Heliport, thanks for the invitation.
As mentioned before, I did some mountain training in New Zealand. I have a UK PPL(H). My flying in NZ was all in R22s and started off more as do-a-bit-of-mountain-flying and ended up with more than I'd anticipated.
Given the usual caveats (the mistakes are all mine and don't try this at home without adult supervision), here's a list-ish sort of summary:
After some briefing, I spent a while flying up and down valleys: Choosing which part of the valley to fly in, to gain lift from funneled wind, to provide space to turn when necessary and to maintain a margin of safety for engine failure, typically 2/3rds up the windward face of the valley. And learning to fly without a reliable horizon, particularly flying up or down a valley: As the valley floor drops away, there's a tendency to accelerate and as the floor rises, there's a tendency to slow, so being aware of these and watching the ASI helps maintain the chosen AS.
In landings, the three most important factors are the S's, the W's and Power:
S's - the Sun, preferably not in your eyes. The Skids - will they fit? And the other five S's I remember from UK confined area operations - Size, Shape, Surrounds, Surface and Slope.
W's - Wind direction, Wires, Way in, Way out, escape Woute
and Wubbish
Power: In the UK I'd been taught a straight & level power check to determine Manifold Pressure requirement for landing and a comparison with the placarded max allowed.
Instead, to determine the power requirement: Check the 2’ HIGE MP indicated at T/O. The same indicated MP will be required for HIGE at whatever altitude, higher or lower, although this will correspond to a lower power at lower altitude or higher power at higher altitude, as density varies. However, if you’ve burned a load of fuel, less power and so a lower MP may be needed and so a 53kt S+L power check may be sensible .
Power available may not be as placarded - in flight, pull collective until E+R just start to droop (but are still in the green) and note MP. This is MP available. Remember, the power that a given MP equates to varies with density.
Power available determines whether landing is possible - and how: 53kt S+L +3" for a running landing, +4" for a 0/0, +5" for towering and for the 2' HIGE - as in T/O power check, +6" for HOGE vertical, +7" for vertical.
Fly the landing site recce tightly at 60kts, with the site on your side, kept in view and crane round to keep it in sight. When choosing an approach, a conventional circuit, with a normal downwind leg may not be best to a pinnacle or a ridge. Consider flying up the downwind slope, downwind-ish, being carried up by lifting air and turning into wind for the landing site. Avoid the lee side of the slope, if possible, as this has down currents.
A steep approach from the lee side of the landing site avoids more of the falling air than a shallow approach.
Make sure that there's a way out to go around if necessary, which should need no more than a gentle peel-off.
Once landed, pump the cyclic up and down to settle the skids into snow. And don’t park on the downhill bit - try to keep the engine over the highpoint of a knoll to avoid the aircraft going skiing – with or without you!
On completing a go-around for an aborted approach, ensure you have positive VSI before turning downwind, to avoid the combination of a falling aircraft and rising ground…
When you're trying to work out the wind direction from grass tussocks, typically on the recce, look at a tussock for a moment or two and if it doesn't give you the answer, look at another instead. It seems obvious to me now, but wasn't until I was told!
When departing, don’t leave the security of your spot until E+R are at the top of the green (not drooping) and you have a significant, satisfactory rate of climb. Then accelerate forward – into wind – for a max rate of climb and get a good A/S before turning. Beware of overpitching - pulling more collective than there is power: The E+R will droop before the Low RPM horn (or GPW horn
) sounds.
The sloping ground in the mountains is not only deceptive for AS, as I discovered approaching an ag strip in a sloping valley. Despite thinking I had a good approach angle, I found I had been well below the site elevation, having been deceived by the inclined strip.
Cross ridges at an angle, to allow a way out with a gentle turn if necessary.
In turbulence - reduce speed and power immediately.
One interesting sloping ground difference from my UK training was landing only the skid tips for very sloping ground passenger dis/embarcation.
Mountains, certainly in the South Island of NZ, but probably everywhere, are far more attractive places to fly in than the flatlands of East Anglia, not just for the flying, but for the scenery, which I can't do justice to. The weather seemed more reliable than UK weather too, particularly considering it was winter.
Watching the Robinson Safety Video, I finally grasped mast bumping, which was an improvement on my previous rather tenuous hold. I haven't seen the video in the UK, nor had my UK instructors.
The greatest difference between the UK & NZ PPL(H) syllabi is the compulsory mountain training in NZ. Another is slingloading, a Kiwi PPL option, which isn't permitted on a UK PPL. By the time I'd flown on five consecutive days, I'd covered the mountain training component of the PPL(H) and after a little revision, some low flying (from which I guess that nap-of-the-earth flying may be the most fun to be had with trousers on), another exam paper, a Biannual Flight Review (the Kiwi equivalent of the Licence Proficiency Check) and a remarkably small a mount of money, I found myself with a Kiwi PPL.
Did I like it all? Enough to have just found my way back to NZ.
FAD