Helicopters with wheels are forbidden to hovertaxy or not?
 

Hello to all, i recently heard a discussion that helicopters fitted with wheels are forced to taxy rolling, except in emergency. Is this true???

Can't say for the entire world, but in the USA, no. I can't think of a reason to forbid hovering. We ground-taxi if possible most of the time, to prevent wind damage to other aircraft on the ramp, but hovering is certainly not forbidden.

By who ?

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1.../Coconutty.jpg

The discussion started because an heavy helicopter landed directly at about 8 meters blade tip to blade tip from an AS350 helicopter. The heavy not only landed that far but he hover for a while before touchdown. The AS350 had both rotor baldes removed for inspection. And someone said that by legislation he was obliged to taxy rolling.

Common sense
 

Wheels or skids, a wheeled helo has no restrictions to hover taxiing. But any pilot must always consider effect of his downwash on other aircraft. When there may be excessive downwash, ground taxi if possible. Also I would not hover taxi too close a fixed wing due to the large amount of wing and moveable flaps.
Just use good comon sense and courtesy to other operators.

Hover Taxi Authorization
 

For a small fee I can send you a letter of authorization on official looking letterhead.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j35/helokat/g-man.gif

ummmm...not

- BTO

Welcome to PPRuNE!

There are some airports which place restrictions on non-wheeled helicopters in terms of access to certain parts of the airfield - London Gatwick being one of them.

International airports often allow wheeled helicopters more freedom than those with skids but .. this varies all over the world and there are doubtless examples to the contrary!

Earl

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviatio.../6/1693688.jpg

Bell 430 of Aero Asahi manuevering on the parallel taxiway of Japan's Nagoya airport

Heavy or otherwise, one should always take care landing anywhere near an Astar :ugh:

Sounds just like a case of poor airmanship.

ATC like helos to ground taxy at airports because then we follow the FW taxiways and the controllers find it easier to keep track of us.:)

Poor airmanship indeed!

Having said that, I still follow FW taxiways in the hover taxy if there's a choice. It's quicker, the pax prefer it and it saves the tyres and brakes too.

Aaaaahhhh - Of course :

IMHO - Hover taxi-ing over the taxiways doesn't suck anyway near as much
mown grass into the air intakes as taking a short cut over the green bits :p

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1.../Coconutty.jpg

As others have alluded to, the downwash from taxying on wheels is considerably less than that required to hover taxy, so you are less likely to cause downwash damage to any nearby aircraft. Hovering and other parked aircraft are not often good stable mates.

No. It´s not true.

It was for sure poor airmanship, and an expensive one too, the result was all the main rotor blades and tail rotor blade sent for inspection. Maybe next time he will think better on landing that close to a smaller fellow...By the way the heavy helicopter was an Kamov KA32.

Sydney (Mascot) Airport is another: they will not allow hover taxiing on the GA apron, wheeled helicopters only in that area.

Well, that must be some very expensive tyres and brakes if you compare it to the extra unnecesary airborne time that you put on all the other components of your helicopter, getting them exchanged just a few hours earlier...

We taxi with our wheels on the ground as long as possible, not only for economy but the S92 moves a lot of air, especially airborne.

/2beers

Is it Air Taxy now rather than Hover Taxy?

If I flew a larger type like the S-92, as per your profile, I might agree about relative cost.

However, on the (smaller) type I fly, where I fly, if I ground taxy at our base airport we're looking up to 10 minutes of rolling time, as opposed to far less airborne time. As the rotor mast is tilted forwards, to avoid going beyond the max allowed ground speed, especially with the nosewheel unlocked for turning, the brakes do need a lot of use and it's easy to cook the pads and discs.

The extra couple of minutes airborne time is insignificant to a brake fire or a burst tyre.

Also, as I said, the pax prefer it.

what is the difference between ground taxi and hover taxi to the MGB let's say?
do maintenance care if the MGB was used on the ground or in the air?
also I think you spend much more time on the ground than in the air covering the same distance

I was always taught that "air taxi" was higher and faster than "hover taxi." One might "hover taxi" out of the line, but when cleared direct across a large swatch of airfield, you'd "air taxi."

Also mixed in with this debate is the fact that most wheeled helos are larger aircraft than skid helos. More weight being held up means more lifties blowing down.

As a driver of a particularly windy rotorcraft, I'll always ground taxi when it's sensible.