Finally i hit the road...

[Ready2Fly]

As you can read in this post (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=768442#post768442) i got addicted to flying a helicopter about three years ago. Since my last posting i did not get anywhere (except keeping my class 1 medical current) until mid of last week:

I had my first practical lesson for my PHPL which basically was an extended preflight check (~ 90 mins) and i did start flying only this week with a bit more than 2,5 hours now.

I am not going to write about it as Whirlybird did but i might come up with bits and pieces from time to time.

All i can say right now is: What a bunch of fun!

For special reasons we have to divert to another airfield to practice hovering which takes about 15 minutes (one way) but during my second lesson i was able to hold a (more or less stable) hover for about 30 to 40 seconds without any inputs from my FI. It was far from being perfect and i still think it was more a conincidence but nevertheless it was a nice experience. I should mention that this happened in the evening after i finished my work at the office which is a disadvantage because your ability to concentrate is not as good as if you were flying in the morning but that is the way it is (for the moment).

Nevertheless i am looking forward for the things that are ahead of me and i am sure i will experience 'hard times' (both in practical and theoretical lessons) but like i said, i am still confident that overall it will be a lot of fun.

Thanks for reading and best regards,
Ready2Fly

[hemac]

Good luck and keep at it.

H.

[Nigerian Expat Outlaw]

Ready2Fly,

Nice one, it's a long road but with your positive attitude if you stay determined you'll end up in a job you'll enjoy whatever the financial rewards (or penalties !!).

Cheers,

NEO:ok:

[Ready2Fly]

Thanks for your nice replies.

I had another (actually two) sessions yesterday. I got to the airfield at 7:30 and first had a cup of coffee (well, at least they called it coffee. I should mention it was not at the flightschool). When i woke up, it was very misty with just 50 metres of sight :}

But it was 06:15 so i didn't bother and got ready to get to the airfield. On the way it cleared with the sunrise. I entered the school, got the flightbook and headed to the hangar. I managed to roll out the R22 to the apron. We decided to take the doors off as usual with OAT already at 20 degrees by that time. I started the preflight check, called for fuel, noted down some points (i still do not know every part of the helicopter and when your checklist says to check this and that and you do not know what to look for because you don't remember it, you'd better ask!). The preflight check went ok and i went back to the office to let my FI know. We got into the R22 and started with pre-engine start checks and started the engine (which i had to do on my own). When we were ready for departure i had to call ground to get clearance for the grass runway to do some more hover exercises.

There we were at 27 deg outside (the instrument showed 32 deg but that's because the heat from the exhaust close to the ground) at 5 to 7 feet above the grass and my FI started talking about different things in life. I recognised a bit later, that he had his hands off the controls all the time (nevertheless still close enough to take control whenever it should be necessary). Suddenly he said: Ok, for the log: After 15 mins the penny has dropped (dunno whether you know this german proverb). You are able to hover the chopper. I looked at his face, but he was serious. I had logged a total of 2 hours and 36 minutes before that lesson with hover exercises of 1 hour and 23 minutes. He then told me: I want you to go over to that runway light, and i did. Then another one, and another one, and another one. Soft, calm and slowly.

We continued with setting the helicopter to the ground, taking off again while making him light on the skids and i should get the feeling of where it wants to go and don't let him do that. Bit more pitch, bit more left pedal, cyclic correcting the movement and lifting the helicopter soft and slowly. I still had some problems like back- or sidewards movement when getting to the ground though. The wind has been between 3 and 6 knots variable between 220 and 290 degrees.

When i remember my introduction session a bit less than 3 years ago i was on that same grass rwy and only had about 20 mins there. The chopper was going everywhere with me and i thought: You will never ever get this sorted out. That's why i am surprised that it did happen so fast. Sure, there will be other days and then it might not go as smooth as it did today. On the other hand, you can make a fool of everyone even with 100+ hours logged after their license. But i do think that i made one big point today on the way to my PHPL. Future will tell whether hovering is like riding a bicycle...

Regards,
Ready2Fly

[Gerhardt]

Excellent! This is fun to read since I'm starting lessons as well.

What are you flying?

[Ready2Fly]

Hi Gerhardt,

good luck and lots of fun ;)

I did opt for a dual rating which basically means the main course is done in a Robinson R22 and i will also get some hours in the R44 with both ratings added to my licence. For the moment we stick to the R22 and see how i progress.

I just checked wx for tomorrow (another lesson in the evening) and there is a 50% probability for rain and even a thunderstorm in our area, so, no idea yet whether i can log any more time tomorrow.

Regards,
Ready2Fly

[Ready2Fly]

Ok, wx was on the edge (got a forecast of TS with 30% prob. this afternoon, always waiting for a phone call from my flightschool cancelling todays lesson) but was ok when i arrived at the airfield this evening. I was in time to do some more hover practice (this time with my 3rd FI -not because the other two do not want to instruct me anymore but due to their schedule ;) - who is actually the chief pilot of the company) but time for the flightschool was almost up for the day (they have a limit at the airfield for hover exercises per company and day) so we decided to do a pattern with normal approach. I took off (making the chopper light on the skids etc.), and i did it slowly not in a rush. I always look at the right skid and was told, it is the most difficult thing to do (maybe some of you can comment on that one?), but if i felt comfortable with it, i should continue to do so.

Arriving at the rwy I was then shown the effect of ETL and up we got with 55-60 knots to 1500 feet. I still have to develop my skill to recognise a nose up attitude of the chopper in time and pushing the cyclic a bit not to loose speed (and not to pull too much after cyclic not to accelerate too much afterwards) because otherwise your flightpath is more like a sinus curve, but ok. We continued the pattern and on downwind we did take a look at the wx in the direction of our practice airfield. Did not look too good so we decided to get back to the hangar to get my door in (left one was already there because of a pleasure flight before, i guess). So another turn and then again left for final to land, full carb heat and descending with 500ft/min, speed back to 60 knots. We came in a bit high and i flared back to 30 knots (do not remember the height from my memory now) and then to a hover IGE at 5 feet. Another thing to get better at: When pulling the pitch i have to remember/learn to push the cylic a bit forward because of the nose up attitude not to loose too much speed too fast and taking a risk of the stinger hitting the ground when you are too low.

Then hovering back to the beginning of the grass rwy and crossing the active, to land near to the flightschool's hangar and my FI put my door in (had the engine at 75%, gov off). Another take off, over to the grass rwy crossing the active and then up we got again. Continued the pattern to our exit point (how do you call that in english? Maybe that's a typical german thing, anyway) and I was told to do a quickstop (which was demontrated in another lessen before). I was a bit too fast to get it back from 75 knots to 30 knots and was told to do the next one a bit slower. Accelerating to 80 knots this time and did a second one. Did not loose or win too much height and was told it went ok. Then a left 360 at 20 deg bank angle (not easy to control height and speed), another one to the right. Up to 2000 feet and then the same again with 30 deg bank angle.

Time flew by and wx got better. We headed back to the airfield and on the way i got a demonstration of a hover OGE at 2000 feet: What a feeling. That is even one more reason to fly a helicopter.

We made the call to the airfield and got in with the same procedures like after the first pattern. Descent planning was better this time and also the flare to a hover afterwards. I got it back to the hanger, put it into the wind and then my FI took controls to position the chopper a bit nearer to the hanger not to have it to move too far when on the ground (they always hangar their helicopters).

We made a detailed debriefing and the point i have to develop most at the moment is my coordination of my feet when taxi-hovering with the pitch because i am oscillating from times with nose going left and right whenever i push or pull the collective and i am not 'in time' with the pedals. Besides from that he was (more or less) fine with what he has seen (always keeping in mind my logged hours so far) and told me, when he began, he had the same probs with his feet but i received a good advice how to work on it (always 'play' a bit with your pedals to see the way the chopper reacts and when).

All in all almost one hour more for my logbook and a nice lesson at the evening with a lot of fun.

Regards,
Ready2Fly

[Ready2Fly]

For the experts:
I always look at the right skid and was told, it is the most difficult thing to do (maybe some of you can comment on that one?), but if i felt comfortable with it, i should continue to do so.
So, do you have any comments on this one?

Today we had some more wind than i was used to, because it has always been warm and calm. Did practice to hover with wind always changing between 8 and 10 knots, mostly hovering into the wind but also turning 180 deg left and experiencing what it means to hover with tailwind. Especially the turn is 'interesting' (i got a 'warning' before, though). Also, when taxi-hovering into the wind the effect of ETL comes much quicker (of course) than without any wind (well, we already knew it was like this, no? :hmm: ).

Did pattern work too working on the approach and descent coming to a hover and setting it on the ground, lifting it again and down, and...

Well, it was different today and i felt it (hovering) was a bit more 'work' to do than before but nevertheless it was worth the time and still fun.

I used trim this time when flying to and back from the practicing airfield and it makes a remarkable difference with the wind.

Enough for today, tomorrow i'll try again.

Regards,
Ready2Fly

[Gerhardt]

This is fun to read. I'm right at 3.4 hours now in the R22 after a lesson Saturday. It felt good to be able to keep my hover at least within the width of a football field. My third lesson with a different instructor. This one's a better instructor than the others - I think his yelling profanities at me helps me keep it under control a little more.

Keep writing - it's like giving me ground school for free.

[Hippolite]

Ready2fly

You should be congratulated if you can master hovering after such a short time. It took most of us longer than just over 2 hours to become proficient at hovering.

You must be a particularly brilliant pilot. Be careful though, hovering around at 5-7 feet in an R22 is not very sensible, I would imagine that 3 feet would be better. That's what I was tought in a Bell 47 which has considerably more rotor inertia than an R22.

You will be going solo within an hour or two I would imagine.

HH:cool:

[Gerhardt]

5 feet is the suggested hovering height for the R22. But I agree, he sounds like a superior student and I'm enjoying learning from his writing.

[Ready2Fly]

@Hippolite
I did not mean to make a big story of about how long it did take for me to hover. Furthermore, give me some more wind with gusts from the side and a former stable hover falls down into pieces. I was surprised myself that it klicked for me that soon, though. I follow this forum for more than 5 years now and did only register 2 years ago (as you all can see from my profile). And i read a couple of threads concerning how long it will take to hover (and more interesting questions from beginners).

To solo is a completely different story (as you obviously know). Without being able to fly a proper approach and knowing the details of an autorotation and other emergency handlings i will not be send for solo (and definately would not want that anyway). Everything comes at a time. Right now i am on holidays which means no flying for about 3 weeks (but reading books for groundschool though :rolleyes: ). We will see what the first lesson after three weeks of absence will be then.

The last two lessons we spent mainly with take-off's and landing into/from a hover and practice (for me especially with landings) is key i guess. We also did some more airwork (x-times quickstops, 360 deg turns with different bank angles) and at the end of my last lesson before my holidays i got a demo of an autorotation (not fully down but recovering in forward flight being approximately 1 feet above the ground at 30-40 knots
:uhoh: )


@Gerhardt
I don't know whether you should 'learn' anything from my writing. I can only tell how i felt during my lessons and what impressions i got. I definately do not have the aim of teaching anything to anybody. If you enjoy my writings, well thx for that then.

Concerning hover height: As i learn with different instructors they all seem to 'favour' a hoverheight of 5 feet, at least at the beginning. I was later asked to hover between 3 and 5 feet and especially because we are working on landing the helicopter from a stable hover i should also perform a hover at less than 1 feet and another way to practise the handling close to the ground is, to make the chopper light on the skids but not to take off into a hover. Taking off and setting down are the same things, just in opposite steps (more or less).

Regards
Ready2Fly

[Gerhardt]

I had another lesson Friday. I'm finally getting the hover under control. Not perfect, but MUCH better, being able to keep myself within 10 feet of a spot for a few minutes. Left turns in a hover seem okay, but my right turns sucked.

A couple of trips around the pattern and I realized how different it is handling an R22 as opposed to a fixed-wing. I'll get there though, and in the meantime I'm having a blast!