PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Bell 206 - Common errors, performance, handling & C of G characteristics...
Old 7th Feb 2011, 01:17
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Gomer Pylot
 
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No, the 206, regardless of model, does not have switches for the boost pumps. The only way to disable them is with the circuit breakers. In the L, the left boost pump is almost always pulled on the ground, because if the fuel valve is on, the boost pump is running, even with the battery off. That gives you two switches that will kill the battery if they are left on. Most experienced pilots pull the left boost pump breaker, just in case, because there are those who have, and those who will, in addition to those who both have and will.

I agree about the cyclic friction also, for two reasons. I can't stand the lack of feel, and I don't want the cyclic to fall all the way over if I happen to let go of it. I don't often do that in flight, but it's easy to do on the ground, when looking for paperwork or yelling at the pax to try to keep them alive when they get out or try to get in. It seems to me that most 206 pilots fly with zero friction, for reasons that escape me, but I always put friction on both the cyclic and collective. I don't want them to move unless I do the moving.

IMO the secret to flying a 206 is having very steady hands and very busy feet. You don't want the rotor moving around, but you don't want the fuselage to yaw at all, either. A 206 is severely limited in yaw control, and you never, ever want to let the thing start yawing. Come in hot and heavy, with a left crosswind, and you can get LTE before you can blink. The kinetic energy that has to be bled off is proportional to the mass, but to the square of the velocity. Come in fast and you have to pull a lot of collective, thus lots of left pedal, and the rotor vortex will hit the nearly stalled tailrotor and away you go. Slow approaches will save your butt. The 206 weathervanes strongly, and you're always better with the nose into the wind, even if that causes you to go over more obstacles. With a 20 knot wind or so, I've gone from flat pitch to OGE hover and back, repeatedly, with my feet flat on the floor. Any crosswind requires much more power, and the more crosswind, the more power required.
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