Controls Full and Free

[muffin]

A cautionary tale that may stop somebody else doing what I did.

I hired an R22 a while back to go on a trip with a photographer friend who is also a fw flyer. After an experience once when I had a sneezing fit while flying solo, I prefer to have the dual controls rigged so that the passenger can at least keep the thing pointed straight ahead if I need to let go for a few seconds. When I got into the aircraft, the dual controls had been removed, so I found them and put them back on as allowed in the POH.

I assumed that the pedals are identical, wrongly as it turned out. I slotted them into position, fitted the cyclic and collective and did the rest of the checks. When it came to "controls full travel and free", I found that the pedals would not go full travel. I looked down and saw my friend's camera bag laying against the pedals, so asked him to move it and continued with the checks. I did not recheck pedal travel after he had moved his bag.

I completed the checks, spun up the rotors and got ready to lift. I pulled up the collective, fed in left pedal, and to my horror found that there was no left pedal! The longer right pedal on the passenger side was trapped behind the shorter left one and I only had half pedal travel range. I was by then about an inch above the ground, so I dumped the collective and dropped on to the deck after twisting 45 degrees to the right. Thank Heavens the ground was smooth flat grass.

Two points emerge from this.
There is no indication in any of the documentation that the pedals are left and right handed.
Controls Full and Free means just that.

Check before flight!

Phew!

[RW-1]

Glad you got down ok. :D

All of our Robbies have a "L" and "R" sticker on the pedal shanks, only seen as you are about to install them.

I always thought that the longer pedal itself was one way of verifying that they are in correctly. I make my pedal check of the pax side pedals right as I place then on, with my hands to verify movement. Besides the control full/free check.

[Whirlybird]

When I was in Long Beach somebody had a problem because the left seat pedals had been removed and put back but not slotted in completely, and one of them moved. I tend to forget, but perhaps that's another thing that should be checked.

[Rotor Nut]

With passengers I would always advise removing the pedals and stowing them under the seat - this will stop camera bags and clumsy feet from operating your pedals. They are marked L and R.

If your passenger is taking a camera then remove the cyclic handle too to give them more room to manoeuvre.

Another point - with slightly larger than average passengers you might find it useful to remove the collective lever too - I have found it can be accidentally obstructed. It can also be obstructed by jackets/fleeces etc.

[The Nr Fairy]

As a glider pilot, when I was 17 or so, it was commonplace to derig and rig gliders. After the controls were reconnected, the person who'd done the work would re-check the connections and safety pins, then immediately do a full and free and correct sense check. SOP was then to get someone else to check them to make sure you'd not cocked it up.

First time I put pedals back in an R22 I put them back in wrong, but when I moved pedals immediately after putting them in I found it out. Doesn't surprise me other people get it wrong - the physical differences between the pedals are small, and I've never seen them labelled. I'll check later today.

As for the collective, even if your passenger is a fellow R22 / helicopter pilot, make sure they don't rub their leg over the end of the collective when disembarking with rotors running - the throttle gets rolled on and needs catching quickly if you're not to overspeed. That occasion I was lucky.

[John Eacott]

Not a problem limited to the smaller machines. The BK117 co pilot's controls are easily removed, save the pedals which are covered with a shaped panel to protect the pedals from passenger's feet.

Only requirement is that the pedals must be put fully forward, otherwise they can foul on the cover. Needless to say, engineers removed and signed off the co pilot's controls. Pulling pitch, just as we came light on the skids, my pedals decided not to move any further :eek: Quick dump of collective, two minutes work to lift the cover and slide the pedals forward, and off we went.

It now goes without saying that I now include a check of the co pilot's pedal position when the duals are removed ;)

[HeliGaz]

after a quick look thru the forum another thread that sets off alarm bells!

first thing read the POH, it seems that that is all i post but with good reason, that is where most answers lie!

section 4 (normal procedures ) in the R22 POH, read the daily preflight and lo and behold it states

' removable controls should be removed if the person in the left seat is not a rated HELICOPTER pilot '

i would add a R22 rated pilot and certaintly if you hired a machine from the company i work for the duals would be out and in the office so you couldn't reinstall them!

incidentally have you read safety notice SN-34 ?

in respect to the 'larger' passanger catching on the collective he may , but is he/she over the seat weight limit? in my experience this comes before a control restriction. Again read the manual.

as a flight instructor (not just on the R22) i encourage any pilot to buy the POH of the machine they fly, read it , understand it and subscribe to the amendments service - the manufacturer knows more about the machine that most pilots.

You can lead a horse to water but not make him drink.

the information is always avaliable if you can be bothered to get it, when in doubt ask!

[Grainger]

Quite right HG.

Interestingly a couple of the places I've hired from in the past, when I've had a passenger and taken the duals out and plonked 'em on the desk in the office the people have looked at me rather baffled.

But it's by far the best way to make sure there's no problems - and more comfortable for your passenger not having to keep themselves out of the way of the controls.

And if I ever do have anyone entering or leaving the machine with the engine running (instructor, examiner etc.) you can bet my left hand is holding the collective down and the throttle closed :eek:

[Whirlybird]

Why on the desk, where they can get mislaid or mixed up with those from another aircraft? What's wrong with under the seat in the helicopter?

[muffin]

Whirly

One answer to that is that the seat is designed to crush flat under heavy loads in a crash situation. Hence anything you put under the seat will get rammed into the posterior of the passenger in that event.

And to think some people put the ground handling wheels in there with all those nasty bits sticking up!

[Nick Lappos]

This is a great thread, folks! The passing of lessons learned between us all is reason number 1 through 100 why I think pprune is tops.

We call it a "Murphy" when you can do a critical step improperly, causing a safety hazard.

One of you Robinson drivers might want to email Robinson and report this so they can put it in their newsletter, and also perhaps fix it and sell a mod (such as changing the diameter or shape of one of the pedal tubes so they can't fit the wrong way). At least a color coded stripe on the tube would help; red to red, for example.

I was flying the #2 S-76 prototype on an experimental flight a few years ago, just taxiing out after some maintenance. A little left pedal as we moved forward, some right yaw, so more left pedal, some more right yaw - in about 1/2 a second we were on the left pedal stops, swerving at full yaw rate (maybe 90 degrees per second) to the right! The blades came within a few inches of the power cart, a guy mowing the lawn nearby panicked and let his mowing machine run into a lake, the crew flattened to avoid the whirling blades as they swept by several times. I cut both throttles to stop the wild ride. We left broad black tire streaks in beautiful concentric circles on the parking spot. Best sight I had ever seen was Titus Rich, our big, broad-shouldered Fire Chief standing on top of the crash truck, silver suit unbuttoned, foam nozzle in his hand ready to hose us down!

Turned out that the yaw control cables had been crossed the night before, after maintenance, so left was right and vice versa! Do you think when I do my controls check during run-up, I now note which way the aircraft nods when a bit of control is put in? You bet!

We changed the design of the cables that day, and terminated them so the left cable would not fit in the right slot. Murphy had to look elsewhere from that time on.

[Rotorbike]

Just as a little side note.

When you fly as an instructor in the R22 after someone has flown without the duals make sure they have ALL been replaced properly.

The collective can be replaced without the pins locking into position. Then it gets covered with a neat little hat.

Suggest a sharp pull to check that it doesn't come out. The first practice auto isn't the time to find out that it actually pulls straight out!!!

You should have seen the original design before the locking pins..... now that was easy to do wrong

:eek: :eek:

[SASless]

Heligaz......duals must be removed if other seat occupant is "not a rated helicopter pilot" ???

Begs the question....is a student pilot....a rated helicopter pilot?

[Coriolis]

Just a thought which I don't think applies in the US but .....
What happened to duplicate inspection after interference with flight controls (BCAR B6-2)

The only concession I'm aware of is that the pilot (if suitably trained and approved) may carry out the [U]second[U] part of the inspection after the first part has been carried out by a suitably authorised engineer...

Are we saying that controls are regularly fitted without such a process happening?:o

[ShyTorque]

Two stories for my input.

First, as told to me by my RAF QHI in the 1970s. He picked up an Army passenger to fly left seat, rotors running in a Whirlwind 10 (Turbine engine, computer controlled). As he leaned over to the left to assist the pax as he strapped in, the Gnome engine gave a mighty roar, and the aircraft rose vertically off the ground. My QHI, instantly thinking the computer had run away up, selected manual throttle (on the cyclic stick) and looked out, to concentrate on avoiding the many obstructions around the packed dispersal.

No difference. He then realised the collective was pulled up to a very high position anf tried to lower it. It wouldn't budge. By now they were above the height of the hangar and still going up. After a few frantic seconds, the QHI realised that the pax had got the left hand thigh strap under the collective and had pulled it tight. He had then to persuade his terrified pax to unstrap! They fortunately landed safely...:eek:


My other story: I was a student on the Whirlwind 10. I had handed control to my instructor in the LHS and vacated the RHS, for a rotors running crew change after my sortie. An elderly Group Captain fixed wing pilot climbed up the side of the aircraft for his famil flight and began to strap in. It was SOP for the off-going pilot to remain behind to ensure all was secure in the cabin before the aircraft departed. I was on intercom, leaning backwards against the aircraft side, as the QHI briefed the Groupy on the strapping in procedure. The last thing I heard the instructor saying was "and just make sure you can reach all the controls, Sir". A split second later, the aircraft lurched sideways and yawed to the right, tyres squealing. I was bodily pushed across the dispersal. I ran and kept running! I looked briefly back to see the aircraft lurch the opposite way and then settle down. The engine and rotors then stopped.

Turned out the Groupy had checked the controls just like the fixed wing pilot he was. completely taking us all by surprise.He did a FULL AND FREE MOVEMENT check, rotors running!! :D

[Rotor Nut]

Heligaz

I knew about the note in the manual, which I ignored on my first few sorties (mainly cos I had loads else to think about), but then later I started doing it more from a sense of thinking what could go wrong. I now remove pedals and cyclic as part of my SOP.

However there has to be a balance struck between removing a control and the possibility of it not being put back properly or wear & tear. As Rotorbike said, the R22 collective is more awkward to fit and is then covered so I don't usually remove it. Passengers usually aren't as aware of the collective (until the full and free SOP). Its not in full view nor natural for them to grab or rest on, whereas the pedals and cyclic are. Hence my decision is usually to leave the collective in place rather than introduce possibilities of a later accident.

I did find that even with passengers well within the weight limit (I seem to remember its 17 stone max in R22!) that thick fleeces and long jackets can get in the way folding or bunching around the lever. With the recent thread on R22 governers it just might be possible for a lose jacket to knock the switch on the centre collective. I now encourage (and if they hesitate, insist) that passengers leave coats etc behind (or stow under seat).

With our schools R22s used for training and SFH then its usually impractical not to put them under the seat. Hopefully they are small enough not to be a problem unlike the wheels!!! I wont put wheels under the seat.

[But I did once get asked by a fuel guy why I had not brought wheels to drag the helo to the fuel pump (Blackpool) - they trusted fixed wing aircraft to taxi under power to the fuel pump but didn't trust helos to fly to the pump - so we are getting mixed messages in our experiences]

Finally (then I'll shut up!).... Coriolis - its surely the pilot's total responsibility for control checking so little point on relying on someone else to check it for you. Too much potential for confusion as to who did what - I say always check it yourself!

[Hone22]

:D Full & free rotors running:D

Is one able to give a superior a good slapping for these types of wake ups? or is several rounds at the bar enough to sort it:)

I was told that part of the R22 certification called for a full lateral cyclic input left---right in the hover..............true/false (would be interesting to watch though)



Rotorbike also hit on a good one to look out for......... Incorrect replacement of the collective (locking pins not engaged).

I know of one instance where during a check ride the examiner pulled the sucker out:eek: when luckily at height doing a demo.

Imagine if this happened when doing a auto...............yeeehaa!

When replacing duals, I give all controls a full & free as they go in, My pre-starts always include full & free too.


I Remember back home in NZ, in 500's because the pedals are "spring loaded" and will go to full Left with no feet on, the pilots will pull one off, reverse it then put it back to hold both pedals in neutral.

Yep, can recall at least one 500 lifting, rapidly rotating then attempting to smite the earth ( and losing). Obviously the full & free was ommited prior to pulling pitch.

[HeliGaz]

in answer to sasless the student pilot flys in the right seat and the removable duals are on the left hand side, the student therefor has the fixed controls.

a student pilot is not a rated helicopter pilot but when under instruction of an FI can operate the machine solo after a suitable briefing of what he is actually authorised to do.

there is much more to it than that , especially now here in the UK after JAR changes - i now have to fill in almost the same sortie details on 8 different forms for each flight!

rotorbike is quite right about the old design of collective locking , it was a little sprung clip that went around the lever and each end went into a hole in the lever through the sleeve - also the clip was free to detach so could get lost if the duals had been removed!

whirly the duals fit any machine so it wouldnt matter that much if they went in the 'wrong' a/c but leaving them under the seat is just begging for the pilot to put them back in to, Quote ' let his mate have a little go'!

[Coriolis]

Rotor Nut
"its surely the pilot's total responsibility for control checking so little point on relying on someone else to check it for you. Too much potential for confusion as to who did what "

No Sir!
I take your point about the pilot being totally responsible for control checking - after the machine is certified for Release to Service...

But in the scenario here the dual controls have just been installed (thinking Bell 206 this leaves the student RHS with standard sticks and instructor LHS with duals )

Following disturbance of a control system the thing is subject to a duplicate inspection which must be performed and certified before the aircraft is clear to fly. This means inspected and certified by first one authorised person and then all over again by a second authorised person. You as the pilot MAY be authorised (by the maintenance organisation) to certify the second inspection if you are away from base, but my understanding is that you're always gonna have to have a gingerbeer to sign the first part.....We are talking UK BCAR (which includes UK JAR 145 maintained) aircraft, private or transport category

Anyone disagree?:)

[Grainger]

Whirly:

Putting the controls on the desk was my way of avoiding any doubt when hiring from a couple of places where I wasn't so well known. (Can't be accused of "letting your mates have a go" if the controls are on the desk.)

Where I fly now and am well trusted this is less of an issue and they do sometimes go under the seat.

Totally agree that whoever flies it next should always check they have been put back in OK: I always make a point to tell the next pilot or the operator that I've had the duals out.

Also take the point that the fewer pointy bits under your bum the better - but if you have to take the wheels with you where else to put 'em ?

[widgeon]

I heard a story some time ago of an instructor giving a guy a check ride in an As350 , where the cyclic came off in his hand as the mechanic had forgotten to install the pip pins. Think no one was hurt.
hmm some Christmas present.



NTSB Identification: FTW90LA044 . The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 41204.

Accident occurred Monday, December 25, 1989 at GRAND PRAIRIE, TX
Aircraft:AEROSPATIALE AS-350B, registration: N249HS
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
INITIAL LIFTOFF AND HOVER WERE NORMAL, HOWEVER, AS THE PILOT, WHO WAS FLYING FROM THE LEFT SEAT, WAS PREPARING TO TAKEOFF, HIS CYCLIC DISCONNECTED AND CAME OUT OF THE FLOOR MOUNT. THE PILOT YELLED TO THE RATED PASSENGER TO TAKE THE CYCLIC AND HE LOWERED COLLECTIVE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WITH THE PEDALS. THE AIRCRAFT SUBSEQUENTLY LANDED HARD IN A TAIL LOW ATTITUDE, SEVERING THE TAILBOOM. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE 'PIP' PIN WHICH NORMALLY SECURED THE CYCLIC TO THE CONTROL MOUNT WAS MISSING AND NOT FOUND. EXAMINATION OF THE COMPONENTS DID NOT REVEAL ANY EVIDENCE OF WORKING, ELONGATION, OR DAMAGE IN THE HOLES WHERE THE PIN WOULD HAVE NORMALLY BEEN INSTALLED. AUDIT OF THE MAINTENANCE RECORDS OF THE AIRCRAFT, WHICH HAD BEEN DELIVERED FROM THE MANUFACTURER 2 DAYS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, REVEALED THAT THE DUAL CONTROLS HAD RECENTLY BEEN INSTALLED AND INSPECTED AT THE FACTORY.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident/incident as follows.

MANUFACTURER'S FAILURE TO PROPERTY INSTALL THE LEFT SIDE COMPONENTS OF THE DUAL CONTROL SYSTEM FOLLOWING ITS REMOVAL FOR ADDITIONAL COMPLETION WORK PRIOR TO DELIVERY OF THE AIRCRAFT. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE FAILURE OF QUALITY CONTROL PERSONNEL TO DETECT THE OVERSIGHT.

[CTD]

muffin, check your PMs please

[3top]

Hi Gang,

there is nothing wrong with the R22 pedals or the R44 ones. I found out the wrong way too how important a full motion check is. Luckily I was still on the ground before a testflight with a mechanic who pointed out that the pedals are in the wrong way.

However I do not see a need to change the design.

Just stick to the POH and you will find our BEFORE starting up, that the pedals are in the wrong way!!


If I fly with passengers I ALWAYS remove all dual controls, if you know about the collective, you just make sure it is engaged correctly when you put it back in.

I also fly a EC120B and for different reasons the duals stay in there. So for a Pax flight only the cyclic comes out, the pedals are turned forward and generally they are no problems, besides I tell the passenger beside me NOT to play with the pedals. The real pain in the neck is the collective, as it is a major procedure to remove it. It ALWAYS gets in the way when you pull up and it hits the passengers left thigh, restricting the movement.

Why can other manufacturers not pick up on Robinsons simple system. It takes about 4 times as long to remove just the cyclic from the EC120 as it takes to remove or put in ALL dual controls in a Robinson!!!



Anyway, JUST GO THROUGH THE PREFLIGHT CHECKLIST, AND EVERYTHING SHOULD BE READY AND SAFE!

(Wrongly rigged Helos are exempted!!)
;)


3top:D

[RW-1]

Interestingly enough, today: (From Aero-News)

AD: Eurocopter
Case Highlights Dangers of Unsecured Objects in Cockpit
AD NUMBER: 2002-13-11
MANUFACTURER: Eurocopter France
SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2002-13-11
SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) for specified Eurocopter France (ECF) model helicopters that requires installing front and side covers to protect the yaw control.

This amendment is prompted by a report of a mobile phone falling between the windshield canopy (canopy) and the cabin floor jamming the yaw control pedal. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent an object from sliding between the canopy and the cabin floor, loss of yaw control, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

FMI: www.avantext.com/DailyADIndex.ASP?AD=20021311

[RotorHorn]

I'm with Nick on the pedal design - why make parts interchangeable if they're not?! Poor design in my book. You wouldn't want two wires in a plug the same colour and expect to test which one was live everytime you had to rewire it would you?

As for scary stories - what about the story of an R22 pilot flying solo with dual controls in. Alledgedly left his Pooleys under the pax seat and needed a frequency in flight - so he opened the seat with his left hand .. and it fell forward and wedged itself neatly under the cyclic's t-bar... he was now heading for Vne fast and had to increase nose down attitude in order to un-hook the seat from under the t-bar.....

Yikes.... :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[The Nr Fairy]

RotorHorn :

Bet he learnt a lesson from that !

[Flare Dammit!]

Back in 1990, PHI had a dreadful accident involving dual controls. This is how it was told to me:

Over the weekend, one of their Bo-105's had been used for training. Sunday night, the duals were removed. Monday morning, the ship was scheduled for a sunrise charter departure (empty, as fortune would have it).

In the Bolkow, the cyclic and collective sticks are removed but the pedals are left in. However, underneath the floorboards, the pushrod control tube that goes from the pedals to the centre bellcrank is removed, rendering them useless. A bar is clamped across the pedals, turning them into a footrest. A mechanic who had never done that particular job before had pulled the sticks, blocked the pedals and removed a control tube from under the cabin. So far, so good.

In the morning, as the pilot attempted to lift off, before he could even get into a hover he realized that he had no yaw control - the pedals were locked. Oops!

Departure time was now past and suddenly everyone was under the gun, as things go when you try to leave right on the dot and then get delayed. A mechanic (different from the one that originally removed the duals) hurried out and dropped the belly pan. Sure enough, the tail rotor pushrod tube was still in place. So he removed it, assuming the night mechanic had simply forgotten to. What he unfortunately did not notice though, was that the lateral cyclic pushrod tube was missing! The two pushrods are very close together, separated by a small bulkhead and similar in length. The cyclic tube had been mistakenly removed by the first mechanic when the duals were taken out. (I know it does not sound logical, but the Bo-105 MR control tubes run over to the left-hand side of the ship, then aft, then up to the trans.)

So the pilot fires it up again. Sure enough, this time he has pedals. Great! Off he goes, behind schedule now. As soon as he gets airborne he realizes that he has no lateral cyclic control. But it's too late. The ship rolled over and cartwheeled down the ramp. The pilot was killed.

During the "first-flight-of-day" pre-start checklist in the Bo-105, there is an item called the "Hydraulic Block Test." In the primary hydraulic system, there are six microswitches that would detect a jam and cause an automatic switchover to the secondary system. Performing the test isolates and verifies that each of the microswitches are working properly and the "Hydraulic Block" caution light comes on. With the lateral cyclic tube disconnected, the Hydraulic Block Test could not have been adequately performed. The two microswitches on the lateral cyclic could not have been checked.

BTW, even if the pilot of PHI's Bolkow did check for freedom of movement, the force-trim springs on the cyclic would have given him the illusion that the linkages were all there.

So it's not just a question of "full and free travel," eh? The controls will move very freely...especially when they're not hooked up. Remember, Mr. Murphy is there, waiting for just the slightest bit of complacency on our part.

(Sorry this is so long.)

[Hone22]

:confused:

As Grainger said

Putting the controls on the desk was my way of avoiding any doubt when hiring from a couple of places where I wasn't so well known. (Can't be accused of "letting your mates have a go" if the controls are on the desk.)

Had the same problem at one school I was at. Unfortunately we used to keep the duals under the pax seat (handy blah,blah). A couple of times when the OWNER of the ac (with 50 odd hrs heli) brought the machine back the duals were fitted.

I queried the boss (looks like he's giving his mates a go boss) and was told his machine, he wants to break it................The boss didn't seem to want to know.


From then on I started to take the duals into the office whenever the OWNER or anyone else I didn't know/trust was taking the ac away.

[Arraitch]

The aircraft was an AS 350B2, left-hand drive conversion for logging. Throttle quadrant on the floor to left of pilot seat, next to the door.
We went out to do a refresher emergencies check, so the front bench seat was out, the single seat was in, plus the duals. For the first part of the trip i sat in the left seat, with the checking instructor in the right. When it was time for the autos, we swapped seats so he could control the throttles.

On downwind, he pulled back the throttle for the first auto, I put the lever down, and turned the corner, adjusted flight path etc for my usual perfect auto. Everything looks good, here comes the flare, milk it for all it's worth, small collective check .... and the collective will not come up. Shout "It's locked! The collective's locked!!" as I push the bird level with a bit of remaining airspeed and pull the lever up like crazy, to no avail.

The instructor reaches for the collective lock, which is a tin-pot mod of springy metal on the side of the lever (not over the tip) which, when the lever hit the floor, sprung itself into position. The keyhole is shaped so that the lever must be pushed down to release it, so he is pushing down while I am pulling up.

I won. No lever.
:mad:

We hit the ground flat, at about 10 knots, bounced over a taxyway (which was about 3 inches above the surrounding grass) and narrowly missed going down a ditch on the other side. Screech to a stop in a cloud of dust. Unstrap, walk around to the left door, free the collective lock, and bend the bluddy thing flat to the floor where it would never interfere again.
I rang the Eurocopter rep (French) and roared up him that such a mod would ever be allowed to fly. He said "It is a Canadian mod, and nothing to do wiz me!"
But the amazing thing was being able to pull off an auto without any collective at all. Says heaps for their product.

[RotorHorn]

Flare Dammit's anecdote illustrates a handy hint - when you're checking for 'full and free' motion do what I do - watch the pitch on the main rotor blades and see if it changes whilst you're doing all that waggling... if they ain't moving, they ain't connected
;)

[Coriolis]

.....all scary stuff...

.....and still nobody's doing duplicate inspections......................