Fixed Wing to Rotary

[WILCO.XMG]

Hey guys.

Just a little question that I hope some of you more learned people could answer for me.

At the minute i'm studying for PPL exams however i'd also like to go for my PPL H at some time in the future.

The exams from what i can see are the same Air Law, Met, Nav, HF.

Is the material the same? Does having done your PPL exams mean you dont need to do the PPL H ones?

I read a maximum 6 hours fixed wing can go towards your rotary. Has this been changed?

And finally have any of you done both? Would you advise it? And have you any advice on the topic to give me.

Im planning on posting this in rotary section too to see if i can get more hits.

Thanks for reading all.

[Wibblemonster]

IIRC, you only need to sit 2 exams for the PPL(H) - Gen Tech is one of them, not sure what the other is. I think the hours are reduced too if you already hold a PPL(A)

Hope that helps a little.

[J.A.F.O.]

Angry palm trees be the devil's work.

LASORS Section C2.3 says that you get credit for Aviation Law & Operational Procedures, Navigation and Radio Aids, Meteorology, Human Performance & Limitations and JAR-FCL Communications. So that leaves Flight Planning and Principles of Flight (which for helicopters is known as Theory of Flight as it is unproven - all I know is that if the wings are going faster than the fuselage, it can't be safe).

[WILCO.XMG]

cheers for the input guys, really appreciate the comments.
have both you got experience flying both?

im a bit of an enthusiast and want to get involved in everything.

[Pilot DAR]

Wilco,

Yes, I did my PPL(H) a few years back, after 30 years with a PPL(A), then did my CPL(A). CPL(H) is a ways off yet$$.

I can't speak with any knowledge about the UK rules, but In Canada, I got many hours of flying credit toward PPL(H) from PP(A), and only had to sit one 30 question differences exam for Helicopters.

Do your PPL(A) first, so you're not paying the big bucks to be airborne, just to learn which way is up - do that initial flying on something with a low hourly cost.

The two types of flying are surprizingly different, but both very worth learning well. Each will give you respect for the other! I went on to do advanced role training in MD500D's, and was amazed not only at what the helicopter could do, but what I could make it do with my modest skill!

I highly recommend training in Schweizer 300. My choice was not the R22 (I had flown both). After you have 20 hours fixed wing, go threat yourself to an hour in the S300. Ask to have an autorotation demonstrated to you. Fixed wing forced approaches will seem very gentle, with lots of time, after that!

Good luck!

[AdamFrisch]

Helicopters have a habit of biting you with the bug, real hard. After I'd done my PPL A, I got hooked so badly on helicopters I didn't ever want to fly fixed wing again. In fact, I let my PPL A lapse for that very reason - FW just didn't have the allure. Eventually an engine failure (and money) ended my training in H's and I never did do the skills test, even though I was close. And I've since rediscovered the joys of FW and the travel possibilities that it offers, something you can't do in helicopters.

I flew the H300 and like DAR said, they're really nice flying machines. Slow, a little bit dated, but very benign and built sturdy. They have a very forgiving skid that will absorb most abuse. And a gentle autorotation with plenty of rotor inertia compared to the R22. They also have the stick where it belongs - between your legs;)

Today my finances are better and I'm older and I will probably finish my PPL H after I've done my instrument at some point. I did go up for 2 hrs a couple of months ago and had a great time. Challenging hard work after nearly 16 years, but I could still hover!

[24Carrot]

all I know is that if the wings are going faster than the fuselage, it can't be safe For a helicopter, the precise opposite is true!:=

Helicopters are fun! I learned on the R22 because it was the cheapest option, or so I was told. It was still about twice as expensive as fixed wing.

I also found that all those hours practicing hovers, etc improved my fixed wing landings a lot.

[John R81]

Funny how we see our machines as the "safe" option. Losing an engine, (not yet happened to me but I practice) I need something the size of a football penalty area with an approach angle of about 45 degrees to put her down safely. I have les than 20 knots fwd speed when I touch down.

I can also land on water, if no grass available.

I think that compares favourably in the survival stakes with greater gliding range but a shallow approach angle at higher touchdown speed, still needing a kilometre of flat grass.

Guess we each love what we do.

Wilcox - get your ticket then book into a heli-friendly hotel or restaurant for lunch with wife or girlfriend (don't take both, they usually don't get on). Lots of brownie points for that one!

John

[J.A.F.O.]

For a helicopter, the precise opposite is true!:=

You and I both know that a helicopter only flies because it's so ugly the earth repels it.

[FlyingKiwi_73]

JAFO your comments regarding those absurd whirly things made me laugh coffee through my nose.

I am going to use the 'Angry Palm Trees' line on my heli mad mate.

Hi-larious!

[Pilot DAR]

so ugly the earth repels it.

Yes, so they perform better if the pilot is ugly too?

"A helicopter is a collection of vibrating parts all fatiguing at a different rate, over an oil spot".

[flyinkiwi]

I think all fixed wing pilots should have at least one lesson in a helicopter just to get an appreciation for just how different to fixed wing flying rotary flight actually is.

John R81: I don't know where you get the notion that a fixed wing needs 1000m of grass to land on. A lot of the strips I fly from and to are significantly shorter than that.

[Whirlygig]

I think all fixed wing pilots should have at least one lesson in a helicopter just to get an appreciation for just how different to fixed wing flying rotary flight actually is.Heavens above, I hope you're not suggesting the corollary - that rotary pilots should have a lesson in a plank? :eek:

On a serious note, one aspect of which a fixed-wing pilot should be aware, is the responses required in an rotary emergency are the converse to those in a fixed-wing emergency. There has sadly been a few rotary accidents/fatalities involving a high-houred fixed-wing pilot but who only had recently passed a helicopter PPL. To that end, I would certainly advise having an instructor who flies both.

Cheers

Whirls

[Wunper]

If trying to maximise benefit of the fixed wing experience prior to rotary get a tailwheel rating and some hours using it.

It nurtures the instinct of using your feet to nail heading and manage yaw rates which is quite a large part of helicopter slow speed handling.

2 cents

W