Helicopter pilot makes dramatic landing

A helicopter pilot and his student walked away uninjured from an emergency landing in Cork yesterday — this pilot’s second dramatic landing in the city.

John Toal, the chief flight instructor at SkyWest Aviation’s flight school in Cork, and his student, were cruising in a Robinson helicopter at 1,700ft above Cork Harbour when they heard a shudder.

Mr Toal powered down the engine and initiated an auto-rotate landing — where the aircraft descends without power as the rotor blades continue to spin.