Should one wear a helmet in the R22
 

Hello fellow rotorheads!

This is an old thread, but I have a question concerning birdstrikes when flying the R22 so I bring it to life again. Beeing a 100h lowtimer there are lots of questions on my mind, this is one.

In Sweden, where I fly, I often meet seagulls in the air. I'm in no hurry when I fly so my cruise speed is mostly around 80 kt. The ship, as you all know, has some kind of plexiglas bubble. This glas feels pretty hard and tough, but I'm unsure how it withstands a direct birdstrike of the weight of a seagul. Reading some of the other posts gives me the impression that it wont withstand a birdstrike. I've read about pilots in Jet Rangers and EC120 and other small turbineships getting a bird straight through the window, but these ships fly faster than the R22. I reckon the force of the impact is much depending on the speed when you collide with the object.

My question is; will the R22 windshield, most likely, withstand a direct birdstrike (the size of a seagull) in 80kt ?

If not, I feel there is a need to wear a helmet, but it feels a bit "to much" in a R22 (even a bit stupid). Not even sure it will fit in there. But safety comes first, so I'll take it under serious consideration if the possibility of getting my eyes hurt or been killed in a birdstrike is great. Anyone of you old salts out there has advice on this question ?

best regards

RS

Not guaranteed one way or the other so consider intrusion a possibility.

Maybe not relevant but I hit a pheasant with my Land Rover at about 50mph and it broke the laminated screen. It made a hell of a bang and Im glad it wasn't an aircraft screen.

Consider if you can fly with a face full of blood, guts and feathers.

Stupid? Protecting your head? Ask yourself why lots of professional pilots wear helmets. Do they have softer heads or flimsier aircraft?

I got an Alpha to wear in my Enstrom 6 months ago and wouldn't fly without it. The tinted visor is loads better than sunglasses too. I couldn't give a toss if I look stupid.

Actually, I probably look less stupid with helmet on.

There is a good article in here that discusses birds V helmets. go to Volume 16 number 1 (2004)

[http://www.bellhelicopter.com/en/training/index.cfm?content=services/human_ad.cfm

Birdstrikes - incl pictures
 

This EMS helicopter from Salamanca base, Spain had a birdstrike with a stork. You can see the remains on the left of the helicopter. It just struck the top of the head of the pilot. Blood went all the way to the back of the helicopter. The helicopter dove rapidly and the medical crew in the back could not see if the blood was from the pilot or the bird. Nobody was seriously injured and the helicopter landed safely.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...eTophangar.jpg

Heliharm

:ooh:
Was he using a helmet??

I suspect the stork might have been wearing a helmet to smash through the window like that, but perhaps that wasn't what you meant.........:hmm:

How fast? How low? (helicopter)

Note the thin plexiglas and the big hole. The very marginal windshield protection is shown by the size of the hole and the way the material just shattered itself. Most Part 29 helos have strong multilayered windshields that truly protect against penetration.

I think my wife has one of those part 29 multilayered shields.

hehehe :}

what a bunch of jokers..

Now that one made my day, Gerhardt! Glad everyone walked away.

BTW, what sort of mass would you suppose said stork has(d)? We have a lot of seagulls where I fly and I have always theorized that the slope of the windshield would prevent penetration:O (sorry, I'm feeling a bit juvenile today) with a 2-3 lb bird at 100 knots.

A quick review of Part 29 indicates that I may be fooling myself as I fly CAR 6 and FAR 27 aircraft which definately do not meet these requirements.

§ 29.631 Bird strike.
The rotorcraft must be designed to ensure capability of continued safe flight and landing (for Category A) or safe landing (for Category B) after impact with a 2.2-lb (1.0 kg) bird when the velocity of the rotorcraft (relative to the bird along the flight path of the rotorcraft) is equal to VNE or VH (whichever is the lesser) at altitudes up to 8,000 feet. Compliance must be shown by tests or by analysis based on tests carried out on sufficiently representative structures of similar design.
[Doc. No. 28008, 61 FR 21907, May 10, 1996; 61 FR 33963, July 1, 1996]

I have heard of someone ending up with a duck (4-5 lb) in their lap. Has anyone experienced birdstrikes with the smaller variety? What type of damage occurred?

Thanks,
Tweedles

One pound Swallows make a heck of a wallop on the 212 Glass windscreen but do not penetrate. Also, they only do that once in a lifetime (theirs).

Vietnamese Cranes (BWB's...Big White Birds) do a heck of a lot of damage to Chinook chin bubbles...and the back of your legs when they decide the accomodation standards under the pilot's seat is not to their liking. A number ten sized Army boot applied firmly and repeatedly does yeoman work at ending the complaint however.

Once had a Red Tailed Hawk, huge rascal, make a gun run on my Hughes 500E. He dove in from one o'clock high, passed down mere inches off the right side of the aircraft at warp speed. If he had scored a hit I doubt any of us would have been around to tell the tale.

I've seen a blackbird leave a 'blackbird' sized hole in the pax side chin bubble of a 500D.

My sympathies to the stork, but what happened to the baby it was carrying??

shit happens
 

& people still want to argue that helmets aren't "necessary" :=

Nick Lappos Said:

Most, but unfortunately, not all. A few weeks ago an S-76 from my base encountered a seagull while cruising at approx. 140 knots. Despite the shallow angle of the windscreen, the seagull penetrated the plexiglas to the extent that it knocked the right engine T-handle back and took the engine off-line. I suspect the optional laminated glass windscreen would have provided much better protection.

-Stan-

Are there any thoughts on how to react when encountering birds; try to avoid them by manouvring or just continue? I widnessed a collegue making an evasive manouvre trying to miss a hawk and ending up hitting it with a rotorblade :ouch:

Time is not an issue...

If you do spot a bird it's usually too late to do anything.

In my experience when encountering areas with flocks of birds is to slow down to 60 kts and turn on landing lights. That way they will maneuver around you.

we have had some trouble with birds this week at our airfield. they made nests in the grass on the helipad and don't move when you hover closer. I was about to lift when i saw one actually chasing another 22 while it started it's take-off roll. one of our instructors had a "bird-nudge" in a 22 at the beginning of the week.