Guimbal Cabri down at Kemble
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Although no details on it, HeliHub is reporting that a Guimbal Cabri was involved in something at Kemble yesterday.
26-Oct-11 G-UIMB Guimbal Cabri G2 Kemble, UK | Helihub - the Helicopter Industry Data Source
26-Oct-11 G-UIMB Guimbal Cabri G2 Kemble, UK | Helihub - the Helicopter Industry Data Source
Avoid imitations
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Very tricky to deal with, those skid punctures. 
Piccy and a bit more detail here
Eye witness report alleges that at around 30', it 'started to spin, the engine quit, and it dropped in' (not my words).
With the recent Dutch accident, there must be a little concern at the Cabri factory.
Eye witness report alleges that at around 30', it 'started to spin, the engine quit, and it dropped in' (not my words).
With the recent Dutch accident, there must be a little concern at the Cabri factory.
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Cabri
Never buy the A model of any helicopter I was told many years ago. I believe in it.
Hopefully nothing wrong with the Cabri but with the recent 66 accidents there could be some sense in this.
Hopefully nothing wrong with the Cabri but with the recent 66 accidents there could be some sense in this.
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30' and 'spinning'? That suggests low airspeed. Max perf take off?
Whatever happened to design or engine, looks pretty crashworthy, as per the original reports on G2 thread. I hope all the bugs get ironed out and Cabri does well.
Whatever happened to design or engine, looks pretty crashworthy, as per the original reports on G2 thread. I hope all the bugs get ironed out and Cabri does well.
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Bad statistic
With the few helicopters out in the field and the many accidents the G2 already seems to get a bad reputation. Overconfidence into the new design advertised to be so much better than the Robinsons? 5000ft hover at ISA? Increase power available please!
Let's put the speculation aside once and for all. Helicopteres Guimbal has issued the statement below. Their openness and clarity on the incident is evident and many have congratulated Bruno for his enlightened approach, suggesting other manufacturers may like to follow his example.
Here goes.....
Here goes.....
We at Helicopteres Guimbal are saddened to announce that two days after receiving its Certificate of Airworthiness from the CAA, the first Cabri in the UK had an incident that will delay its presentation in the country by a few weeks.
Cotswold Helicopter Centre are the exclusive Guimbal distributor in the UK and their first machine – appropriately registered G-UIMB – was delivered a month ago during Helitech, where it attracted a great deal of positive interest.
The helicopter was flying a demo flight with the recently-qualified instructor, when it made a hard landing.Both pilot and passenger suffered no injury.
The damage to the helicopter is limited to the tail and landing gear structure. The rotor blades and the transmission suffered no damage from the hard landing at a high rate of yaw. This is a tribute to the very high control power offered by the high-inertia, semi-articulated rotor, and to the strong structure. The incident is attributed to the pilot having limited experience of Fenestron tail rotor dynamics and European rotation helicopters resulting in loss of control in yaw whilst hovering.
The incident is worth some analysis to make sure that it will not happen again.
In the early nineties, Eurocopter and the British Royal Navy conducted a thorough flight test campaign on a British Gazelle to address a row of similar incidents or accidents involving yaw control. The Fenestron concept was under scrutiny.
These tests eventually proved that the Fenestron was totally free of so-called LTE (loss of tail rotor efficiency), and had always a very high manoeuvrability.
They also proved that the specific characteristics of all shrouded tail rotors require higher pedal inputs in the hover than conventional tail rotors, though its controllability is about 50 % higher.
Eurocopter released several Service Letters, the last dated 2005, to address this matter. The Fenestron is now a reference worldwide in terms of controllability and safety, reducing the accident rate dramatically compared to other concepts.
In the same manner, Helicopteres Guimbal will release a Service Letter to help new Cabri pilots, and particularly those with only counter-clockwise rotating rotors experience, get the best of the machine. We are also modifying our flight training programme in conjunction with Cotswold Helicopter Centre.
The Cabri has been tested to yaw rates in excess of 180°/sec and winds in excess of 50 kts in every direction with great success.
With more than 5000 flight hours in training in the recent years, the Cabri has been proven to provide increased safety, due to its high inertia rotors, innovative seats and fuel system crashworthiness.
The first British Cabri will soon be flying again and we trust Cotswold Helicopter Centre and its instructors to bring it a bright future in the UK.
Cotswold Helicopter Centre are the exclusive Guimbal distributor in the UK and their first machine – appropriately registered G-UIMB – was delivered a month ago during Helitech, where it attracted a great deal of positive interest.
The helicopter was flying a demo flight with the recently-qualified instructor, when it made a hard landing.Both pilot and passenger suffered no injury.
The damage to the helicopter is limited to the tail and landing gear structure. The rotor blades and the transmission suffered no damage from the hard landing at a high rate of yaw. This is a tribute to the very high control power offered by the high-inertia, semi-articulated rotor, and to the strong structure. The incident is attributed to the pilot having limited experience of Fenestron tail rotor dynamics and European rotation helicopters resulting in loss of control in yaw whilst hovering.
The incident is worth some analysis to make sure that it will not happen again.
In the early nineties, Eurocopter and the British Royal Navy conducted a thorough flight test campaign on a British Gazelle to address a row of similar incidents or accidents involving yaw control. The Fenestron concept was under scrutiny.
These tests eventually proved that the Fenestron was totally free of so-called LTE (loss of tail rotor efficiency), and had always a very high manoeuvrability.
They also proved that the specific characteristics of all shrouded tail rotors require higher pedal inputs in the hover than conventional tail rotors, though its controllability is about 50 % higher.
Eurocopter released several Service Letters, the last dated 2005, to address this matter. The Fenestron is now a reference worldwide in terms of controllability and safety, reducing the accident rate dramatically compared to other concepts.
In the same manner, Helicopteres Guimbal will release a Service Letter to help new Cabri pilots, and particularly those with only counter-clockwise rotating rotors experience, get the best of the machine. We are also modifying our flight training programme in conjunction with Cotswold Helicopter Centre.
The Cabri has been tested to yaw rates in excess of 180°/sec and winds in excess of 50 kts in every direction with great success.
With more than 5000 flight hours in training in the recent years, the Cabri has been proven to provide increased safety, due to its high inertia rotors, innovative seats and fuel system crashworthiness.
The first British Cabri will soon be flying again and we trust Cotswold Helicopter Centre and its instructors to bring it a bright future in the UK.
Lot of small crash-y incidents - and surprise, pilots are walking away... No fire, no serious injuries, only damage of airframes....
For me that is more than good reputation, after some obvious mishandling
My vote goes for Bruno and his positive attitude of resolving / improving of
training and handling procedures. Sure will be space for minor technical
updates, but so far I am more than ready to put my a** in that cage
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I think what catches people out is related to the sail area of the tail and not the power of the fan v a conventional blade design. Get the wind on the wrong side of the tail and you have an additional turning force significantly greater than would be experienced in a conventional tail design. The onset of rotation is rapid / instant, and the rate of yaw high. It is very easy to freeze or become disorientated and react incorrectly. However, get your right foot in - all the way - and keep the ship level and you will recover. Freeze and you are going to star in a train wreck.
Keep thinking of the wind and it won't happen
Note - my experience is 120
Keep thinking of the wind and it won't happen
Note - my experience is 120
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John, would that be from a gust or when turning tail into wind, or both?
If it was a sail would the aircraft not weather cock into wind? Or the pilot reacting with delayed control inputs keeps the rotation going?
If it was a sail would the aircraft not weather cock into wind? Or the pilot reacting with delayed control inputs keeps the rotation going?