Which is the best helicopter for training?
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I also started flying on R22/R44 and they are great helicopters. But if I would have to start all over again, I would defnitley choose the G2 as a training helicopter.
And think about the times after you got licence.
Are you going to charter ?
Will you get your own helicopter ?
This is far more importend then the question on what helicopter to do your training on.
And think about the times after you got licence.
Are you going to charter ?
Will you get your own helicopter ?
This is far more importend then the question on what helicopter to do your training on.
When anyone starts their flight training, they are going to find things challenging, regardless of what type of helicopter they are learning in. Yes, the R22 is a little bit less stable than the H300 or Enstrom but if you have no experience at all, you can't judge this lack of stability until you can fly and then compare them. The R22 makes good pilots. If you can fly the R22, you will master every other machine. You never know, you might be a natural talent and the Robbie will present no problem to you at all. Good luck with your training.
500 Fan.
500 Fan.
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If you do learn to fly the R22, and fly it well, then after that you should be able to fly an "Ironing Board" .....minus Iron of course.
Peter R-B
Lancashire
Peter R-B
Lancashire
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I had a trail flight on the 300 last year and I seemed to take to it ok. However im about to start my PPL H in jan and im going to learn on a R22 as its cheaper so fly and ive also been told the same it will make you a better chopper pilot! This however is just what ive been told not what I know!
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EGB are indeed! The cab is built and the engine is sitting on a dolly just behind ready to be fitted. It should be in-service and ready for anyone staring in January.
I had the pleasure of a (very short) flight in the G2. I liked it very much.
As to R22 "limitations" - all helicopters have their limitations and it will get interesting very quickly if you go beyond them.
I had the pleasure of a (very short) flight in the G2. I liked it very much.
As to R22 "limitations" - all helicopters have their limitations and it will get interesting very quickly if you go beyond them.
I definitely don't agree with people saying "If you can fly the R22 you can master every other machine". Every machine is different.
Try going straight onto the S300 from the R22 and see how you fair out!
Try going straight onto the S300 from the R22 and see how you fair out!
I can see no reason why anyone who is signed off on the R22 can't transition onto the S300 with the required training. Yes, you will have the added workload of a manual throttle but operating the throttle manually should have been covered during your R22 training. The move from the R22 onto your second type will probably be the most difficult transition, depending on the type. If you go from the R22 to the R44, it should be achieved reasonably easily. Pretty much every type after the R22 is an improvement in terms of stability and that is the reasoning behind my comment that the R22 makes good pilots and allows you "to master every other machine" (with the proper training on that other machine).
All of this is largely dependent on one's level of talent and aptitude for piloting a helicopter and we are all different in that respect. I certainly can lay no claim to being a talented or natural pilot but I know the experience gained from flying the R22 has helped when flying the few other types I have been privileged to fly.
500 Fan.
All of this is largely dependent on one's level of talent and aptitude for piloting a helicopter and we are all different in that respect. I certainly can lay no claim to being a talented or natural pilot but I know the experience gained from flying the R22 has helped when flying the few other types I have been privileged to fly.
500 Fan.
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Thank you all for your answers.
Good piece of advice.
Originally Posted by Doinmabest
you should be considering the School and instructors that will be teaching you and not the type of helicopter you would like to choose.
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London Helicopter Centres (now British International Helicopters) also at Redhill.
Try the R22 and others and make your own mind up. There are a number of reasons why the 22 has been flown for many years at training schools worldwide.
Also, get a 'feel' for the training school before you part with lots of cash.
Try the R22 and others and make your own mind up. There are a number of reasons why the 22 has been flown for many years at training schools worldwide.
Also, get a 'feel' for the training school before you part with lots of cash.
Death trap, FSX?
Rubbish.
It is a thoroughly engineered machine and does what it was designed to do, and does it well.
But if you use it for things that were not the original design, you need to think a bit. Apply common sense.
The R22 was the first piston engine helicopter I flew, after 7000 hours turbine. I found it to be a real handful, but after an hour or so, it turned out to be just another helicopter. Small, twitchy, but fun to fly.
Rubbish.
It is a thoroughly engineered machine and does what it was designed to do, and does it well.
But if you use it for things that were not the original design, you need to think a bit. Apply common sense.
The R22 was the first piston engine helicopter I flew, after 7000 hours turbine. I found it to be a real handful, but after an hour or so, it turned out to be just another helicopter. Small, twitchy, but fun to fly.
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FSX - what grounds
I have flown 22 for 3 years-no problem. A close friend has flown combat in Iraq and afgan in many types and has instructed on Apache for last 4 years.
He recently wanted to get out and get commercial rating but has been teaching in simulator so the authorities asked him to do 12 hours real flying.
They sent him to a school -WITH R22....
He asked me for a trial before he went off to the school.
He picked it up really quickly and ABSOLUTELY LOVES FLYING THE 22.
He recently wanted to get out and get commercial rating but has been teaching in simulator so the authorities asked him to do 12 hours real flying.
They sent him to a school -WITH R22....
He asked me for a trial before he went off to the school.
He picked it up really quickly and ABSOLUTELY LOVES FLYING THE 22.
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I've come to thinking, after reading many of the comments on the Glasgow pub crash, that one may debate the merits of different aircraft until the cows come home, but until some decent lobal activity occurs in the participants of training then what is the use?
I should qualify that by directing that logic towards many of the posts from younger and less experienced people.
I should qualify that by directing that logic towards many of the posts from younger and less experienced people.
If it were not for the R22, many of us on these forums quite possibly wouldn't be flying today. 
Don't let the naysayers put you off. Get a feel for the instructor and the school first. Never, and i'll repeat, never pay up front. It may save you a few ££ an hour but believe me it could save a lot more in the long run.
Is Mike H still instructing? He did my instructor course in an R22. A great guy and you won't find much more experience in an R22 with a guy as nice as he is.
Don't let the naysayers put you off. Get a feel for the instructor and the school first. Never, and i'll repeat, never pay up front. It may save you a few ££ an hour but believe me it could save a lot more in the long run.
Is Mike H still instructing? He did my instructor course in an R22. A great guy and you won't find much more experience in an R22 with a guy as nice as he is.
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Helicopter lesssons
Im hoping someone can help me with this. I want to learn how to fly then buy a helicopter for personal use as im now in a position to enjoy life and do what I want to do. I am either going to buy a Gazelle or an EC120/130. Not sure which one yet. But my question is. Can I learn to fly in one of these aircrafts or do I have to learn in a Robinson. If I can, which one would be best and which school in the UK is best to teach me? any feedback would be grateful thank you
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Welcome to Rotorheads Charlie9901!
http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/253...ter-pilot.html
I would suggest you read the sticky above to begin with if you haven't already done so, but to answer your question, you don't have to learn to fly in a Robinson, you could learn in any single engine helicopter, but it is more economical to learn in a smaller piston engine helicopter than a larger turbine engine machine like the ones you have mentioned.
However if cost is not a factor then in theory you could learn to fly in a turbine, I know a guy who did his entire PPL(H) on a Bell 206, but he is a very experienced airline pilot in his day job so found it fairly easy.
Regarding your choice of helicopters, an EC120 would be a good personal helicopter for private use in my opinion, however an EC130 would be bigger and more expensive to run. The Gazelle is a different kettle of fish as there are few civilian versions about, and ex-mil versions have certain restrictions regarding use and carrying passengers etc. In recent years some privately owned Gazelles have come to grief in the hands of thier owners so that would be worth doing some research on first.
Good luck with your adventure!
BC
http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/253...ter-pilot.html
I would suggest you read the sticky above to begin with if you haven't already done so, but to answer your question, you don't have to learn to fly in a Robinson, you could learn in any single engine helicopter, but it is more economical to learn in a smaller piston engine helicopter than a larger turbine engine machine like the ones you have mentioned.
However if cost is not a factor then in theory you could learn to fly in a turbine, I know a guy who did his entire PPL(H) on a Bell 206, but he is a very experienced airline pilot in his day job so found it fairly easy.
Regarding your choice of helicopters, an EC120 would be a good personal helicopter for private use in my opinion, however an EC130 would be bigger and more expensive to run. The Gazelle is a different kettle of fish as there are few civilian versions about, and ex-mil versions have certain restrictions regarding use and carrying passengers etc. In recent years some privately owned Gazelles have come to grief in the hands of thier owners so that would be worth doing some research on first.
Good luck with your adventure!
BC