First Trip with Passengers

[miket_68]

All, passed my PPL(H) in June and have cmpleted my type rating on the R44.

Not sure if this belongs here on in Rotorheads, I am sure it will be rolocated if required.

I have done a few solo jaunts in the R44 but and now ready to take passengers.

What do I need to include in my preflight brief etc.

I will talk them through what I am doing but what emergency procedure do I need to include (without scareing them out of the aircraft.

Thanks in advance for the knowledgable replies.

Mike

[bladewashout]

Not an examiner/instructor, but I can tell you that having done the first passenger bit a while ago the biggest issue is about maintaining full concentration with 3 other people trying to have conversations with you and with each other.

It's easiest to simply say at the start of the flight that there will be certain points where you will be incommunicado, and learn where the pilot isolation switch is on the COM, and use it!

If you are near controlled airspace, beware.

BW

[Duchess_Driver]

Just think back to your last trip as SLF on an aluminium tube....

How the seat belts work
Where the emergency exits are and how to operate them. (suspect these are the normal doors!)
Fire extinguishers...
First aid kit
How to brace
How the heating/conditioning/fresh air system can be adjusted (If it can be)
Where the puke-sacks are. (And get them to own up to feeling sick well in advance!)

Just the common sense things really.....

and enjoy.

[Whirlybird]

I make sure everyone knows how the seat belts work and how to open the doors; I make them actually unbuckle the belt and open the door. I then tell them that in the unlikely event of an emergency I will land the helicopter, and they are to undo the seat belt, open the door, get out and keep low as the rotors can flap, and get well away from the helicopter, but going forwards not towards the tail rotor. I then de-fuse the tension by saying that since we won't be able to fly, they should then meet me at the nearest pub - usually gets a laugh. That's about it.

If they talk too much, especially to me, during the flight, I tell them gently but firmly that they need to be quieter.

Be careful about talking through everything you're doing; they can sometimes be either bored or scared stiff. They may also misunderstand you. Play it by ear, but I recently scared someone by saying we were going to try to beat a light shower to the airfield, when all I meant was that I'd prefer to get out of the helicopter when it was dry, not that I had a problem flying through a little shower.

[Bravo73]

Mike,

Have a look in the back of LASORS. (You can download it from caa.co.uk, if you haven't done so already.)

'Safety Sense 2' deals with how to handle passengers. It can be a bit 'dry' but it covers matters such as a pre-flight safety brief and how to deal with nervous passengers etc.

But in essence, DD and Whirly have covered most of the bases already.


HTH

[puntosaurus]

Here's the stuff from LASORS (Safety Sense 2) Have you been told how to use:-
• seats/ locking mechanism
• seat belts/ harnesses
• door and emergency exit release
• front seat- back release
• fire extinguisher
• life jackets and life-raft if carried?
where to find the first aid kit? and what to do:
• in a forced landing
• in a ditching?
Remember, its a LEGAL requirement for the pilot
to tell you. One additional thing I cover is the headsets/radio. Pax may not be used to hearing ATC, so I tell them not to worry about interrupting, because their mikes won't transmit externally. I usually roll this into the same chat that bladewashout mentions about going incommunicado.

[MightyGem]

Ask them to let you know if they see another aircraft. OK, you might get the odd 747 at FL ridiculous pointed out, but you might also get the one in your blindspot.

[Pandalet]

As MightyGem says, it's always worth getting them to help keep a look-out. More eyes and all that.

Something I always tell passengers is that during certain (very unlikely) emergencies, I'll need to turn the electrics off, which will mean the intercom going dead. Also, during an emergency ("you'll know when it's an emergency"), I'm going to be really busy, so they should sit back quietly, and be ready to do what I tell them to.

"If you see me running, try to keep up" :}

[moosp]

I believe that Mr Frank Robinson does not allow any of his staff to fly as a passenger in a Robinson helicopter until the pilot has at least 500 hours experience in his helicopters. Now you may disagree with this, but at the very least consider it.

The concentration required to fly a helicopter in the first few hundred hours can easily be distracted by normal social conversation with a friend or colleague. Then there are the pilots that feel that they must impress the passenger with their new found ability.

If you must take up passengers so early in your flying career, stick by the rule of never taking all the children of one family, or all the family bar one.

I am still very cautious of taking passengers after 500 Robbo hours, but am just beginning to feel confident of being able to handle most things that might happen and the consequences to the passengers. But some days I feel that is hubris.

[wg13_dummy]

I will land the helicopter, and they are to undo the seat belt, open the door, get out and keep low as the rotors can flap


Not sure I agree with that, Whirly.

I always emphasise that pax should stay with the aircraft until the blades have stopped/falllen off. Nowt worse than pulling off and surviving an awesome engine off to then run out and get taken out by a blade. SLF on helis think its all over when the aircraft hits back on the ground. By telling them 'Dont move until the blades have stopped' sticks in their brain even when their adrenaline is pumped up and their judgement is pants.

[Whirlybird]

And suppose there was a fire? Engine failure isn't the only possible emergency. I'd rather have them get well away from the helicopter, personally.

[wg13_dummy]

Agreed. Its all about risk assessment. In my experience, tell the pax to sit still until you say otherwise. It makes it easy for them then. As we all know, pax tend to leave common sense and their brain in the crew room when the big fan is spinning. You have to treat them like sheep.

Any landing that isn't 'planned' or doesn't have someone to supervise, its often better to brief 'sit still'.

Shout 'fire' after you've popped it on a bit of sloping ground and the pax will have a haircut. Sods law.

As you know, there is no such thing as a 'standard or routine' emergency so any brief is only valid for a particular scenario. I guess its what you believe is greatest potential threat at the time. Haircut or a Simon Weston makeover?

[bvgs]

Its also worth pointing out to them that unlike the seatbelts in an aircraft that release when the flap is lifted about 30 degrees, the ones in the Robbie require a full 90 degrees lift to release. Every emergency is going to be different but unless there's a fire I would brief them to stay where they are 'til the blades stop or you brief them otherwise.

It is also worth noting that the R44 can be quite limited ion power with 4 adults and fuel, you have a weight and balance issue to consider....no point being within the overall gross weight with 2 people like me in the front and 2 light ones in the back and find that as you burn off your fuel you have a problem. I personally would have some training with some people in the back from your local flight school with an instructor. I did this (not at my request but their's) and found I was right on the limit of Manifold pressure and had to hover taxi very close to the ground to take all the power I could have.

Safe flying

[Twiddle]

I once had a 4 bag Billy barfa, so I now recommend that if there's any chance of them needing to blow chunks they at least eat bananas, as it's apparently the only food that doesn't smell too bad and tastes the same in each direction! yech!!

[borjaracing]

Just something I´m missing in your otherwise brilliant answers. It´s covered in the R44´s manual regarding pax, but hey, it´s worth to bring up your attention to dual controls. Frank says not to carry them when flying passengers, period. However, if you do carry them and want to let the co-joe a go, brief him in not touching them unless you tell him to do so. I agree with mr Robinson, since people when panic tend to grab anything in their reach, something not very nice in an auto... :\
Tell them not to grab onto you in case something goes wrong!!! Might seem stupid, but I´ve seen it!!!! If they don´t have a cyclic to hang onto, they will hang on you (because you´ll be as stiff as a lamp post due to tension :} ). And be prepare to knock them down if they desobey....

Safe flying!

[Whirlybird]

I've had a trial lesson student panic and grab me, so yes, it can happen. Not nice. :(

[bladewashout]

I believe that Frank's rule applies to company staff taking passengers who are customers of the company, and the limit is 300 hrs, but still hearsay!

BW