Second first solo :)

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wickedsprint

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Wickedsprint
I started a helicopter add on rating last month and Soloed the R22 yesterday. Did two hover taxi laps to get a feel for aft CG and then a couple passes in the pattern. These little helicopters are fun.

suhuba8a.jpg
 
MultiMediaWill said:
How is flying a helicopter compared to an airplane?
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The R22 is a little busier than your typical *trainer* airplane...but nothing inherently more difficult.

Everything is a little lower and slower.

We fly cross country for 80-90KTS @ 700' haha.

Flying around in the pattern feels like an airplane without adverse yaw during turns.

Controls are a lot more sensitive...it will do whatever you tell it RIGHT NOW.

Much more visibility and lower windshield height mean that 30 degrees of bank feels like a steep turn in an airplane. Flying with the doors removed exaggerates this.

Normal approach angle is 8-12 degrees which feels very steep coming from airplanes.

Slowing down on final initially felt WEIRD.

Overall they're a hoot.
 
Did the shirt tail come off or do second first solos not count?

Or did they just give you one of these?
 
After many years flying in helicopters, they still scare me. Just about the only thing that does. I salute you, sir.
 
Tommy3 said:
After many years flying in helicopters, they still scare me. Just about the only thing that does. I salute you, sir.
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I don't blame you. So many moving parts. They're like a 100mph flying erector set.
 
'If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage it has to be a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe.'
- Fixed Wing Pilot-

Took a discovery flight in an R44 (too heavy for R22) last week. Not sure I'll be back. I felt unnerved until it picked up speed. Its just not for me. Congratulations to you though.
 
JBrown243 said:
'If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage it has to be a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe.'
- Fixed Wing Pilot-

Took a discovery flight in an R44 (too heavy for R22) last week. Not sure I'll be back. I felt unnerved until it picked up speed. Its just not for me. Congratulations to you though.
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Thanks for the kind words. I was a little un nerved after my first flight too.
 
when a plane loses power, it can glide. Is there much you can do in a helicopter if it has an engine failure at altitude?

btw, I think flying a helicopter would be awesome.
 
rbridges said:
when a plane loses power, it can glide. Is there much you can do in a helicopter if it has an engine failure at altitude?

btw, I think flying a helicopter would be awesome.
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Common question actually.

They glide pretty well surprisingly...

Upflow keeps rotor spinning...so like a plane they also benefit from altitude after an engine failure.


R22 has about a 4:1 glide ratio at 75KTS.

Unlike a plane, you can slow it to near zero before the landing.
 
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wickedsprint said:
Common question actually.

They glide pretty well surprisingly...

Upflow keeps rotor spinning...so like a plane they also benefit from altitude after an engine failure.


R22 has about a 4:1 glide ratio at 75KTS.

Unlike a plane, you can slow it to near zero before the landing.
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Wow...learned something new. I thought there was no way to save it once it hit the fan. Glad to know that!
 
Corpsmaide said:
I thought there was no way to save it once it hit the fan.
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Haha, literally... I've tried autorotating plenty of times in FSX, and it never seems to work. Is there some special thing you do like freeing the blades? When I do it in the sim, I either bang the tail against the ground or come in way too steep or come in with a ton of forward momentum. And all these things only seem to get worse with altitude. Then again, it's FSX.
 
Not having tried it, I'm not sure how well it works in FSX. Their aerodynamic model isn't that good for airplanes so it doesn't surprise me.
 
HerrGruyere said:
Flying a helo in Flight Simulator was one of the hardest things I've ever tried to do.
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Flying isn't the hard part---it's landing that gives me troubles. Or especially hovering over those stupid objects that you have to carry then slowing down to drop them :mad:
 
ebykowsky said:
Flying isn't the hard part---it's landing that gives me troubles. Or especially hovering over those stupid objects that you have to carry then slowing down to drop them :mad:
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Agreed...I gave up up playing with the helos on FSX
 
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wickedsprint said:
Common question actually.

They glide pretty well surprisingly...

Upflow keeps rotor spinning...so like a plane they also benefit from altitude after an engine failure.


R22 has about a 4:1 glide ratio at 75KTS.

Unlike a plane, you can slow it to near zero before the landing.
Click to expand...

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Agreed...I gave up up playing with the helos on FSX
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Helicopters on FSX are modeled terribly. Not only do you have to have a super sensitive controller to perform anything that's under ETL but it completely ignores things like autorotations, low G pushovers, dynamic rollerovers, LTE or retreating blade stall.
 
What's it like controlling everything from the right seat as PIC? I feel like if I ever got on a non-training helicopter flight, I would be the idiot who hops in the right seat and gets a dirty look from the pilot.
 
ebykowsky said:
What's it like controlling everything from the right seat as PIC? I feel like if I ever got on a non-training helicopter flight, I would be the idiot who hops in the right seat and gets a dirty look from the pilot.
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Doesn't feel that different.
 
This thread has motivated me to give helos a try. This spring I'd like to do a discovery flight, just cause!
 
Corpsmaide said:
This thread has motivated me to give helos a try. This spring I'd like to do a discovery flight, just cause!
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Do it. It was a simple discovery flight shortly after getting my ppl that got me hooked.
 
wickedsprint said:
Sorry I missed this earlier. Autos were initially overwhelming. My 180s still need work.

Run ons are hilariously fun.
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I will never forget the first time we cut the throttle and dropped the collective. 1500fpm on the VSI takes a little getting used to.


This thread has motivated me to give helos a try. This spring I'd like to do a discovery flight, just cause!
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Make sure to take the doors off.
 
Satchmo10th said:
I will never forget the first time we cut the throttle and dropped the collective. 1500fpm on the VSI takes a little getting used to.




Make sure to take the doors off.
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1500 FPM is only ~ 15MPH. Even if you did nothing and forgot to flare, you'd be fine.
 
You may be ok but no flare on an auto is going to leave a seriously banged ship. You're going to have collapsed skids at the very least. Probably a TR strike and TR boom collapse to boot.
 
Satchmo10th said:
You may be ok but no flare on an auto is going to leave a seriously banged ship. You're going to have collapsed skids at the very least. Probably a TR strike and TR boom collapse to boot.
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Agree, just saying that 1500FPM isn't going to kill you.
 
Satchmo10th said:
Neither was I. I was saying that going from S&L to a 1500FPM descent in a matter of seconds is a hell of a change.
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206s auto extremely well. Full down autos are really fun. The high inertia rotor system makes it pretty easy.

The 16000+ lb. rotary wings that I fly now are just a tad bit more exciting to auto at first... Fortunately it has 2 engines.

I just started a fixed wing add on and everything seems so damn simple. I am definitely enjoying it.



Sent from my SPH-M950 using Tapatalk 2
 
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Full autos in a CH-47 are scary as heck. Only did it one time to the ground, and that was due to both engines failing to come back online during a maintenance test flight. Fortunately, we had a 8000 ft runway below us and landed it like a fixed wing. Got out, kissed the ground.
 
Nsconductor said:
Full autos in a CH-47 are scary as heck. Only did it one time to the ground, and that was due to both engines failing to come back online during a maintenance test flight. Fortunately, we had a 8000 ft runway below us and landed it like a fixed wing. Got out, kissed the ground.
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Sounds pretty hairy!
 
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