Fabio Elsas - Learning to fly...when a drummer gets into the air

One of the musicians with a very special hobby is Fabio Elsas, drummer of the Brazilian band Henceforth. In 2007 he started learning to fly: not a small plane or paragliding, no, he made the licence to fly a helicopter. I just flew with a heli for one time and as it was such a great feeling, that I never thought about the technique, difficulties or how somebody get´s the idea to become a helicopter pilot. Of course we took the great chance to talk with Fabio Elsas about this cool hobby.

When and why did you had the idea to fly a helicopter and what made it so interesting for you?
Fabio: ‘Well, I’ve wanted to fly helicopters ever since I was a kid – it is a passion for me as much as drumming is. However, flying helicopters has always been very expensive in Brazil. About ten years ago I took my airplane pilot certificate, it was fun and I loved it but I can’t compare this to flying helos. I eventually had to quit flying after a while.’

When you got into it, what was the most suprising point for you?
‘I was surprised at how sensitive the controls are. I mean, I knew they were sensitive but when you try them for the first time it is really surprising! You have to rest your right arm on your knee and you basically fly it with the tip of your fingers!’

How long did it take to get the helicopter licence and what did you had to do for it?
‘It took me a little less than one year to get the private pilot license but that is not the norm, it usually takes a lot longer. I had a lot of help from my family so that I could get it a little faster. The first thing I did was to get a medical certificate that would show I was fit for the activity, then I took theory classes for about 4 months before undergoing the government exam. I passed it and then I started taking flight lessons.’

How was the feeling when you flew the helicopter by your own for the first time?
‘It was pretty much unbelievable! On that sense it is not really different from flying an airplane solo for the first time, it is a thrill!’

Are you afraid of loosing control sometime?
‘Well, at all times during training there was a certified instructor by my side, so I wasn’t really afraid because I knew he’d take over the controls if needed. There were some scary moments though when I first started learning emergency procedures. I found out that a helicopter and a brick are pretty much the same thing when they are to fall from the sky!’

What was the most difficult thing when learning to fly?
‘Not over-controlling. As I mentioned, the controls are really sensitive, so if you make too big of an input the correction will be just as big and the thing turns into a snowball. It can get shaky! ‘

For me as I was flying with a helicopter for only one time it was crazy to fly sidewards and backwards. Isn´t it diffucult to have an eye everywhere around?
‘Yes, the helicopter pilot must think of the heli as an extension of his body. For instance, when landing into a confined area the pilot must make sure there is room to accommodate the main rotor so that it won’t strike a tree or something and also make sure the tail rotor will not do the same. Or even worse – it can kill someone. The situational awareness of the heli pilot must be high at all times.’

The security of the Brazilian airports is often discussed in the rest of the world. What do you think about it?
‘The situation is more related to the infrastructure for the airlines. For general aviation (where helicopters belong) there is not much of a problem even though there have been a few accidents lately.’

You are living in Sao Paulo were a lot of helicopters are flying especially for the business people from one office to the other every day because of the heavy traffic on the streets. Is it some kind of normal in Sao Paulo to fly with a helicopter?
‘Well, something THAT expensive is far from being normal, but indeed the helicopter traffic in Sao Paulo is the second biggest in the world after New York. There is a lot of business flying, police flying, radio and TV flying and training (I’m on this one for now!).’

Of course it would be very cool if you will fly in to one of your shows with a helicopter. Have you ever thought about it?
‘Absolutely! It would be great, but I guess I’d be on my own as the rest of the guys in the band are not really crazy about flying!’

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