Which is the most comfortable Heli you have flown?
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Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Switzerland
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Which is the most comfortable Heli you have flown?
Yesterday I had to fly the Jetranger for 5 hours with only one refueling stop. What a torture. Not only for me but also the PAX was getting real uncomfortable.
So far I've flown R22, R44, Jet and Long Ranger, EC120, AStar, Bell212 and MD902's. The EC120 and the MD902 I've flown for only 5 hours total so I am unable to comment on long flying comfort.
The R22 and R44's are very uncomfortable for longer flights as well as the 212 I flew out of Dubai which had the standard seats except one 212 which had a different seat with seat cushions.
the AStar is for me the most comfortable Helicopter to fly and even a full 7 or 8 hours of flying won't bother my rear end.
I am curious what other Helicopters are like to fly for longer periods of time.
For example does the 407 have different seats (Bell seats) than the 206L3 or L4's?
So far I've flown R22, R44, Jet and Long Ranger, EC120, AStar, Bell212 and MD902's. The EC120 and the MD902 I've flown for only 5 hours total so I am unable to comment on long flying comfort.
The R22 and R44's are very uncomfortable for longer flights as well as the 212 I flew out of Dubai which had the standard seats except one 212 which had a different seat with seat cushions.
the AStar is for me the most comfortable Helicopter to fly and even a full 7 or 8 hours of flying won't bother my rear end.
I am curious what other Helicopters are like to fly for longer periods of time.
For example does the 407 have different seats (Bell seats) than the 206L3 or L4's?
Join Date: Jun 2005
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Definitely the AS350 for me. 10+hrs a day in the seat is not a chore in the Astar. The Bell products, 206 series, Mediums, are torture, with the 500 not far behind/ahead(depending on you build).
RH
RH
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Decode:
1 = A real pain in the arse - literally.
2 = Uncomfortable in anything other than nil wind over 2 hours.
3 = Ok for up to 2.5 hours.
4 = Ok for as long as you like.
Bell 47 = 4
SA341 = 3
Bell 206 = 1
S333 = 2
Scout = 4
Alouette = 3
AH1 Cobra = 4
1 = A real pain in the arse - literally.
2 = Uncomfortable in anything other than nil wind over 2 hours.
3 = Ok for up to 2.5 hours.
4 = Ok for as long as you like.
Bell 47 = 4
SA341 = 3
Bell 206 = 1
S333 = 2
Scout = 4
Alouette = 3
AH1 Cobra = 4
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: ...in view of the 'Southern Cross' ...
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Colonel M. .....
I've got one exactly like that .... but had to modify it with cup holders .... required of course to keep the G&T within easy reach!
I've got one exactly like that .... but had to modify it with cup holders .... required of course to keep the G&T within easy reach!
I guess I'm lucky - my body fits the 206 cockpit really well (as long as I remember to take my wallet out of my back pocket). The 1100 sure isn't a day at the beach (damn vertical mast). But I can fly a 'Ranger all day long without fatigue. Now, sure enough the 206 cockpit is small and there isn't any room to move around like you have in a 350. But once I get strapped in and comfortable, I can go all day. Wish that applied to other things I do 
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Try buying a Roho seat cushion. They are made for people who spend ALL their time sitting down. To be precise they are designed for people in wheel chairs.
The are perfect for people who longline all day long as the cushion conforms to the slant you are sitting at. For a bell medium, sitting in the left seat, the left side of the cushion compresses and the right side inflates (the air moves around inside the cushion through a series of interconnected baffles). You will always have the perfect tilt to the seat.
-If you want comfort for non longline flights, get the 2"thick version.
-For longline applications get a 4" thick one so it has room to "tilt"
-Comes in all sizes, just measure the seat of your aircraft and buy to suit.
Type " Roho seat cushion" into google or Ebay
Your ass will thank you.
The are perfect for people who longline all day long as the cushion conforms to the slant you are sitting at. For a bell medium, sitting in the left seat, the left side of the cushion compresses and the right side inflates (the air moves around inside the cushion through a series of interconnected baffles). You will always have the perfect tilt to the seat.
-If you want comfort for non longline flights, get the 2"thick version.
-For longline applications get a 4" thick one so it has room to "tilt"
-Comes in all sizes, just measure the seat of your aircraft and buy to suit.
Type " Roho seat cushion" into google or Ebay
Your ass will thank you.
Join Date: Oct 2003
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That was a trick question, right? 'Most comfortable'? That should read 'Least uncomfortable'. I've flown several models over the past 40 years, and none of them were comfortable. Designers design a helicopter that will fly, and throw in seats as an afterthought. It's such an inconvenience to have to accomodate those pilots who are, after all, required by regulations. I've put in many 12-hour days in a 206, many in the original B model, not the much more comfortable B3s, and my back still feels it. Even the newer models are torture after a couple or three hours. I'm not an unreasonable size, being a perfect 38, but they all are torture. I haven't flown it, but the model getting the most complaints about uncomfortable seats these days is the brand-new S92. Those pilots curse the thing. Ergonomics is still an unheard-of thing in helicopter design.
