Helicopter Flying Is A Skill Needed In Dozens Of Jobs

Helicopters did not reach full scale production until 1942 when 131 were made; in the short time that helicopters have been produced, they have become both useful and essential. Helicopter flying differs from aeroplane flying in that helicopters take off and land vertically, meaning there is no need for a runway of any sort. This is one of the main reasons that helicopters are used in the emergency services rather than aeroplanes.

One of the most well known uses for helicopters is in the air ambulance service; they are ideal transport when an ambulance is either unable to get to the scene fast enough or cannot access the area. They are also used when patients need to be taken to a different hospital and travelling by road is not the best way. Air ambulances are fitted with the equipment that you would find in a standard ambulance, meaning that patients can be treated while in the air.

Helicopters also come in useful in the police force when searching for a suspect, the ability to turn quickly and land easily is pivotal when there is someone on the run. Also, you have a unique birds' eye view from a helicopter meaning that you can liaise with the ground team to track down a criminal quickly. There are usually powerful lights and heat sensors fitted in case you need to search for people in poorly lit areas or at night time.

Oil companies also make use of helicopter flying; as many oil rigs are situated out at sea, helicopters are an ideal method of transport to carry workers or cargo to the rig. It is quicker to travel by air than it is to travel by water so the fact that helicopters are more expensive to run than boats is counteracted by how quickly they travel. The ability to take off and land vertically, rather than having to descend at an angle, means that helicopters can land easily on the helipads that are often on oil rigs.

In the logging industry, helicopters are useful as they can lift trees in areas where cars may not be able to reach the trees because there are no roads or paths leading there. This is an eco friendly way to log as there is now no need to cut down trees to make a path to access the ones you want. The helicopters used for this purpose are called aerial cranes and are often used to place air conditioning units and radio transmission towers on top of buildings.

Despite only being in full scale production for just over 65 years, the helicopter has become much more than a method of getting people from A to B. Helicopter flying is a skill that many people in all sorts of jobs are trained to do because chances are they'll be needed to do so at some point in their career.