Flying with another pilot who "handles" the controls
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
Posts: 14,576
Received 431 Likes
on
227 Posts
After a routine instructor change during my basic rotary course I latterly flew with one particularly nervous military helicopter instructor. I soon realised that he was over-riding me on the controls during my engine off landings; I'd done enough of them quite successfully with other QHIs to work out what he was up to.
However, as a sprog pilot officer I wasn't quite sure what to do about it. Then one morning I just grew totally tired of it, relaxed on the controls and followed him through; not surprisingly to me, the aircraft landed "all by itself". Once on the ground he began debriefing me on his own landing!
I just turned to him and politely cut him short. I told him that that I hadn't actually flown the aircraft after we had entered auto-rotation. I told him because it had become obvious he wanted to do all the landings, rather than let me practice, I had let him do that one all by himself! He coughed and spluttered and went quite red faced at me but then he broke eye contact and I knew my point was made. Surprisingly, or perhaps not, nothing was ever said outside of the cockpit and the following landings were done with his hands and feet off the controls.
However, as a sprog pilot officer I wasn't quite sure what to do about it. Then one morning I just grew totally tired of it, relaxed on the controls and followed him through; not surprisingly to me, the aircraft landed "all by itself". Once on the ground he began debriefing me on his own landing!
I just turned to him and politely cut him short. I told him that that I hadn't actually flown the aircraft after we had entered auto-rotation. I told him because it had become obvious he wanted to do all the landings, rather than let me practice, I had let him do that one all by himself! He coughed and spluttered and went quite red faced at me but then he broke eye contact and I knew my point was made. Surprisingly, or perhaps not, nothing was ever said outside of the cockpit and the following landings were done with his hands and feet off the controls.
