The Thing I Couldn't Do .....

[Peter3127]

I am a 10 hour student with the good fortune to have already enjoyed basic handling, climbing and descending, even got my pick ups and landings pretty smooth.

Pattern hovering around the nose was easy. Turns around the tail just seem wrong (as an aside, I know paradoxically that putting your tail rotor where you know it is safe is a good thing, that said putting your tail rotor where you cannot see it feels like closing your eyes and feeling for a mousetrap in the dark with your ... um, you know :mad:). Turns around the tail are the thing doing my head in right now. The Thing I Can't Do!

Back to the script .... when it comes to putting all the basics together for circuits ..... it seems like it will never happen. I know it will, but it is a true one step forward, two back learning experience. Especially as an adult. And we all have had those moments in learning (bathed in sweat with the gentle encouragement from the instructor "You know what to do, so fix it!" in your ear).

I would love to hear for the benefit of those of us on the journey what, Ye Olde Skye Gods, remember as the the "Thing You Couldn't Do", but ultimately conquered.

And if you could tell us how you did ... we will hold you in moderate to above average esteem forever. :ok:

[Shawn Coyle]

Peter:
Visualization is the key to this, or any maneuver. If you haven't read 'Jonathan Livingstone Seagull', I highly recommend it as a key to 'perfect flying'.
Soon you'll be able to do this naturally, and will be hard pressed to figure out how you actually did it.

[Wageslave]

Seconded. JLS should be mandatory reading for every stude.
Invaluable.

[hillberg]

The only thing I can't do? Make lots of money!:rolleyes:

[louisnewmark]

This is a great thread starter, Peter.
First and foremost, though:


it is a true one step forward, two back learning experience


Look at what you can do now that you couldn't ten flying hours ago - yes, there are challenges, but you've proven to yourself that at worst you've managed two steps forward and one back, 'cos you've made progress!

Shawn is spot on (unsurprisingly!) - visualisation is everything. Practice in your mind over & over again until you are 'comfortable'. The benefit of this is that you can take your time, 're-fly' the part that you aren't happy with and guess what: it doesn't cost a cent...

My personal helicopter 'Thing I Couldn't Do' came a bit later, when I was converting to Sea Kings; I couldn't properly suss out the full flare recovery. I hadn't had a problem with engine-offs on the Gazelle, but the SK flare technique was sufficiently different that I found it a real struggle. Once I'd joined my first squadron I pestered my more experienced colleagues to beast me with PFLs at every opportunity until I got it worked out, helped significantly by their advice. By the time I finished flying the mighty King one of my favourite exercises was PFLs from various whacky positions finishing with a FFR (usually) over a designated spot, and encouraging first-tour pilots to challenge themselves in the same way. It seemed very odd by then that something that seemed so natural had ever seemed so difficult, but I never forgot that it had been so and kept that at the front of my mind when flying with those new pilots.

So my suggestions:
1. Ask for and read as much advice from others, especially those with more experience, as you reasonably can.
2. Think hard about all of it (not all will necessarily be good advice!).
3. Fly the exercises in your mind until you are confident it will work before you do it for real.
4. Try very hard (and it is hard!) not to beat yourself up over something that doesn't work for you yet - keep following suggestions 1, 2 and 3 and it soon will.

My flying hours are comfortably in 4 figures, but I still carry a notebook in my pocket to record my sudden thoughts or 'top tips' from others which I can then think over later, applying points 1-4 above if necessary.

Good luck!

Louis

PS I might give JLS a try...

[Arm out the window]

I agree that turns around the nose and tail are a visualisation kind of thing, but one point to note about them that might make it easier is to consider the direction of movement vs. direction of yaw.

These turns are a combination of a translatory movement, ie you're bodily moving your arse one way or the other, and yaw.

Let's talk about a turn around the nose.

To start, I pick a spot on the ground in front of me and imagine the little circle my backside will follow around that point.
I'll use lateral cyclic to start that motion, and pedal to keep myself pointing at the spot.
If my backside is moving to the right, I'll need to yaw left to keep pointing at the correct place - ie the direction of yaw is opposite to that of translational movement. Also, there'll be one full turn of yaw for each full circle I make.
It's easy to see if I'm using the right amount of yaw, because the chosen spot will stay there right in front of me.

The turn around the tail is a bit more nebulous, as it means imagining how long the helicopter is and using that mental judgement to keep the tail in one place as you turn.

Note here that if, as before, I move my backside to the right, I'll now need right yaw to keep myself pointing directly away from the spot where the tail is (ie to keep the tail in that spot). So now, the directions of both yaw and bodily movement are the same.

Also, because my backside is now at the outer part of the big circle rather than the inner part, it'll have to physically move a lot further over the ground. That means a good deal more lateral cyclic compared to the amount of yaw, but again, one full turn of yaw will be needed for each full circle.
It's just that my body is sweeping further over the ground during that big circle it's making.

Don't know if that's of any help, but keep it up and you'll get there.

[Ascend Charlie]

AOTW, you didn't mention the forward or aft movement as well.

For a turn around the nose, it is a move-left, yaw-right, move-forward exercise. Without the forward movement, you will move away in a straight line while rotating about your mast.

Same with a turn around the tail: move-left, yaw-left, move-backwards.

Imagine some person holding onto your stinger and swinging you around in a circle. It helps to choose markers for each quadrant, so you know that if you are lined up with each marker after each 90 degrees, then the instructor must be flying it.:8

[Arm out the window]

Good point!

[Brian Abraham]

Learning to ride a bike seemed an impossible challenge, as did learning to swim. Can do the former, but the latter............ I'm the one in the shallow end of the pool.......... with floaties. :p

It will come Peter, and as with all new skills gained you'll be wandering what the problem was.

Amazing Helicopter Flying Snoopy - YouTube

[Peter3127]

These are great responses - the value people have put on visualisation is an eye opener for one. :D

I appreciate greatly the words of encouragement and I know, as several people have said, it will come and I will wonder what the fuss is. It was not that long ago I was convinced I would never hover.

I would still encourage those of you who now have conquered "the thing they couldn't do" and gone on to be Igor's Spiritual Love Children to share with us neophytes any practical tips on how you did it. I am also interested to know if any of these difficulties ever return to you even today.

As an aside, it seems to me that the best instructors are the ones that have struggled themselves at some point. The "gifted" rotary pilots who woke up one day and could fly whatever ship they chose to turn their attentions to seem to scratch their heads a bit when you learn to hover, progress to circuits and then suddenly can't turn left without climbing. Again. :)

Never underestimate the value of the simplest tips shared. There are many of us who read these threads silently, lapping up the crumbs of wisdom from you folks.

Cheers,

[lynx-effect]

Ha Ha! I feel ok putting my tail rotor somewhere that I cannot see because I have already checked there before hand. I have just found that book on the family book shelf and am intrigued! Best regards.

[Wageslave]

I'm waiting with bated breath for the first few "Wow" responses to JLS, especially from the ex military guys. I suspect there are going to be one or two people who thought they were picking up a soppy kids book and got very very surprised! Let's see.

And Peter, we all had sticky spots in our training and got past them. Work at it and you will too. (Fly circuits in the bath, I did) And best of luck. Let us know when you've cracked it will you?

[seagreenmaid]

Peter, I'm only a few hours ahead of you, so I haven't got much useful to say here, other than visualisation works! I think the reason I've managed as well as I have so far is the amount of 'mental flying' I do, especially while waiting to fall asleep, just going over manoeuvres til they feel second nature. And yes, I have read JLS!

[topendtorque]

Ha Ha! I feel ok putting my tail rotor somewhere that I cannot see because I have already checked there before hand.

Ha Hah indeed, good advice for all pilots with their 'tail'.

Distance perception was a problem for me in the beginning with one slightly lazy eye. I had to constantly do distance comparisons against the height of trees or length of runways etc. It was very hard to 'see' a profile.

Then at three hundred hours I knew exactly where to put the machine with regard to being in the best positiion for shifting cattle, but how to get it there? That took a while. Go round again get into wind again try better next time etc.

[Peter-RB]

Peter,

Firstly dont give up, ...when I was at the early learning stage, I could not find that magic little thing to hover in one spot I was taught on the R22 but at that point I didnt realise just how twitchy that machine was, yet there was me holing the stick full of willpower and muscle, but could I stop that heli from wandering oor yawing with the wind, no chance, I was even more frustrated when my lady instructor at Egnh took control to show me yet again just who easy it was, my problem was one of overcompensating and trying to guess the oposite from where the wind had pushed me from, I was swinging about like a clock weight, I was truly so hacked off I was on the verge of giving up, so we stopped went for a break and a talk.

next flight 20 mins later I went out and after my prep of the heli off we went again, two pilots had spoken to me and both said the same thing relax and forget you iron grip, I did, and it worked, I was even congratulated by the tower who were very quiet on this day, no doubt I had impressed them with how to do a Waltz with the R22.

Its now just like ridng a bike, only a might more expensive!

Peter R-B

[albatross]

Read:
"Fate is the Hunter" By Ernest K Gann along with all his other books. Do not watch the movie which is BS from start to finish.
Stranger to the Ground - by Richard Bach the same guy who wrote JLSeagull
Chicken Hawk by Robert Mason flying Hueys in Vietnam.

Then read them one more time.

I also recommend anything ever written by Nevil Shute (SP) especially "Landfall, Pastoral and the best of the best "Rainbow and the Rose" - Slide Rule" are especially interesting to the pilot.

I was always told the you had to have philosophy (SP) of flying not just blindly follow a checklist to your bloody end. LOL
\

[HowlingMad Murdock]

Peter3127 - All the best with your flying! http://dwightschultz.freeforums.org/download/file.php?icon=heli.gif (http://dwightschultz.freeforums.org/posting.php?mode=reply&f=43&t=4408#)

Shawn Coyle - have just read JLS - fantastic! thanks for the

'heads up' on that -informative and inspirational - nice!

[Peter3127]

I admit I was skeptical, but I read JLS (thank you to Ye Olde Sky Gods for the imparted wisdom) and spent a good week visualising circuits and spot turns in strong winds.

A special thanks to Shawn Coyle and Wageslave for the heads-up to be a seagull. I enjoyed also the free admission to the cricket, and the chips .....


Went out today in a solid and gusty 15kts .... et voila, I have to admit you folks were right!


A humble thanks, what a huge difference from the mere hour (flying) ago that I put out my plaintive plea for wisdom. I would not have thought (from my past experience) that a few hours in bed/on a beanbag/in the car doing the "run through" would make such a difference in something so .... difficult/easy.

Now, tell me how I can afford my own one again (AS 350B3)? Do I just think really really hard? :)

(p.s. Euro rotors, and pedals and stick, and tongue .... the semi-opposite ... are beyond my comprehension just now - B407 anyone? - but my local visionaries tell me, again, "it's an attitude control, look out the window and fix it". I will channel JLS .......)