Looking for comments on being caught in uncomfortable turbulence in the R44 and/or B206.
The other day I had to do a photo shoot and survey in an R44. I collected the pax from a city airfield situated in a bowl bordered around the South to NW by a high ridge, rising to 1000' above the airfield. Wind at the airfield was NW steady 6 knots. As I climbed through 1000' AGL to get over the ridge, and still 2 miles out from it, I suddenly found myself in severe turbulence. Glancing at the GPS I had 35Kts groundspeed, with approx 80Kts indicated.
There was no prior indication of the strong wind coming over the ridge, and Met had given a 10 to 15kt N to NW forecast for the day.
We bounced around horrifically while still over the city with a couple of miles to go to get clear of the built up area.
I slowed to 65 to 70Kts, climbed and eventually cleared the ridge.
Had to return to the airfield after a couple of hours to refuel and change pax, and ATC had me route from the West to the airfield. This time I had to descend through the turbulence with the wind from behind - no other way to get to the ground or the airfield.
Also very unpleasant!
The flight manual says don't fly in severe turbulence - but what about during the time where you are trying to get out of it when caught unawares or where the task at hand means flying in uncomfortable turbulence for a while.
What are the margins for safety or how great is the danger (before possible mast bumping or overstressing etc.) - especially with the wind from behind (as in for example taking the shortest route away from a built up area?)
I also had a similar experience recently flying the B206 in uncomfortable low level turbulence doing heli tours along a beachfront - wind tumbling off a coastal ridge and through high rise beachfront buildings!
Can anyone with regular experience of flying R44's or B206's in rough winds and turbulence comment on the safety of working in these conditions. The two bladed systems don't give a feeling of security!
Look forward to learning from some of your experiences ...
