Training for display flying
 

Hi all, I've been an avid lurker on this forum for a while. I have a question I was hoping the locals could provide some advice for.

If someone was interested in doing some display flying at regional airshows how would someone with a non-military background go about building that experience?
This doesn't just encompass the flying aspect but also what is required from a planning and safety perspective.

The plank drivers seem to have the run of our local airshows and it would be nice to see more helo content outside of the occasional appearance from the military.

It's post number 1, so be gentle :ooh:

My two cents worth:


- Don't try to compete with the stuck-wings. Do / show something the can't do. Nothing spectacular in the beginning, more like hover turns, squares, vertical climbs. External load or winching if you are proficient.
- Make a program, set your limits, stick to them
- Practice a lot with a judge on the ground like in aerobatics
- Stick to your program!!!! Don't get carried away during the display and start freestyling!!!


Remember that it only needs to look good for the layman spectator. This doesn't mean it has to be demanding or even dangerous from a pilots point of view.

Cheers,
Bernie

Talk to Dennis Kenyon.

Thanks for the comments.
Bernie, that would certainly be the intention.
Dennis Kenyon was mentioned to me. Will drop him a mail.

Talk to John Beattie.

To be sure that it´s mentioned: At all time, stick to the limits of the machine!


Some "basic" manoeuvers would look impressive to the pedestrians (in no particular order):
- Hover and hovering turns in both directions
- Slowly changing from backward hover into forward hover and vice versa
- Hover circeling around some visible fixed object (wind indicator, ...) with the nose (or tail, ...) always pointing to this object
- Hight speed taxi along the runway with a quick stop into hover
- Vertical takeoff


Everything of course depends on limits (laws, aircraft, weather, air field), skills and practice.


Start with the most simple stuff


Thracian

Don`t think about using smoke....easy to become disoriented

You'll need a reputable mentor if you want to take the circuit seriously. Without a mentor who also needs to be a DAE you'll not be taken seriously and will forever be doing weddings or fete's.
With guidance and advice and practice you'll be taken seriously by bigger and better FDD's and before too long be doing the big venues.
Good luck:ok:

Talk to Chuck Aaron. You will need a low altitude waiver.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQT26oxOG4c

Contact one of the miltary teams such as the Black Cats at Yeovilton for advice.

Erm, none of that is impressive to anybody.

If you cannot do anything impressive, don't display.

Practice carefully until you can do something impressive, then think about displaying.

To some extent being impressed is relative, depends on your point of reference.
Many people go to the bathroom each day, look down, and are duly impressed when in all likelyhood they probably shouldn't be ;)

Thanks for all the comments.

Depends on your experience. If you´ve flown aerobatics in a BO105, or gunfight in a Cobra, you´re right. If the only experience with helicopters you have is watching the police and EMS ships crossing your town´s skyline, it may look differently.
And for display flying (which is not necessarily aerobatics), where the spectators are crowded on one side of the runway, you cannot do
high speed terrain following where the crowd will see you for a few seconds until you disappear behind the next hill.


So why not showing some things that planes can´t do and leave that high speed stuff to them?


Thracian

Because there are people like Dennis Kenyon, John Beattie, the Black Cats, the Blue Eagles, the RAF Chinook Display, The Red Bull Bo105 doing some actually interesting "stuff that planes can't do"

There are many things that you can do in a rotary display that are interesting, but unless you can do something other than normal flying you have no business displaying.

A display is for the crowd, and should be interesting rather than just normal PPL stuff.
Everybody has youtube, and has seen exceptional pilots do amazing things. Dull routines ruin airshows.

At the very least, wingovers, noseovers etc and precision flying.

Unless you are flying something interesting in itself (MI-26,V22?), you have to do something that at least looks exciting or why bother?

You´re right, but being a starter in display flying, the Bell_ringer should not directly aim for flying the same things as the ones you named do.


Maybe it depends on the amount of training hours he´s willing to spend before flying his first display


Thracian

CAA Display Authority
 

For Bellringer .... Not mentioned yet, but your first port of call should be the Display Pilot's 'Bible' ... CAP 403 Edition Thirteen 2. (13th April 2016.) You can download the latest copy from the CAA's web site.

Then approach any of the Display Authority Evaluators (DAEs) mentioned above. They will guide you and can arrange to 'Mentor' you through the process. I take the view you need something in the region of 500 type hours and undertake a period of specific display training. The rotary wing side of our display industry does need a few more active display pilots.

You'll be welcome to the club. Fly safe. Dennis Kenyon.

Impressive
 

I am impressed.
The tread was running so well.
And now the OP Bell ringer starts the Willy Weaving by himself!

What's next?
A display of a pissing contest at 10 ft both doors off?

Cheers SLB

SLB, don't be ridiculous. Obviously the pissing contest is planned to take place during the peak of the display.