To: RW-1
Whether you or any other pilot fly a Robinson out of trim or in a sideslip is of no importance to me. However when I mention these recommendations as contained in the POH I am repeating those words and not words I constructed to warn any Robinson pilots out there. The inclusion of an unnumbered page in the POH even though it shows FAA approval means that technically that page is not a part of the POH as it does not appear in the amendments index in the POH. Therefore the suggestions can be ignored. However if the helicopter suffers mast bumping as a result of the violation of the recommendations then your ass is grass and Frank Robinson is the lawnmower.
The UK has taken an entirely different view relative to the AD that resulted in the inclusion of the unnumbered page in the POH.
Here is what the UK CAA Safety Regulation Group has to say.
With regards to your (my) comments about the Pilot’s Operating handbook for their R-22. The situation in the UK is as follows:
The notes on main Rotor stall and mast bumping that are contained in the “Normal Procedures” page that you claim are missing in from many POH in the UK were issued by Robinson to reflect the text in FAA AD 95-26-04. This page only covers part of the AD. The AD is mandatory for all UK registered R-22 helicopters and introduces additional MANDATORY information into the limitations section of the POH. The AD also includes advisory information for inclusion into the Normal Procedures and Emergency Procedures sections of the POH.
UK operators must have all three parts of the AD incorporated into their POH. The Robinson pages are not identified and are therefore uncontrolled and in their present form, are not considered by the UK CAA as an acceptable alternative means of compliance with the AD. The pages may be used as being additional to the AD.
The issue of the AD was promulgated in the UK General Aviation Safety Information Leaflet (GASIL) No. 2 of 1995.
In summary, it is not necessary to have the “Robinson” page in the POH as it only provides information additional to the AD.
The situation with AD 95-26-05 for the R-44 is similar.
We will be highlighting the AD and the requirement for the information to be in the POH in our next issue of the GASIL.
Yours sincerely
Garry Bissopp
Safety Data Unit
Dated 03 November 2000
In other words, Mr. Bissopp was indicating that UK Robinson pilots are held to a tighter restriction that US pilots. And he feels as I do that the unnumbered page although signed by the FAA is not fully effective as it does not truly reflect the AD that caused its’ issue.
This possibly might explain why there have only been 4-5 mast separations in the UK and so many more in the USA.