Siegfried Schwarz

Flight Operations Manager & Chief Pilot Helicopters

When it comes to aeroplanes, Sigi Angerer is a living legend. His counterpart for helicopters is Sigi ?Blacky? Schwarz. After his training, which the Austrian army paid for, he flew rescue helicopters in the Alps, among other things. He?s the only Austrian with a licence for helicopter aerobatics.

1. Do you remember your first flight as a pilot?

» SSCH: Ah yes, it was a Cessna 150, in 1977.

2. With which Flying Bull helicopter would you perform a risky landing rather than opt for the parachute?

» SSCH: With any one of them. I don?t fancy being chopped up by the rotor blades!

3. Longbow or Bell 47?

» SSCH: Longbow ? I?d be one of the few civilians who?d have flown this combat helicopter.

4. Which helicopter would you prefer to fly if you could have any choice, and why?

» SSCH: The Eurocopter Tiger. That would be as difficult as flying the Longbow.

5. Are there any technical or design details of a helicopter that fascinate you in particular?

» SSCH: Yes, the BO 105 rotor system. It?s made from a single piece of titanium.

6. How many flying hours have you completed so far?

» SSCH: About 10,000.

7. What are the flight qualities that inspire you the most in a helicopter ? And is there anything you?d criticise?

» SSCH: The BO 105, with its incredible aerobatics. The Bell Cobra?s power train makes it a class of its own, and the Bell 47?s glass cockpit reveals the landscape below like no other. Negative aspects? There aren?t any to speak of.

8. Have you ever worried about the age of a helicopter once you?re on board?

» SSCH: The age has never concerned me. After all, maintenance is crucial and that?s in safe hands with the Flying Bulls. If I don?t know the plane, it?s a different story, I?d always check it thoroughly.

9. What was the most turbulent flight you ever witnessed?

» SSCH: I could name quite a few. Especially on rescue missions, when we had to get mountain climbers out of a crevasse. That was quite hairy.

10. Is there any other aircraft that ought to be added to the Flying Bulls collection?

» SSCH: A Sikorsky S-58T. There?s no better helicopter for sightseeing flights with passengers.

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