Helos

[ESbuilder]

I was reading a magazine and the point was brought up that you can get your helo rating and go straight from a piston to a turbine... theres no "HP/complex/type rating etc etc"

My question is, with helicopters, is it as big of a deal going from say an R-22 to something like a S-76 or a 430 as it would be going from a seminole to a 737?

My zero helo exp. guess is that it wouldn't be as big of a deal (but still quite a transition)

 

[RotaryWingBob]

I was reading a magazine and the point was brought up that you can get your helo rating and go straight from a piston to a turbine... theres no "HP/complex/type rating etc etc"

My question is, with helicopters, is it as big of a deal going from say an R-22 to something like a S-76 or a 430 as it would be going from a seminole to a 737?

My zero helo exp. guess is that it wouldn't be as big of a deal (but still quite a transition)

The difference is that for airplanes type ratings are required for all jets and all planes which gross more than 12500. Note that no type rating is required for turbine powered propeller driven planes.

Helicopters are not jets -- they may have rotor systems driven off of the turbine shaft, but they're not jets. The only type rating required is when you have a gross over 12500.

Having said that, insurance companies may require the pilot to take a course to teach them the a/c systems, and may require a checkride.

A very big difference between helicopters and planes is that the fastest civilian ships aren't much faster than a whole lot of other ships, turbine powered or not.

Our R44 has a Vne of 130 KIAS, and cruises happily all day at 120. Turbine helicopters generally have numbers in the same ballpark and some, for example, the B206 are slower.

 

[RogerT]

Having said that, insurance companies may require the pilot to take a course to teach them the a/c systems, and may require a checkride.

Or have unrealistic minimums.

I got my rotorcraft/helic addon to my commercial and my initial CFI
(helicopter) back around 1980. I learned in a Bell 47. My CFI was also
pilot for a group of doctors. I got some time and training with him in the B206 he flew for them. He wanted to add me on as a back up pilot for him since
he also flew their twin commander. The insurance company said I'd have
to have 1000 hrs turbine helicopter time to be covered. That shot that
down. And I thought the 206 was a lot easier to fly than the 47.

RT

 

[RotaryWingBob]

Or have unrealistic minimums.

I got my rotorcraft/helic addon to my commercial and my initial CFI
(helicopter) back around 1980. I learned in a Bell 47. My CFI was also
pilot for a group of doctors. I got some time and training with him in the B206 he flew for them. He wanted to add me on as a back up pilot for him since
he also flew their twin commander. The insurance company said I'd have
to have 1000 hrs turbine helicopter time to be covered. That shot that
down. And I thought the 206 was a lot easier to fly than the 47.

RT

Excellent point about minimums.