Helos and altitude

[elaw]

So... this is something I've been curious about for a long time, but I was reminded of it by this news item: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-59451549

In aviation, there's a saying that "altitude is your friend", no? I'd think that would be even more true with helicopters as setting up autorotation takes time (as does reaction) and in an engine failure, altitude = time.

So why, when I look on flight-tracking sites, do I almost never see helos flying at more than about 1500 MSL (which = 1300-1400 in most of my area)? And usually they're below 1100. I can understand that if it's a sightseeing flight or a news 'copter covering an event on the ground (which I'm told is where many events take place). But during cruise I'd think they'd want to be a bit higher to give more of a buffer in case of an in-flight oopsie. And to reduce the pissing off of people on the ground by the noise. I'll admit I'm a little biased on the latter point because in the first house I owned, there was a 'copter that flew over about 5 nights a week on average at around 3:00 AM and it was LOUD. A couple thousand feet of altitude would not have made it silent but would have helped.

[Gabriel]

So... this is something I've been curious about for a long time, but I was reminded of it by this news item: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-59451549

In aviation, there's a saying that "altitude is your friend", no? I'd think that would be even more true with helicopters as setting up autorotation takes time (as does reaction) and in an engine failure, altitude = time.

So why, when I look on flight-tracking sites, do I almost never see helos flying at more than about 1500 MSL (which = 1300-1400 in most of my area)? And usually they're below 1100. I can understand that if it's a sightseeing flight or a news 'copter covering an event on the ground (which I'm told is where many events take place). But during cruise I'd think they'd want to be a bit higher to give more of a buffer in case of an in-flight oopsie. And to reduce the pissing off of people on the ground by the noise. I'll admit I'm a little biased on the latter point because in the first house I owned, there was a 'copter that flew over about 5 nights a week on average at around 3:00 AM and it was LOUD. A couple thousand feet of altitude would not have made it silent but would have helped.

As long as you have a place to put it down (and remember it can be a smallish place compared to what you need to put an airplane down)

[3WE]

I ass-ume it’s a reasonable risk. They have a hell of a lot more choices for their unintended landings. The one time I rode with a dude, he seemed more interested in lateral speed than altitude- although for grins, he did a hard-but-measured pull-up/vertical takeoff, saying that air ambulances might tend to do that to avoid obstacles.

/gross outsider pontification.

Edit, you bastard Gabriel…beat my by a minute…

Edit Edit: 3 min.

Edit Edit Edit: My friends pull up would have been very much in that big shaded area on the left.

[Gabriel]

Edit Edit Edit: My friends pull up would have been very much in that big shaded area on the left.

Height-Velocity diagram is the official name that nobody use.
The REAL name by which that chart is known to everybody is a reference to what you (and your friend) would have become had your engine failed at that point.