Whirlybird asked:
Now, how much difference does landing into wind make, is what I'm still wondering? Unless the wind is really strong, could your novice fairly safely forget about it?
I guess the answer to that depends on two things: what kind of surface you have underneath you; and whether you don't care about damaging the aircraft.
Check this out:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...05X00168&key=1
The pilot was delivering a brand-new EC-120 from Grand Prairie to Alaska. He had just left the factory and was cruising along at 500 feet agl with the wind at his back (probably enjoying the high groundspeed) when he developed a power problem. I guess Eurocopter didn't focus much on 180 autos. He put the lever down and set up for a field right in front of him (it was Texas, after all). He got it down okay, but evidently during the ground run, a skid dug in and the ship rolled onto it's side. Ouch.
Some would say, "Good job!" and leave it at that. But somewhere there was a commercial helicopter operator without the use of a (needed?) aircraft until a replacement could be procured. Somewhere there was an insurance company executive writing a check for the repair costs (minus deductable) of a brand-new EC-120. And somewhere there was a pilot with a very red face who will always wonder, "What if I had flown at 700 agl so I would have had a chance to turn into the wind?" (Let us hope that the unspoken question which will forever run through his mind is not, "What if I had
known which way the wind was coming from that day?")
Is landing into the wind important? Obviously. To get back to the original question of this thread: Is a second or so enough?
It's not good enough to be an "average" or an "okay" or "so-so" helicopter pilot. That might work in fixed-wing, which tolerate such foolishness. Sometimes helicopters do not abide anything but perfect technique. And if you find yourself in one of those situations where you have 1.1 second to
do something, you better hope to God that you're not only as good as you think you are, but as good as the situatioin demands.