You guys are too stuck in your ways. On my helicopter I have it set so the PFD is just a little box on the top-right corner of the screen showing airspeed and other info as just a number (no tape); the rest of the display is a moving map. Immediately easy to use. A horizontal airspeed tape and number, on a display that is apparently pretty low down, should work very well.

and how much IF time fo you have?

You prompted me to search for such a patent and here it is, at least the USA version:

US5860621A - Helicopter landing gear with skids:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US5860621A/en

That has apparently since expired.

No claims seem to have been made about reduced risk of fouling wires with such skids. Perhaps I was being too optimistic about that anyway.

But in any case PowerPedal has since explained the Hill reasoning for the forward projection.

If you mean instrument time in actual IMC, then the same amount HX50 pilots would have: 0 hours. The overwhelming majority of helicopters in the world, including all Robinsons, are VMC-only, as are the HX50 and the HC50.

I'd argue that good HMI is good HMI. But also, good luck if you go inadvertent IMC - that's a big killer and should be catered for. Fwiw I've previously commented on the poor HMI of the VMC map/SA display for vertical obstructions as well - overall I'm not a nay-sayer on the machine, just think they're making a few quite basic mistakes around things that get people killed.

So lots of show but still no go. No need for the defrost for another year at least.

Robinson make about 250 per year, and they don't even make their own engines, and they don't have owners doing 50% of the build.

Has Mr Hill bought an R66 in June?

DYNAMIQ ASSET HOLDINGS LIMITED - G-CIKX?

it would appear so

https://find-and-update.company-info...Y/appointments



https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b8fd34f132.png

Pba target is absolutely right about IIMC - it has killed an awful lot of VMC only pilots in VMC only helicopters over the years and will probably continue to do so whilst pilots overestimate their capabilities and underestimate the weather.

Keeping in mind this is a work in progress (e.g. see the text overrun bug bottom right, no terrain yet, ...), I think it's going quite well. Improvements I'd make are:

- Altitude readout: round to nearest 10 ft
- GPS Track pointer on HSI
- Fonts for units smaller. Capitalise NM (nm is nanometers).
- Regionalised formatting of thousands separators, e.g. 1,200 ft
- Add Wind indicator (significantly lowers workload & improves safety)

I particularly like the colour coded power and "time available" countdown. e.g. your two lots of 30 second 500hp max power every hour will be accurately presented, and 440hp takeoff power (5mins).

It's a VFR machine but I think it would be quite easy to fly in IMC, should the need arise. And I think all VFR aircraft should have some kind of "get out of trouble" instrumentation; there have been far too many IMC into terrain lately.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....4f9624a98.jpeg

There's some choices there that are great. Using circular gauges rather than strip on the L and R is a positive for sure.

don't give people any idea that they can do something they cannot

I get it there are a few good things but it will take some getting use to it:Traditionally engine information has always had its own visualisation space. Aka: VEMD on the AS350 or similar but usually on the centre space of the MIP. Now I get some “volts” here, “oil pressure” there, “amp” other there, radio frequency down there … all on that single screen space. I don’t see how it is going to help me diagnose problem quickly, when all that information is not segregated. it just looks like something that belongs to the range rover upscale version. I miss a good annunciator panel instead of all that fancyness.

it does have an annunciator panel:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....ba7cba5d4.jpeg

better still it then displays a pop up box telling you what to do when a warning light illuminates. ie “land immediately” vs “land as soon as practical” etc

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....aacc2b26d.jpeg

So, basically, the displays are so "innovative" and "intuitive" and ___ (put in some other fancy i word) that no IR rated pilot will be able to use them (if needed in IIMC). The NAV part is the smallest display (centre), the iflight or whatever is called (definitely not a PDF) is biiiig, as any VFR pilot can use it, when they get lost. I wonder what's the screen saver like?

This isn't IFR machine anyway. My guess HC50 will be a lot more in lieu with current crop of helicopters regarding visuals.

I’m sure you’d get used to it, but something doesn’t sit right with me about that layout. I think it’s the power gauge on the right next to the AI, to me that should be IAS. Having an IAS strip along the top when the altimeter is a circular gauge also seems a little incongruous. Perhaps I’m thinking about it from an IFR view point and the ability to maintain a scan, when that’s not really what it’s aiming at, and it actually works for a VFR only machine.

And yes, separate out the engine/tech stuff into its own area on the screen, bit of a dog’s dinner at the moment.

I also think it looks like something from a car, and not in a good way

Eurocopter screens are brilliant, why not just copy those?


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....3626d3d2a0.jpg




https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....07e5910cc5.jpg

Given the HX50 and HC50 are powered by a gas turbine, wouldn't it be more fair to compare them with an R66?

Using the "Build your R66 Turbine" application on Robinson website, the base model is available for US$1,072,000 which equates to about £853,000. But if you select most high-end optional extras for the R66 the price climbs to US$1,416,000 or about £1,126,000. Perhaps someone can refine the comparison further based on what Hill is offering.

One obvious current difference is that you could presumably acquire your R66 fairly soon, but you would have to await your turn in an increasingly long queue for a HX50 / HC50.

I heard the blades on the recent Duxford show aircraft were fiberglass mockups, did anyone look at them?