r44 floats

[chopperjack]

Hi All, just wondering what the difference is in clearance above water line (if any) from bottom of r44 belly between raven and clippers, with either fixed or pop out floats (when helicopter has landed in water). Which configuration has greatest clearance above water? Cheers!

[sloanemallorca]

The R44 with fixed floats:

Depends on float PSI and aircraft weight, but will sink pretty low, when heavy it will sink well past the black area on the floats, leaving just a couple of inches, at best, between belly and water.

Here: R44 Clipper II, 2 POB, 1/2 Fuel, around 3 PSI.

http://www.sloanemallorca.com/assets/images/gallery/68.jpg

[chopperjack]

Hi Sloane, thanks for your reply :) Do you know if Ravens with fixed floats would sit higher out of the water, given the lower skid profile on clippers?

[sloanemallorca]

You can't turn a Raven into a Clipper, but you can retro fit Dart floats to a Raven. I don't know the height in water of Dart floats.

Clipper skid gear is 1.5 inches higher than a Raven.

Total height of a Raven is 129 inches, compared to 130.5 inches on a Clipper.