landing R44
 

taking lessons in R44 and find it difficult to land any one with a tip out there ?:confused:

Face into wind, left skid to touch first then be firm but gentle onto the ground.

If you find yourself mucking around with one skid touching, lift...

I was always firm with my landings until I got the knack of them...practice makes perfect.

Judging by the winds in Ireland today I am not suprised you are having fun landing it! :eek:

You flying uniques 44 out of enniskillen? Your lucky to get any flying done at all with that weather!

Too many people try to get the perfect landing - they end up at 2 inches wallowing around hoping to time lowering the collective with the perfect attitude of the aircraft. Lots of problems with that approach.

I just tell students to set up a very slow sink rate and to adjust collective to maintain that sink rate through ground effect, i.e. don't let the descent stop. When the first skid touches, continue lowering the collective at the same rate you've been lowering it so that you get some weight on the skids. When the first skid touches and the helicopter rolls towards the other skid, give a little opposite cyclic just like on a slope landing so that you don't start sliding sideways.

Don't allow the helicopter to drift sideways during the landing or you'll be asking for dynamic rollover (especially on turf), but don't stop the descent either - just keep working the cyclic during the descent so that you maintain your position over the ground. You can let it move forward a little if you want, but ultimately you should be landing with no motion at all.

Keep loose and relaxed - nobody does good landings when they are tense and tight.

Landing on short grass is much easier than a hard surface, giving some absorbtion to the downwash and helping keep a stable descent in the hover. Make sure the grass is firm in this weather.

But then your instructor would be telling you all this anyway. :ok:

Quick question re climbing
 

I've just read some notes on an early exercise re learning to fly the R44. The school inquestion state that when going from S and L to a climb the student should use the "APT" method of Attitude - slow to climb speed of 70kts, Power - pull on climb collective, Trim - into the climb. But after 20 years of professional f/w flying this smacks as a total waste of energy - slowing to 70kts BEFORE climbing. Why not pull on the collective and adjust the cyclic earlier so that the speed loss from cruise to climb is used in a speed-to-height trade off?

Am I missing something?

David

May be a Robbo thing but does seem strange, Surely converting speed for height and then topping up the Power is easier and more efficient. APT was more for IF.

you allow the aircraft to climb as the speed decays, not slow down then climb. In a turbine aircraft you would actually back off on collective as the speed reduces, if you started at MCP for the cruise!

212man, thats exactly what I figured, but the course notes seemed to require deceleration first, then climb. maybe I misread them.

ta
D

Maybe the notes said to pitch to a 70 knot attitude and then bring in power? Nobody I know teaches to slow to 70 before starting the climb.

The only deceleration required would be if you wanted to use 5 minute power in the climb; you would need to slow below 100 knots (barber pole) before you increased power past MCP.

Student Pilot on a R44 Astro. Im gonna be doing some cross country this week and as cold as it is, its colder in the air. What are the effects on the engine or the fuel burn for leaving the carb heat on for extended periods of time. Does it reduce power a lot in the event of needing more lift in a hurry? Could you pull carb heat a third of the way?

This is not to say that I wouldnt be doing my regular checks anyway.

It;s a good question, your instructor should cover all of this. You can also go to the UK CAA Safety Sense leaflet on icing in piston engines. There's another one on winter flying.

Safety Sense Leaflet 14: Piston Engine Icing | Publications | CAA

You can assume 10% less power, but a 44 with just you in it isn't going to be an issue. Also, you're going to be 10% down on cold air performance, which is pretty dense, and better than 80 degree air + carb heat.

As you are reducing the power, you're going to burn more fuel, you could knock off 10%, but again, you instructor should give you guidelines.

You can pull carb heat as much as you need to stay out of the yellow zone. However if the instructors approve, you may have it out full for the whole journey, depends on their procedures. Not great for the engine if done often.

Just remember that if you do get roughness/odd yaws etc., and your carb heat isn't full out, pull it and keep it out for at least 30 seconds. Things will get worse before they get better as ice melts and water hits the cylinders.

... or migrate to a raven II....

Lafite

APT
 

Maybe something to do with speed awareness. In the 44, you can't pull more than MCP above 100 knots. Remember that notes are aimed at the lowest denominator, you don't want to teach a green pilot to reef the yang out of a machine and then check the speed.

As Paul suggests, I would be surprised if it advocates flaring to 70 knots before climbing.

As we all know; 44 blades are only held together by paint - apparently.......

You will use a bit more fuel with carb heat on but remember on a cold clear frosty day there is less chance of carb ice than on a warmer humid day. of course you can pull it on a third but simply keep it out the yellow and you'l be fine. R22 different kettle of fish. Enjoy your flight

airbourne,

discuss it with your instructor in detail. In the end, he is responsible and every flightschool has different policies to follow (as was already mentioned). Just one remark: There are two ways to stay out of the yellow arc...

On a cold winter day the air could be so dry that there is simply no watervapour left to build up ice. You should not see too many clouds that day then...

Enjoy your flight(s) :ok:

Are you indeed implying that on a cold clear day with no clouds you don't need to pull carb heat? I wouldn't count on that...

I am saying that you have to keep the needle outside the yellow arc. That can be either without carb heat at all (on the left side) or by applying carb heat which usually puts your needle outside the yellow arc to the right side (and i say 'usually' because theoretically you could encounter situations, where applying carb heat would get your needle right into the yellow arc - it has to be quite cold then though).

If the air is really cold, there is simply no watervapour left in it that could freeze your butterfly.

Whatever is discussed here, stick to the POH (and your flight instructor). :ok:

Don't forget one other thing - well known to piston rotary pilots in Yorkshire....

If you are downwind of major power stations with cooling towers that emit several hundred tonnes of water vapour per hour you should pull full carb heat, whatever the conditions of the day dictate, re. the icing temp/humidity graph. The steam is visible, but the plume of transparent water vapour at near 100% saturation for a few miles downwind is invisible....

Ah I know those power stations well. Actually it was quite cold on Wednesday, love flying over the snow. Kept the carb heat at about 1 third out but still was watching it every few minutes just in case.

New R44..a question
 

Hi all,

just traded my 3 year old/ 400hr machine for a new one. It has now done 30 hours.

I am experiencing an irregular 'tail wag' to port ( ie nose to the right) in the cruise. It seems to happen for a minute or so, then disappears. There is no regular cycle but averages out IRO 10 seconds or so.

My last machine didnt do it.

The pedals, and all the controls for that matter, are a lot stiffer than the older machine. Is this related to excess 'newness' friction in the yaw control system?

I am very pleased with it otherwise, although a little disappointed that the leaking door problem hasnt been resolved. If flown/ stood in the rain, water pours in through the bottom of the doors and soaks the carpets.

When you are in the cruise, the doors suck out and let in a lot of draught too - more so than previous.

Both have bubble windows, neither have the spoiler(?) mod to the front of the door frame that is supposed to either prevent or reduce the suck-out.

Is this worth doing?

All advice appreciated.

Jack

It's called Wind Deflector in the RHC parts catalog, but isn't this for flying with doors off? Saw it on some orange Clippers with floats at the factory (Malaysia registered if I recall that correctly) and that was explained to me. These spoilers shouldn't be hard to fit afterwards.


By the way, I've seen an R44 Raven II that had kind of a handle bar left and right at the tailcone just where the strobe light sits. I couldn't find this in the parts catalog. It looks a bit like this stuff, but much shorter:
http://www.lakewoodconferences.com/d...Handle_Bar.jpg

Any idea what this is for?

Runway101

That 'handlebar' is an antenna, well two of them, for, I think, the nav instruments. They were installed for a while on factory new R44 II's 18 months or so ago.

As per here (not a member of said site, just one of the first Google Image results)

:}

Jack, that's just all the spherical bearings in the control rods that haven't broken in/loosened up yet. It'll take care of itself in the first hundred hours or so. Nothing to worry about.

Tail wag
 

Thanks Paul,

A very helpful response that has put my mind at rest.

VBR

Jack

Tail Wag
 

I also get the tail wag but only when im light (No passengers)
If you fly a small bit out of trim it goes away.

I get the same problem in a 6 month old R22 Raven II, mostly with just me in it and full fuel.

A little bit of pedal seems to make it go away. It's definitely an aerodynamic issue, nothing to do with torque. I suspect it's also related to when there's a reasonable quartering tailwind component.

The one I fly has plain windows (not bubble) - I was told that the wing-effect pulling the doors open and the reduction in VNE made it not worthwhile.

I'd love to know what causes the wag - it was a cause for some concern the first time it happened! Several people who regularly fly older 44s didn't seem to have ever felt it, so maybe it's a feature of the later models?

Lafite

Tail wag
 

Hi Lafite,

The windows do give you a lot more shoulder room in the cockpit. You can also see straight down...which is nice....

They do knock IRO 5kts off the max cruise according to RHC so there is a price to pay.

All the best

JB

495 Mounts
 

Anyone suggest a good 495 mount for the R44(not the cyclic one)? Looking at one of the RAM suction mounts, like Ram Mounting Systems - Products, guessing to be fixed above instrument panel? Although I have seen a suction mount mounted near the pilots right knee...Thanks for your help

I think you will find that the tail wag in the Raven 11 is mentined in the RFM, and the required reaction.:)

Auschick: RAM suction mounts OK - but a bit wobbly.

We have these fitted from Robin Aviation : excellent. GPS Mount bracket for the Robinson R44 helicopter

Noise
 

Thanks JimBall, will try a RAM and see how it goes.

:confused:Anyone know of where I can find ICAO Annex 13 or just the info from it pertaining noise limits for small helis? (Apart from buying it) AND does anyone have any info they could email me on noise studies done on R44 (preferably Raven II), mainly for take off and landing stages?

Is it ok for a R44 to live outside all its life ?
 

hi guys,
has anyone kept a 44 outside in all weather for its entire life ?
and does it shorten any particular part life sooner ?
cheers:rolleyes:

I would have thought corrosion is your enemy as is the sunshine.(rubber)

Corrosion
 

My 'aircon-hangared privately owned, never got wet' R44 started festering big-time within its first year/ 200 hrs. through corrosion The entire tailboom, tailplane and tank panels had to be refinished.

What happened about it?

How much time have we both got.......but suffice it to say RHC didnt pick the tab up or admit any liability.

Short answer? If its 2-3 years old and didnt have the previously unecessary corrosion treatment ( RHC changed their paint primer to a more eco-friendly/ less effective product ..) then dont leave it in the wet for a single minute.

My new machine has the additional factory corrosion proofing that should be standard now in view of the otherwise inevitable consequences.

A terrific flying machine.

As a devout R44 follower I think RHC treated me very badly.

They obviously dont care about customer referrals, or at least didint then.

I bet they will now though, especially in the current global meltdown and with the Dollar making it a much more expensive machine in one of their biggest markets.

JB

There are treatments that prevent corrosion, can be done with your annual for instance. It's basically like covering your complete ship in and out with something like WD40 but more expensive and approved for aviation usage.

Google Corrosion X or check here:
CorrosionX Aviation

Starting a Raven 2
 

Could someone please tell me how to start a Raven 2.Thank You.

Hi SADDLER,

I have flown Raven 2s in Australia and the US some time ago but just realised I didn't have a checklist in my archives either. I therefore Googled and found this:

PilotWeb

Hope this helps. It certainly refreshed my memory. If you're doing an endorsement, try to get your hands on the POH.

Reverse Flight
Thanks a lot.
Saddler

R44 Raven 11
 

Any ideas to were I can get the rear exhaust section(muffler with heater wrap round) ASAP:ok:

Sadler, They're all different but heres what I do! Mixture full and rich, prime for 5 secs, leave full and rich and crank. If hot, mixture full and rich, prime 2-3 secs, mixture pulled out. Crank until it fires and immeadiately shove mixture in. IT will take a few cranks to fire especially when hot. Some people will say to pull mixture out even when cold but I find the above works for me. A total pain in the a**e when hot. Any other probs PM me.