Right traffic helicopter

spinfire

spinfire

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Dan
A question for those who know the rotorcraft specific rules.

I arrived at a pilot controlled field with the standard left traffic yesterday. As I overflew the airport above pattern altitude prior to entering a downwind for runway 14 there was a helicopter (red Robinson) on *right* downwind for 14, announcing as such on the radio. There is nothing in the airport remarks or other information indicating right patterns for helicopters.

My understanding is that the actual regulation for fixed wings is that any entry is fine but turns in the pattern must be in the direction indicated or left if nothing is stated. I had them in sight and there was no safety issue and I have no desire to play "pattern police" but I'd like to know if the helicopter pilot's actions were expected for my own future reference.
 
91.126(b)(2), with which you should be familiar.

Bob Gardner
 
FWIW all of the helicopters who operate from our local airports tend to do right traffic at a lower altitude as well. On departure I often see them departing direct without interacting with the pattern at all, though they are prolific in announcing their intentions.
 
spinfire said:
A question for those who know the rotorcraft specific rules.

I arrived at a pilot controlled field with the standard left traffic yesterday. As I overflew the airport above pattern altitude prior to entering a downwind for runway 14 there was a helicopter (red Robinson) on *right* downwind for 14, announcing as such on the radio. There is nothing in the airport remarks or other information indicating right patterns for helicopters.

My understanding is that the actual regulation for fixed wings is that any entry is fine but turns in the pattern must be in the direction indicated or left if nothing is stated. I had them in sight and there was no safety issue and I have no desire to play "pattern police" but I'd like to know if the helicopter pilot's actions were expected for my own future reference.
Click to expand...

When two or more aircraft are operating at these "pilot controlled fields", which pilot is in control?

The direction of turns rule applies to airplanes, helicopters are required to avoid the flow of fixed-wing aircraft.
 
spinfire said:
A question for those who know the rotorcraft specific rules.

I arrived at a pilot controlled field with the standard left traffic yesterday. As I overflew the airport above pattern altitude prior to entering a downwind for runway 14 there was a helicopter (red Robinson) on *right* downwind for 14, announcing as such on the radio. There is nothing in the airport remarks or other information indicating right patterns for helicopters.

My understanding is that the actual regulation for fixed wings is that any entry is fine but turns in the pattern must be in the direction indicated or left if nothing is stated. I had them in sight and there was no safety issue and I have no desire to play "pattern police" but I'd like to know if the helicopter pilot's actions were expected for my own future reference.
Click to expand...

There is no "right traffic" rule for helicopters. They just have to avoid the flow of fixed-wing. Since a helicopter doesn't require the runway you may see them at low altitude straight to a parking spot on the ramp if they "avoid the flow of fixed-wing aircraft." Sometimes in the helicopter I fly I use left traffic if it keeps me clear of populated areas. Of course this is done when no airplanes are around. So basically if you're a helicopter and you need to do pattern work, the most logical pattern would be right while avoiding the runway for fixed-wing.
 
spinfire said:
I arrived at a pilot controlled field
Click to expand...
Is that anything like a monkey-controlled monkey house at the zoo? Personally, I prefer "nontowered," as "uncontrolled" suggests "no rules in a knife fight," but "pilot controlled" suggests one pilot makes the rules for everyone (and too often one pilot seems to think s/he controls the pattern for everyone).

In any event, as Bob said, the answer to your question for airports without an operating control tower is 14 CFR 91.126(b)(2), and note that subparagraph (1) regarding direction of turns applies only to airplanes.
(b) Direction of turns. When approaching to land at an airport without an operating control tower in Class G airspace--
(1) Each pilot of an airplane must make all turns of that airplane to the left unless the airport displays approved light signals or visual markings indicating that turns should be made to the right, in which case the pilot must make all turns to the right; and
(2) Each pilot of a helicopter or a powered parachute must avoid the flow of fixed-wing aircraft.
Click to expand...
Thus, there's no FAA rule telling helicopter pilots which direction to fly their patterns as long as they "the flow of fixed-wing aircraft." That said, there may be local procedures which are more specific, but that's not an FAA issue unless they're published in the A/FD.
 
I am familiar with 91.126, but not with how "avoid the flow" is usually interpreted. In the past I have encountered a lower pattern altitude but same pattern direction used by helicopter traffic.

Thank you for the clarification.
 
Ron Levy said:
Is that anything like a monkey-controlled monkey house at the zoo?
Click to expand...

Sometimes it feels that way :D

Personally, I prefer "nontowered," as "uncontrolled" suggests "no rules in a knife fight," but "pilot controlled" suggests one pilot makes the rules for everyone (and too often one pilot seems to think s/he controls the pattern for everyone).
Click to expand...

I originally learned the phrase "uncontrolled" but I dislike it for the same reason you do especially when explaining to non-pilot passengers who think everything has ATC. Someone at an AOPA seminar suggested "pilot controlled" instead so I've been trying to use that, but I prefer your "nontowered" phrase. Time to train my brain to use that one.
 
spinfire said:
In the past I have encountered a lower pattern altitude but same pattern direction used by helicopter traffic.
Click to expand...
:hairraise:

That sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. I would think this sets up the likelihood of an arriving plane descending into the helicopter if they synch up on final. (I assume the helos use a tighter pattern) My home base has a thriving helicopter training program and they always use right traffic. In the past when I arrived at uncontrolled fields in a helicopter I rarely used any pattern at all. It was just watch. listen, set down.
 
Threefingeredjack said:
:hairraise:

That sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. I would think this sets up the likelihood of an arriving plane descending into the helicopter if they synch up on final.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but the helicopter must avoid the flow of fixed-wing aircraft, so the you can assume the helicopter will avoid you.

:hairraise::hairraise::hairraise:
 
spinfire said:
I originally learned the phrase "uncontrolled" but I dislike it for the same reason you do especially when explaining to non-pilot passengers who think everything has ATC. Someone at an AOPA seminar suggested "pilot controlled" instead so I've been trying to use that, but I prefer your "nontowered" phrase. Time to train my brain to use that one.
Click to expand...

Since most non-pilot passengers are drivers I've found uncontrolled intersections to be a useful tool for explaining uncontrolled airports.
 
Oddly enough, the controller at my home field once MADE a helicopter fly a standard pattern, along with the rest of the fixed wing traffic.

Traffic was lined up to the right, left and straight in, so maybe that had something to do with it.
 
spinfire said:
Sometimes it feels that way :D



I originally learned the phrase "uncontrolled" but I dislike it for the same reason you do especially when explaining to non-pilot passengers who think everything has ATC. Someone at an AOPA seminar suggested "pilot controlled" instead so I've been trying to use that, but I prefer your "nontowered" phrase. Time to train my brain to use that one.
Click to expand...

"Pilot controlled" sounds too divorced from reality for my taste. I don't mind "nontowered." "Uncontrolled" just means there is no ATC control, but that's not the same as unregulated, and it ties in with the fact that it is usually in uncontrolled air space, so I really don't see any problem that needs to be solved there.
 
I learned to fly at an uncontrolled field where it was not uncommon to have helicopters at 500', piston at 1000' and turbine at 1500' all at the same time. The helicopters did their helicopter thing at 500' feet and stayed away from ends of the runway.
 
local helo school uses right traffic at about 500 agl - it gets busy sometimes but always works fine
 
It was awkward for me at first, having migrated from fixed-wing to helo and the CFI telling me to fly a reverse pattern at a different altitude. It just defied everything I'd been taught in the 150. I'm still not sure why we did that back then. Now I just fly straight to my destination, avoiding the flow of fixed-wing traffic.
 
Regarding good analogies for nonpilots, I suppose an uncontrolled traffic pattern is actually rather like a roundabout/rotary/whatever your region calls them.
 
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