The Med Crew insist on jammimg the heater cord between the front and side doors. Over time this screws up the door rigging. Why don't companies allow us to use the outlet marked 'heater'? It would solve the loose doors.

we were told not to use that plug years ago. fire hazard I guess. I don't see how the cord could screw up the rigging, though. you're the pic, act like it. 

I think the root problem is a program that won't allow the use of an electrical outlet for the purpose it was designed, approved, and placarded for.

Make them fix it or write it up. If it doesn't function as certified...that's a problem.

p.s. Ours works just fine, we use it all the time.

OBVIOUSLY, there have been problems with the wiring in that plug. Those heaters draw a lot of power. I would definitely go ahead and write it up though after you were told not to use it. See how that goes for you. Like everything, it works fine until it doesn't.

because that is exactly how most operators have handled it: cord through a window. The whole electric heater is one big pain in theass because every dumbass retard that ever set foot in a helicopter has their own dumbass idea about how you're supposed to do it. never seen anything like it. people lose their goddamn minds over a f**king goddamn heater. 

the op gets told by the med crew how the heater is going in the aircraft. not maintenance, not operations, not the flight manual. nope, it's THE MED CREW. lol how embarrassing.

It was determined years ago that the wiring going from the outlet outside to the inside plug is to frail and has overheated and caused fires in the past.

Metro has advised against using it in thier EC145 elite. Not sure why the wire gauge hasn't been changed to handle the heaters.

it's got a placard and everything so that means it's unpossible for there ever to be a problem with it

when you start the helicopter on fire after they told you not to use the plug, you can point at that placard and it will be all good

If there's "a problem with it," you write it up and get it repaired, Mr Dumas. Are you new to all of this part 135 stuff?

"There's a "problem with" the heater, air conditioner, strobe lights, autopilot, pitot heat, and GPS." "Oh, not to worry, all the real pros know that you're just not supposed to use that stuff. It's hard to fix."

we got an email 4 years ago telling us not to use the plug. you are correct though, the proper course of action is to write it up after that, of course! PHI is pretty new to all this part 135 stuff, though. lol 

that's not broken. they only told you not to use it. but by all means, write it up! lol

they told me not to use the plug. that means it is not working properly! therefore, I shall now proceed to write it up as I have lots of 135 experience in dealing with these matters! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ9DTYKJ_PM

 got a pen? lol

Links to something official, please?

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUi90QdFzV-gY_0P_b41KWg

Soooo, I fly a Metro e-lite and have never been told not to use the outlet that was designed for a heater. We use it all the time with no problems. Please provide a reference.

it works great until it starts your helicopter on fire. have a ball.

any news stories you could share relating to all those fires?

you want a news story lol

yeah, if a medical helicopter burned to the ground sitting on a small town's helipad, there'd be a news story. and according to you, lots of them. but your non-answer is a good enough answer. lol

since nobody has posted a news story of a burned up helicopter on a small town helipad, keep doing what you're doing

f'n dumbass!

Because things usually burn at the plug. So you use an extension cord with the plug outside the aircraft. 

Your full of $h!t. 

want to use a multi-million dollar helicopter as a cicuit breaker for a space heater.

Go figure.

Its only a 15amp circuit run with 14 gauge wire so while that will take care of any space heater that is 1800watts or less the continous draw for an item like that can and will find the slightest defect in the design of that system.  Its just easier to avoid it and go through the window.  Use a high quality 12 gauge extension cord since you are probably using a 100' cord to get away from the building to avoid voltage drop.  Also spend the money to get a well made heater, saving a few dollars on a $40 space heater vs an $80 is not what to do when those things catch fire and torch a multi-million dollar aircraft to the ground.  See diagram below.

There's your problem.

Once upon a time,  Metro did our EC145 avionics package.

It landed and the pilot said "every time I key the tfm radio on the UHF band it blanks my fuel qty tapes on the display."

I laughed and crawled out from under the aircraft and said that's cuz this antenna is 3 inches from your fuel qty crap down here on the belly.

Y'all can either relocate this newly installed antenna or redesign the fuel system.  Your choice.

Then in another EPIC Metro f'up, They flew another one "completed" to us and Ricky says to me...." got check all the avionics radios and stuff they put in there and see if it all works."

I look down and they had an expander box we were putting in our 412s and another expander box we were putting in our astars, right next to each other.  I was like "WOW"  THis thing must have like 50 radios in it or something.  No, just a tfm-550 and a 800mhz motorola.  lol, I showed that to ricky and he had steam blow out his ears and charged off to go make a phone call.

Ah, Metro.

It's a good thing I don't know anything about ICS.  Otherwise I might not have noticed the IDIOTS who installed extra crap making bigger mistakes than the IDIOTS who Plow it into the smoking holes.

Retards.

had that conversation in the hole at jiffy lube lol

If that's what you call your momma's vagina, then yeah....we were tag teaming that nasty ho.

an aircraft washer that repeats stories he heard in the break room than anything else.

"hey guru, that astar ain't gonna wash itself!"

THe guru is legit.

He has either a very vivid imagination or has lived each and every one of these scenarios.

If he has worked on every airframe the company flys then yeah, I can see how he would gain the experience he

claims.

I bet he's even a pilot of sorts.  Probably has more flight time than most pilots on here even, tho, not officially logged.  Probably flys something like a paramotor or hangglider.  That would explain his disdain for real pilots.  Probably calls himself a real pilot.  Probably still only holds a student pilot medical in his wallet from 2006.

Ah guru.  You sure know how to entertain.  Tells us more outlandish stories of how you saved the day back in the day and fixed everything that was broke.  Berate us again on our lack of systems knowledge.  As we truly don't pay attention in training and figure we'll just learn how it all works as we fly it.....with our coffee cups sitting on the FMS screens dripping onto the keys, donut in my right hand and my copilot's thick hard collective in my left.  Off we go, into the wild blue yonder.....

guru pretending to be somebody else. guru is a fraud.

What's an expander box? And whats wrong about having 2 of them beside eachother?

tracy was really wound up about it

the potential for a fire!  BTDT, not my doing, but had to clean up the mess - took four months to get the helicopter back, and then just barely as assessment of duration of fire (exposure timelines)was the key to whether it would be scrapped.  

And, make sure the heater output is not going to overheat internal structures, cabinets, semi-loose articles etc. 

Dicey stuff if not very careful!  If the med crew does something in the helicopter go out and check if they have dislodged the heater/s.  They tend to be very careless about that stuff.  

Don't underestimate the extent to which your pilots do understand and will effectively deal with cordage in and in/out of the aircraft.  

No need to jam doors, just use a window with a hard foam H insert with Remove Before Flight tab to cover the open bit remaining.