First Fixed or Rotary ?
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Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Europe
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First Fixed or Rotary ?
I have a question for those who are both PPL-A and PPL-H certified.
What licenses did you get first and what kind of struggles did you ran into practicing the other type of aircraft ?
And from you're own personal experience what would you recommend to do first?
I have read some posts of guys that started with fixed and having some troubles with the other procedures of the rotary ?
I'm very interested in you're more professional opinions.
Kind regards!
What licenses did you get first and what kind of struggles did you ran into practicing the other type of aircraft ?
And from you're own personal experience what would you recommend to do first?
I have read some posts of guys that started with fixed and having some troubles with the other procedures of the rotary ?
I'm very interested in you're more professional opinions.
Kind regards!
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Massachusetts
Age: 67
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I did helicopter first and then airplane, but what I always recommend to people is "do whichever one you enjoy the most first, you're more likely to complete the program that way".
Rotor first, plank later.
There are apparently some issues with high time plank riders, when they hear the horn go off, they lower the nose, which is the wrong thing to do in a helicopter when the RPM low horn goes off.
During my plank check ride the examiner pulled the throttle on me and I descended in an helicopter autorotation stile glide slope to a bush runway on my left side (helicopter pilot heaven if you want). Side slip and everything one can think of to have steep glide angle and not too much speed. I would have made it ... to the other end of the runway probably, but we climbed away and he showed me again the point where he pulled the throttle. There it was, a nice long concrete runway right in front of me (behind the spinner I would say), way beyond the glide path of the helicopter, but well within the reach of a plank. Thankfully the examiner was dual rated and I think he knew exactly what was coming. I think it can be difficult to shake off all the habits one have but it works for many experienced guys out there who are dual rated. Would not worry too much, but be aware of it.
There are apparently some issues with high time plank riders, when they hear the horn go off, they lower the nose, which is the wrong thing to do in a helicopter when the RPM low horn goes off.
During my plank check ride the examiner pulled the throttle on me and I descended in an helicopter autorotation stile glide slope to a bush runway on my left side (helicopter pilot heaven if you want). Side slip and everything one can think of to have steep glide angle and not too much speed. I would have made it ... to the other end of the runway probably, but we climbed away and he showed me again the point where he pulled the throttle. There it was, a nice long concrete runway right in front of me (behind the spinner I would say), way beyond the glide path of the helicopter, but well within the reach of a plank. Thankfully the examiner was dual rated and I think he knew exactly what was coming. I think it can be difficult to shake off all the habits one have but it works for many experienced guys out there who are dual rated. Would not worry too much, but be aware of it.
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Where do you want to be in five years and who's paying? If I were to start again and be self financed it would be no contest...fixed wing first to develop airmanship and hand eye coordination (and cheap). Then rotary if that's where you want to be (you can count fixed wing captaincy towards heli liceneces - in EASA anyway). But try help early on. You might hate or love it which may decide your future. That's what steered me to rotary.
