Helicopter Cherry Drying Lesson
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- 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.
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Wow, I thought I knew a lot about agriculture, but I had no idea this existed. First I thought you owned a cherry drying operation to make dry fruit, but then why would you need a helicopter, LOL. So when I googled it, I was amazed at how advanced agriculture is in the USA. Greetings from Serbia
It looks to keep pilots on there toes and also continuing low maneuver training during this process. Very interesting video, thanks for sharing.
What a great way to build hours and skills.
This is not a time building job. Last year, many of the pilots didn’t turn a blade all season.
Another great video!
Watch out for bird houses, power lines, farms, wind machines, people, tractors, flying too high, too low, watch the boundaries, GPS. . . BRAIN EXPLODE
Gotta stay focused.
Reddit brought me to your channel. Thanks for the great flight videos! Now I've got to decide if I want a helicopter or fixed wing license...
You can probably guess what my advice would be. 🚁
Rotorcraft. Only thing though it’s more expensive and it’s way harder then fixed. Especially Robinson’s. I still do recommend Robinson’s though
Awesome, Lady !
And here I was using a hair dryer like an amateur!
I learned something new. First I thought "cherry drying" is a nickname of a helicopter maneuver :) Turned out it's just what it says.
You seem to be a great teacher, good luck and stay safe.
New viewer. Didn’t know cherry drying was a thing. I’m a fixed wing Commercial/Multi pilot. I love helicopters. I fly RC helicopters as a hobby. Thinking about taking a lesson in R22 at my local airport in Northern Ca. Fun videos. Thanks
Do it. You’ll get a real appreciation for helicopter pilots. 😉
I've always thoroughly enjoyed your channel, as I always will, and I have for many years!! I've tons of respect for your knowledge and experience across the board!! Thank you!!
Thanks so much!
Amen!!
I didn’t even know about this activity before watching your videos
Not sure if the cherries I'm eating came out of your area but they sure are delicious.
NOE flying. Love it.
Great video! I can only imagine how odd that must feel flying so close to the cherry trees. I bet it is nerve racking for a pilot's first time!
It is. 😳
nice to see the new videos
Question why do you have to dry the cherry if they are wet won’t the sun just dry them
Im not entirely sure but you dont want moisture on the trees because they have a tendency of developing flys and mosquitoes.
The tree shades the majority of the cherries and they won't dry quickly enough. The water puddles where the stem is and the cherries will absorb it and swell and split.
The R44 looks to be a lot more stable then the R22 my wife bought me a lesson in. I had the instructor demo autorotation and it was very cool. He let me try my hand at hovering and I would eventually make him nervous. :)
The R44 has hydraulic controls, which make it a much more pleasant ship to fly.
What did the cherry farmers do before there where helicopters?
I didnt even know this was a job I love watching this. This must be an awesome job to do
Yep!
Cool stuff and really interesting.
So do you make the judgment call on exactly when to dry, or is it on the orchard owner to notify you guys?
Orchardist calls me.
orchardist calls her to come out and critique his or her whole orchard that they've worked so hard for
I was wondering why cherry trees need to be dried. Do you have to do it everytime it rains? I recently subscribed and I really like watching your videos. I live in Oak Harbor but I've never made it out to that part of Washington. I might take a road trip next month.
You Literally dry the cherries with the helicopter?
I’ve learned so much by watching this channel. Thank you.
So interesting to me. Love how this popped up on my recommended.
That was very fun to watch! It's funny because when you told Justin he could be higher and he was starting to scare you, I was thinking the same thing and I'm not even a pilot 😆 When you told him it was time to depart, it looked like he was ready to tear out!
It’s the damn tail rotor. It’s way back there and can very easily get into the treetops.
I assume that "drying" is exactly what it sounds, drying moisture, and that this isn't another name for frost protection? We do frost protection here in NZ but could never hover that low over the fruit without destroying it.
The cherries get wet after it rains and we blow them off to dry them. They do frost control mostly in California and Florida over almond and citrus trees.
@@FlyingMAir You mean you don't have to do this in the freezing cold all throughout the night !? Sounds ideal to me sign me up !
Nope. We don't fly at night.
Lol - You're too low now. Im with you though - When you do it yourself you have all of the control to pull up or break out, but when with someone else, its always a little freaky, even if they are 100% capable of doing it and you trust them. That goes for whatever you are doing (driving, boats, ect). What a great video!
I'm a nervous passenger anyway. LOL.
I started watching one of your videos, and I thought of Maria Langer, and wondered if it was you...and so looked a bit more, and yes it *is* you. Ha! I've enjoyed your blog sometimes and also the excellent books you used to write. :)
Thanks very much. Not many people remember my writing career, but that's what paid for my flying lessons and made it possible to buy the helicopter.
Cherry's don't like to get wet we use uh-1b SW FL fly all night to keep frost from trees
Around Naples?
Maybe you could start by explaining what cherry drying is all about,because to me it make no sense. Why do you need to dry them?
The cherries split when they get and stay wet.
@@FlyingMAir Thank you!
Very cool. I’m working on my commercial rating right now.
Flying Robbie’s in Michigan.
Good luck and fly safe!
Ja, well no, fine, technical explanations!
Fascinating stuff, I didn't even know this job existed until I found your blog and TH-cam channel. And I kept thinking "Don't fly over the house" and "You missed a row" juuuust before you told him. Maybe I could do this! :) But flying gliders is probably a lot more fun in the long run.
You think like a responsible pilot. That’s a big point in your favor. 👍🏻
@@FlyingMAir Sure helps to plan ahead when you don't have an engine :). But I think that goes for any flying, including dipping your skids in cherry trees on a regular basis.
This was fascinating!
love your videos, this is a dream career, thanks for the great content!
Thanks for watching!
Just wondering why they need water blown off. Never heard of this
Yeah, same
Cherries can rot or mildew in a short period of time. The cost of a heli blower is part of doing business to an orchardist. A ruined crop to a farmer can be devastating, if you can imagine .
The reason for drying is to keep the cherries from splitting. Water is pooled up at the top of the cherry where the stem is connected and this is where the cherry will absorb the water. Once the cherry is full of water it will split if the excess water is not removed. This is why we dry (blow the water off) with the helicopter. The difference being $2.99-$4.00 dollars per pound for a good cherries. Split cherries can run about $.15-$.35 cents per pound.
Very good Maria, really liked this one, thanks..
Love the content, subscribed!
Love the videos. Great production quality. I was wondering at some point in the video you told the other guy to watch out for flying over the houses. The camera angle made it seem like you guys were pretty high up. Is there a particular reason why you want to avoid flying directly over the houses regardless of the height?
It’s the wide angle camera lens; makes everything look farther away. We weren’t that high up. Maybe 200 feet? It’s common courtesy to avoid flying that close.
@@FlyingMAir if the lens makes everything look further away, he must have been butt-clenchingly close to those trees :-)
@@stuart.barkley don't clench too tight, you might end up getting some leaves stuck in the clench... Lol
It is definitely an art to provide this service. You definitely have to remember your location /positional awareness at all times. Great training at low speeds/altitude. Great explanation of this invaluable service. CAVU
The best part of flying a helicopter is flying low and slow, and you do this for a job!!! Great video thanks.
So controlling the moisture content by this drying technique prevents mold/disease? Please educate me! enjoy the videos, thanks...
Prevents cherries from splitting.
Where do I sign up ?
This is some delta force squad insertion into enemy territory level right there. good job.
OMG! This video is so mesmerizing! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I'm sure it gets old, but this looks like the best job in the world to me, outside maybe bush piloting.
Bush piloting would be cool. My dream job, though, is movie/video/ENG pilot. My favorite work is chasing things on the ground with a videographer on board. Nothing beats it for the rush.
FlyingMAir yeah when I fly in helicopters the rush gets you for the first couple minutes but then it gets a little more boring. Not to mention how expensive doing this is. But I am not a pilot myself but I have been studying rotorcraft flying in hopes to one day get my license. I do know that it is pretty expensive though as my dad does have a couple Robinson’s.
@@FlyingMAir you should talk to Trent Palmer. He's a pro large drone pilot for movie and TV etc, and is friends with some of the helicopter cameramen and companies, and also has a TH-cam channel of his Bush plane adventures.
You have the skills to put a chopper where it needs to go and to fly low and exact, so I am guessing that you would be good at film work, and you have your flying skills on display already, so there's your resume!
His channel is
www.TH-cam.com/trentpalmer1
And if you don't find a contact method for him, look up the Flying Cowboys on Google.
When you think you've seen it all 🍒 drying helicopter flying lady lands in your front yard please come dry my cherries and land in my yard
Running and maintaining a farm like that looks like a TON of work!!!
Really enjoy your videos! I have a question tho, what is the purpose of the small white strings center windscreen? I see these on light crafts but not sure reason / purpose...
Those are the trim strings. When the helicopter is in trim, there should be one on either side of that center bar. I should do a short video about that.
And yes, I was definitely out of trim when I took the controls, I get a kick out of Justin telling me to add pedal like I’m one of his students. He was right! Sloppy flying on my part.
@@FlyingMAir yes please, a trim string video would be great, and also any other tech stuff, checking fluids, mechanicals and such
FlyingMAir oh, thank you! As many times as I’ve flown in r22 / r44 never had them but seen on your heli and several other people’s videos recently both fixed & rotary wing small aircrafts however I couldn’t figure out what it did, lol. It would be great if you did a video about it in helo functionality! I’ve read much about ‘yaw strings’ tonight and makes sense about trim / slip detecting without looking down at instruments for a quick reference however one would think the airflow from flight or from wind in general would create false / inaccurate indications...
FlyingMAir • You’re too modest. We all think you did a super job as you took the controls from the “wrong” seat!
I love Mt Rainier Cherries shouldn't they be out by now?
Yep. They’re out.
Interesting activity.
I am on the edge of my seat! I am looking for obstacles, especially wires! I hope you trust and know Justin, I have not heard of him before at least in the videos I have seen. Another thing I worry about are small down bursts or is that area very calm winds?
Justin is working with me for the first time this year. He's a flight instructor so I trust that he won't crash us on simple operations like this. I'm not worried about downbursts on a day like this, either. That's something to be worried about when there are thunderstorms in the area.
If you come in fast and hot you risk settling with power???? Is this a Robbie thing???
Nope. It’s a helicopter thing.
Wow. Very nice job
What a joy! Thanks for the ride Maria!
Excellent instructor good communication
You flew his bird better than he did, Just sayin.
🤣 I’ve been flying for 20 years. He’s been flying for just 1 or 2. I BETTER fly better.
@@FlyingMAir >>> Did you train in a Robinson?
Maria your videos are great!
You should seriously consider investing in a helmet!
Mr. FireRotor for my curiosity why’s that
I have one.
@@FlyingMAir So... it sits at home? Why not wear it?
Because it's uncomfortable, distracting, blocks my view, and doesn't work with my phone, which I need to communicate with clients on the ground.
@@FlyingMAir They make a bluetooth hardware that works with all helmets, I think it runs around $150. I don't know what helmet you have, but with the correct size and padding it can be comfortable and provide reduced decibels to where you don't need noise canceling. I'm a huge fan of helmets and the added protection they provide. Two main factors will kill you in an accident: impact and fire. I think a helmet and full PPE should be engrained from flight school. If we can mitigate these risks and reduce their influence on our survival, why not? Being on a public platform sharing the fun work that you do, it would be nice to see it more geared to an appropriate safety culture.
Beautiful countryside
love cherry season, 98 cents a lb
Great video as always
Fantastic video!
Great video👍😊. A stupid question - why do the cherry trees need to be dried?
cherry's absorb water,if you dont dry them the will crack and then you cant sell them
Thanks for sharing this I was wondering the same thing, we love cherries 🌞
Awesome 👍👍 👍👍 👍
Your compass is shaking quite a lot in all the videos I have seen. Is it loose on purpose?
Yes.
Bless you, you have more patience than I do.
But not enough to be a CFI. 🤣
First👌🏻
Never knew until one of your videos was suggested to me that this was something. I am so jealous. I would love this as a job. Unfortunately i suffer from bipolar disorder and afaik, i cannot be a pilot? *whimpers* This definitely looks like my type of gig. Cheers! Love the channel. :D
Neo_182 you should see what we do. Way more work as you have to manuver your way into the animals we have to capture. It’s even harder when we use 2 helicopters. Check us out at senderohelicopters.com . We did wildlife game captures and animal surveys. So essentially just shooting animals with net guns out of helicopters
How hot is the down wash from the helicopter that just slowly flying over it can dry them?
It’s not heat. It’s the motion of the branches and leaves as they blow around. Shakes the water off.
@@FlyingMAir This makes a lot more sense. Thank you!
1Slamalama1 • Correct. (Answered as a retired corn, milo, and soybean farmer. Still do hay!😊)
Do you ever take people on “fly alongs”? Lol is that even a term? I’d love to experience this. I’m no pilot, I just want to observe. And enjoy the experience. I’d pay handsomely!
I take people on tours. The price is $595/hour for up to 3 people with a one-hour minimum. I don't take passengers on cherry drying flights. The work is dangerous.
Nobody is going to mention Far Cry 5? This footage looks exactly like that game...
Why do you dry the Cherry trees? How often do you have to dry them?
We dry after it rains to prevent the cherries from splitting.
I will have to start watching where my cherries come from now😉
🌞🌞🌞👍👍👍
$$$ and all the cherries you can eat!
Why do the cherries need to be dry? Is it for harvest? I would need a map marking the fields to dry so I can check them off.
After rain, there is a danger of cherries absorbing the water and splitting or developing mold and mildew. Found an article Maria wrote on it. blog.aopa.org/aopa/tag/cherry-drying/
Thank you for making these videos. May you always have clear skies and tailwinds.
👍🏻
Very very like
OTR?
The name of the orchard.
I sent this to Denton, he was surprised, enjoyed it and says Hi!
Denton H in Oregon?
@@FlyingMAir Yes. You might give him a shout and say hi.
Crop dusting. But with high speed air.
Crop breezing. 😊
Great video as always. Where are you flying in this video? I never really caught your location. Also how many hours do you have in a 44?
Justin is flying an R44 in this video. We’re in Wenatchee, WA. I have about 3500 hours in Robinson’s, 2500 of which is in R44s.
Did the earthquake hurt your business any ?
No. The earthquake was in CA. I’m in WA.
Do you use ScreenFlow to edit your videos?
Is it that obvious? It was an inexpensive option for picture-in-picture. 🤷🏻♀️
This job requires you to operate in "Dead Man's Zone" throughout the entire flight. No time to auto-rotate in the event of a power failure. This job does not pay enough. Most of the cherry drying work in Wenatchee is done from old S-58 ships and more and more Huey's are replacing them.
I’m not sure where you’re getting your information, but I’ve been doing this for 12 years in this area and know of only one grower who wants Hueys. There are more R44s doing this work than any other make/model of helicopter. More bang for the buck. I haven’t seen an S55 in the wenatchee area since 2017 when I brought one in and realized that if it went down I’d need three helicopters to take up the slack. As for the Dead Man’s curve, that applies to EVERY helicopter. As for pay, well I wouldn’t keep doing it after 12 years if it didn’t pay enough. 🤷🏻♀️
Bio cherry dried with helicopter. 🙄
Cute....😎...sorry..what is OTR...no understand im from spain..!¡
OTR is the name of the orchard.