Principles of Flight books
 

Recommendations please. I’m long time ATPL(A), have just had a trial lesson and am looking to start PPL(H) later this year.

Thanks

dh

Try Shawn Coyle’s books. The Art and science of flying helicopters and Cyclic and Collective

Have a look at the FAA Helicopter Flying Handbook (free download)

Helicopter Flying Handbook

Try this first

Absolutely my preferred helicopter author.

But won’t mean a lot to you before you have at least 250 hrs on helicopters.

Thanks all. Any others?

For a beginner (like me, who merely dabbled in RW flying), I found the two pertinent books by Helen Krasner ("Flying Helicopters" and "Helicopter Pilot's Companion") quite helpful and very hands-on (but IMO not just focused on RW principles of flight). "Cyclic and Collective" by Shawn Coyle is an excellent read, too, but more advanced as already mentioned (can't tell about the 250 hrs threshold, though, as I maybe have a tenth of that). "FAA Helicopter Flying Handbook" is an informative source as well. Another recommendation (but admittedly not on principles of flight) would be "Fatal Traps for Helicopter Pilots" by Greg Whyte.

Try to obtain a copy of 'Sikorsky Helicopter Flight Theory For Pilots And Mechanics' by John R. Montgomery. I was given my copy by the Sikorsky rep. in the early seventies and so I don't know if its still in print. However, if you can find it anywhere I don't think that you will be dissapointed.

Here you are! 😊
https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a119096.pdf

Phil Croucher - Helicopter principles of flight

I just shared that with a co-worker. When I hired into Sikorsky, they had stopped handing that book out to new hires, and had other "training" instead. I have my dad's hardcopy.

Start with: cyclic = attitude = airspeed and collective = power = height.

Remember in a helicopter, the pedals aren't footrests and you will need to concentrate on keeping in balance.

Good luck and enjoy it - you will realise what you have been missing.

Thanks for all of that. Crab, this is my unscratched itch from 23 years in the RAF! I really enjoyed my trial and look forward to the next episode and new skill set.

Ray Prouty
 

Damn - Now I know what I've been doing wrong all these years... ;)

Have you thought of the relevant sections of AP3456? It is available in pdf under the FOI Act if requested.

"The Helicopter, History, Piloting and How it Flies"
by John Fay....if you can still get one.

Link to previous FOI for this

The late Ray Prouty's Helicopter Aerodynamics manuals are very informative; I still refer to them after 40 years in the helicoptering business.

Given that, by common consent, hovering is the most difficult skill, the most useful tip I received was "Fly the disc" . External conditions aside, the ONLY way a helo can change position is if the disc moves first! Thereafter pure magic! The second tip was to arrange the pedals to allow a comfortable wrist rest. All this on a Whirlwind 10, initially - everything else was easier!:)