Hairyplane,
most if not all tail strikes on a Robinson are induced by the pilot!
Wrong reaction to something:
# low-g
# imminent bird strike (mostly imagined)
# botched full touch down auto
# extrem overcontrol
Crab:
How many hours (or minutes?) do you have in Robinsons?
Your statement about low-g is only partial correct:
Though the helicopter will not react to control inputs when in zero or low g, the rotor is NOT free to do what it wants!
If you keep the cyclic centered it will stay parallel to the body just fine, the swashplate will keep the pitch where the pilot selects it and centrifugal force (or was it centripedal force?) keeps the blades in check with the mast.
Low g by itself is not the great killer either, it is actually (relatively) harmless, IF the pilot knows how to react when it is encountered.
The tail rotor induced roll is what makes non-aware pilots push to the left (in Robinsons and Bells), then, because of the low g nothing happens and they push, fast, hard to the limit - bang, mast bumping!
Roll to the right is just the start, it will also get the nose rather very low, of course now we are already scared ****less and smack the cyclic aft until it bends over the rear stop, just in time to have the rotor flex down enough to cut the tailboom!
Guess where they found out about it the first time:
Vientnam, with the all time favorite Huey!!
... when the Cobras came around they had allready figured out what the ***k is going on and how to avoid that part!!
So don't blame the R, just because you don't like it!
By the way there are a lot of Bell's getting trashed lately with LTE - speak " to weak a tail rotor on the bells!"
Also once you get Mast bumping on the Bell you don't worry about cutting your tail, you won't have a rotor to do that!
I'd rather take my chance in a Robinson!!
And yes I have time in R's (plenty!) and in Jet Rangers ( scant 60 hrs, but it was enough to show me its limits)
By the way the explanation of the low-g and teetering rotor movement didn't grow on my grey hair, but was shamelessly copied from THE man that teaches the Robinson Safety Course all over the world! (The man has around 16000 hours split between Bells, incl Hueys and Robinsons, he knows what he talks about!)
Hairyplane:
To the bird strike on the R-44.
We see them occasionally, mainly vultures and it is NO fun!
Never got one in the TR, lucky me!
Killed a couple of them with the MR though:
Worst case you have a shallow dent (no problem) somewhere on the blade. Generally the Robinson blade is VERY hard on the leading edge and takes the bird apart - tissue all over the helicopter, but that is it.
Vultures will take evasive action IF they feel/see you coming. Observe them and choose a course that will avoid impact, IF you can do so WITHOUT BIG INPUTS!!!
This will get you in big trouble, generally without even hitting the bird!!
IF you cannot avoid the bird, try to get the rotor between him and you, but again WITHOUT BIG INPUTS!!
The worst case is always if you don't see the birds and the strike comes through the bubble and hits you.
I saw this 2 times on the same helicopter (...most likely distracted pilot....), but he was lucky and he only got some vulture guts on his business suite and a new bubbles fixed the R-44.
Another guy in a Bell 206 was not that lucky 5 years ago, he got killed by the bird on impact and the 206 crashed, however most of the passengers survived with bruises and scratches.
Generally, just watch them, most birds never get close enough to do harm.
Most dangerous situations ( low g, extreme overcontrol) are caused by NOT necessary evasive manaeuvers!
You will be very happy with your 44!
Just do yourself a favor and afford a good high time instructor every now and then and have him do emergency training and advanced maneuvers with you!!
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