How many of you make rounds in a helicopter? Or fly up to wilderness Canada for fishing and backcountry Idaho for hiking?
Meet Greg Barnhill, DO, and read about his fascination with flying!
When did you first get interested in flying?
My father was a family doc and had a patient who owed him for delivering his twins. He was also a helicopter instructor pilot. So, when I was 15, my father sent this guy to the Texas Gulf coast to buy a rebuilt Bell Whirlybird. Neither of us knew how to fly, so we learned together.
How did that happen? Who influenced you?
There were seven of us young guys in the flight school. The Vietnam War was raging. Our fathers were all WWII survivors. We planned on attaining Civilian Instructor Pilots licenses and we had assurances when we were drafted we would serve stateside as Army instructors. Two of the older guys did just that.
The war was abandoned just before I would have been drafted, so I never served. My father then bought a small Cessna172, so we learned to fly airplanes as well. I had a number of legendary instructors at Spirit of St. Louis Airport that now have streets named after them.
Are you certified/licensed for both airplanes and helicopters?
I hold Private Pilot ratings in single engine and multi engine {twin} land based airplanes and a Private Pilot Rotorcraft/Helicopter rating. My sons are also pilots and one of them holds advanced instrument and seaplane ratings.
Dr. Barnhill standing with son, Zach
Dr. Barnhill with son Zach in the cockpit
What are the training requirements? What are requirements to maintain licenses?
Student pilots must have a minimum of 40 hours of flight time to qualify for the private pilot practical flight test. This must include cross country flights as well as nighttime and instrument flight conditions. Twenty hours must be solo. A licensed pilot must have three take-offs and landings every 90-days, both day and night, to maintain currency. Instrument rated pilots must have six hours and six approaches every six months or retake an instrument proficiency flight test. Very realistically, 100 flight hours per year is for many an accepted normal for maintaining good pilot skills. Just like surgery, you don’t have to do a hundred to be good, but if you do a hundred, you will be good.
Which do you prefer?
They both have their own missions. The airplane is better for long distances and higher altitudes, including mountain flying. But I suppose I prefer the helicopter for the beauty of flight down low and close to the action. It is a joy to command, and you can literally strap it on and it does whatever you want, even stops in mid air!
How is flying an airplane different from a helicopter?
First off, the helicopter has a third axis Z or yaw axis whereas the airplane only has two, pitch and roll. The airplane is inherently stable, and essentially will fly itself. The helicopter is inherently unstable, and will go wildly out of control if you let go of it. The airplane must maintain forward speed to keep wind going over the wings for lift or stall. The ‘copter spins its rotor wings to create lift, even in the absence of forward speed. The rudder pedals in the airplane are the tail rotor pitch controllers in the ‘copter which is a very different command. And there are other very confusing control differences between the two craft.
Which is more difficult?
Helicopter…period! It’s like a fighting robot that you climb into and strap on both hands, both feet and your head. It even has a throttle governor that maintains power and RPM. Navigation and situational awareness, especially in weather, is challenging in both; and is made easier by newer technology, synthetic vision, and soon, forward looking infrared cameras. Obstacle avoidance is critical, and as they say, takeoffs are optional, landings mandatory.
Do you own or rent them?
I own both for the simple reason that I like to know my machines in and out, and to know that I was the last one to fly them.
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| Cessna 182K |
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| Robinson R44 II |
Describe them.
My airplane is a Cessna 182K, which has four seats, a 470 cu. in. six cylinder engine rated at 235 horsepower at 2300 rpm. It turns a variable pitch propeller, which classifies this as a high performance aircraft even though the landing gear is fixed (not retractable). The wingspan is 36.5 ft. It has a full fuel payload of >1,100lbs. Carrying 84 gallons of fuel it can fly non-stop for 5.5 hours, often 700-800 miles.
The helicopter is a Robinson R44 II. It too has four seats but I never fly with 4 adults; too heavy. It is powered by a 540 cu in six-cylinder Lycoming fuel injected engine rated at 245 hp at 2700 rpm constant speed. Full fuel payload is 750 lbs and it has a cruise speed of 135 mph, which is 2-3 mph faster than the airplane. It carries only 48 gals of fuel for a three-hour duration or about 350 miles.
What is needed for annual maintenance?
Each is required by law to have a detailed annual inspection. I change my own oil every 40-50 hours of flight time. Occasionally, an alternator, starter or a fuel pump has needed repair, but not too much else. The tech advances, such as satellite weather and the mandated ADS-B, are adding costs to both
How do you use your aircraft, for pleasure and for business?
Every flight is a pleasure, but I try to get some business use out of them. Every hospital has a helipad and our group services four to five rural outreach hospitals weekly. I occasionally go to two in one day. One hospital even built me a separate grass helipad so I don’t have to move when lifeflight comes. I built a 3,000 ft grass strip at my father’s farm 20 yrs ago and use it regularly.
Tell us some cool experiences.
Every summer for the past 23, I’ve flown nonstop to Cheyenne, then onto central Idaho the next day into the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness for back country flying and hiking and fishing. Nothing quite like it!
This past year we flew 100 miles east to get away from clouds so we could see the Eclipse for a full 20 minutes; short but sweet! Whether it’s flying to Arkansas for fishing, dinner and a cabin on a river, or flying to St Louis for a Cardinals game, I pick activities that are best achieved with the help of a small aircraft. Fishing in the Northwest territory of Canada or on Lake Athabasca or Gunisao Lake is so much more accessible in a small plane.
Tell us about some close calls!
There really is no randomness in aviation. All crashes are single vehicle, which says it all. You are the master of your own destiny or demise. I have flown close formation with B2 bombers, a C5A transport and many smaller aircraft, but avoided contact! I’ve flown under high power lines while skimming above a beautiful river. I’ve dodged flocks of migrating birds and jumped over animals on runways. Good judgment comes from experience, but experience comes from bad judgment. I am wiser now and more careful.
Leave us with a final thought.
If its worth doing, its worth doing right! Just like surgery, aviation is intolerant of inadequacy or ineptitude. If you are dreaming about it at night and thinking about it during the day, then you have the passion that it takes to succeed; for certainly nothing beats “slipping the surly bonds of earth” and climbing up above the clouds into the blue. Looking back to see the earth below takes your breath away and time stands still. Lets go flying!
Send him a message at: drgbarnhill@gmail.com.
Dr. Greg Barnhill went to the Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine where he also completed his Orthopedic Residency. He remained in the Kansas City area and practices in a 10 person private group in Kansas City, MO. Additionally, he is an Associate Clinical Professor at the Kansas City Osteopathic school and is a Resident Trainer. Half a dozen of his past Orthopedic Surgery residents have been inspired by Greg to become pilots!
He is married to Cindy and they have two boys, Spencer, 26 and Zach, 28. Both boys, of course, are pilots!
Idaho backcountry to fish and hike