Coming back to base with just the medical crew on board, I was downwind to our hover point and thought I could make it in autorotation. We are, of course, not permitted to do any practice emergencies with "passengers" on board. Yes, the med crew are considered passengers by the FAA.

So I gently dropped the lever fully down, and controlled my rate of descent using speed and adjusting the turn. I leveled off at 300 ft, and completed the approach, bringing it to the hover - first time I touched the lever throughout the maneuver. On landing the boss said I was too low rolling out on finals. 350 feet was the unwritten rule.

His actual words were, "It was probably beautifully flown but...." My cheeky reply was something like, "You have no idea how perfect, sir, but yes, it was."

It served to remind me that our office is a small space. My satisfaction was always to be ultra smooth on the controls, especially when we had a patient on board, and I derived my satisfaction by being the only person who knew how accurately I was flying - bang on height and heading etc. Never boasted about it, just did it for my own pleasure.

Do I miss it? I retired 2015. Yes, I do miss occasionally making a difference. A small number of patients (out of 990 of them) would have died had it not been for the real hero's in air ambulance work, the flight nurse and flight paramedic. They do things only a doctor or an an anesthesiologist do in hospitals. Mobile ICU! If ever I"m in a bad motor accident I hope I'm flown - best healthcare for trauma in the business.?

Edit: I forgot to ask a question, have any of you experienced anything like this? Care to share?