Hi RW,
I think there is a lot of misinformation talked about engine off landings (as they are called in the UK), as you probably know you have to demonstrate one in your test for your PPL here.
like all these kind of things the only people who are actually any good at them are instructors, and only because they get a lot of practice.
I think the american system of not doing them leads to a sort of mystique they they are very hard in some way, wheras I think that they are a bit of an art and it is all about style and using the correct technique,
what I do in a R22 is
1. during the descent keep the speed on at 65 knots
2.RPM steady top of the green
3.Close the throttle into the detent
4. about 40 feet nudge the cyclic aft to start the flare
5. hold the flare to see how it is going
6. when you get closer to the ground, develop the flare to get rid of all that speed and rate of descent
7. at the critical moment, level it and raise the lever.
it is sort of a 2 stage flare, made easier by the bit where you hold the flare as this enables you to vary things if you started the flare a little early or a little late.
I dont beleive that if you can do them to the hover that you can do them to the ground, they are a different skill in my opinion.
I have done hundreds of them and have so far got away with them, there are 2 groups of instructors, those who have messed them up and those who have yet to mess them up.
when you get the hang of them it gives you much greater confidence in your self which doing them to the hover just doesnt.
most of the training accidents seem to be when 1 or more of the following conditions are not met.
1. wind at least 10 knots
2. wind more or less straight down the runway
3. less than 10 gallons of fuel on board (R22)
every opportunity you get do them (always with a high time instructor) many low time instructors are allowed to do them when they are not ready and are a risk to themselves and you !
on another point, I read that in the US that you dont have to do confined area operations to get your PPL, so I wondered if there was anything else missing from the FAA PPL that is in the JAR PPL as we have already mentioned engine off landings.
be careful out there !
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elpirata
[This message has been edited by elpirata (edited 15 May 2001).]