be 500 feet below the TCA, and still have enough altitude to glide to a safe area to land.
If I'm gonna be right over downtown, gimme something with a turbine motor and enough mass on top to gently waft me down in Piedmont Park if the kerosene runs out.
 
atlzombie said:
To correct those who don't know what they are talking about, the AM750 WSB Chopper is a BELL 206-L4 Long Ranger. A Robinson just doesn't have the power to carry a pilot, 2 reporters and all the camera gear and radio equipment.
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Zombie, do you know the difference between a Jet Ranger and Long Ranger? LongRanger adds two rear-facing seats in between the front and rear seats. Thank you for updating us on such a useless piece of information. For some information to prove that you don't know what you speak of, there are some stations that do use the Robinson R-44...however that's not the helicopter we are discussing.
 
littlejohn said:
The two problems with the Robinson which keeps me out of them are a) insufficient rotor mass for a decent autorotation; and b) the tendency of some of the blades to delaminate in flight. Robinson says they have fixed B. I hope so. As to payload, one driver, one pax and a couiple of radios and it's about loaded.
In re fixed wings, the problem is, if you follow the FARs, much of Atlanta isn't accessible. You got to be 500 feet below the TCA, and still have enough altitude to glide to a safe area to land.
If I'm gonna be right over downtown, gimme something with a turbine motor and enough mass on top to gently waft me down in Piedmont Park if the kerosene runs out.
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I had not heard of the delamination problem. I have never cared for the R22. It feels like a toy chopper or something. If you are careful, you can do fixed wing traffic in Atlanta. I was talking just fixed wing in general. If I'm flying from my home in Kentucky to my hometown in Georgia, I want a fixed wing just in case a problem arises. Easier to land them things in an emergency.
 
kyscott, The WSB traffic ship is a long ranger, ontop of the two rear facing seats you pointed out they also can carry more fuel than a jet ranger. For the robinson, no station in the city uses one, the only traffic ship is 750's
 
atlzombie said:
kyscott, The WSB traffic ship is a long ranger, ontop of the two rear facing seats you pointed out they also can carry more fuel than a jet ranger. For the robinson, no station in the city uses one, the only traffic ship is 750's
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Again, thanks for updating us on this pointless information. The average person could care less, or tell the difference between, the 206A and 206L.
 
Just in the interest of correctness:

"A Robinson just doesn't have the power to carry a pilot, 2 reporters and all the camera gear and radio equipment."

A Robinson R-44 certainly does. The R-22 does not. The R-22 is not designed for camera's in any way shape or form.

Go to the FAA website and read the reports if you are concerned about safety records, I have and will continue to fly in the Robinson R-44 any day. But that will get us way off topic.
 
TrafficBoss514 said:
Just in the interest of correctness:

"A Robinson just doesn't have the power to carry a pilot, 2 reporters and all the camera gear and radio equipment."

A Robinson R-44 certainly does. The R-22 does not. The R-22 is not designed for camera's in any way shape or form.

Go to the FAA website and read the reports if you are concerned about safety records, I have and will continue to fly in the Robinson R-44 any day. But that will get us way off topic.
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I have never flown in a 44. I have flown in a 22 trying to trouble shoot a Marti....UNDER the seat. I don't see how these guys fly in them and I didn't particularly care for it. I prefer fixed wing, that's when your training for turns around a point comes in handy!
 
How did a discussion about radio and traffic become a discussion about types of helicopters? Isn't this a radio board?
 
littlejohn said:
Radio stations fly helicopters, that's how. The "Enter" key is Your Friend... simply skip over the thread.
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Well, they USED to fly helicopters. Back when most of them adhearded to the NAB code and took the part about serving the public interest seriously. Now, it's not the public interest that comes first, it's the shareholders' interest.
 
KYScott.. where are you? Herb has never flown in a Robinson. Back in the days of Trafficscan, Jim Basile and Keith Kalland and the guy that did Star 94 flew in Robinsons.. R22s as a matter of fact. That was in the early 90s. When Traffic scan went under, the Robinsons went by the wayside for Traffic in Atlanta. For a while, Total Traffic flew a Jetranger out of Briscoe Field with Keith in the chair.. after he passed away they kept it up for awhile but now don't fly.
I built and maintained the gear for Traffic Scan, built the pack that Keith used for Total Traffic and before it was all built in, built the gear that Herb used in the WSB Traffic copter. The pack that is currently used in the WSB Sky plane I built as well.

BD
 
bdcsi said:
KYScott.. where are you? Herb has never flown in a Robinson. Back in the days of Trafficscan, Jim Basile and Keith Kalland and the guy that did Star 94 flew in Robinsons.. R22s as a matter of fact. That was in the early 90s. When Traffic scan went under, the Robinsons went by the wayside for Traffic in Atlanta. For a while, Total Traffic flew a Jetranger out of Briscoe Field with Keith in the chair.. after he passed away they kept it up for awhile but now don't fly.
I built and maintained the gear for Traffic Scan, built the pack that Keith used for Total Traffic and before it was all built in, built the gear that Herb used in the WSB Traffic copter. The pack that is currently used in the WSB Sky plane I built as well.
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I never said they did. And I guess the KY in my name is to subtle of a clue for you?
 
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