Effects Of Controls
The Same, Yet Different
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Flying Hours Today 1:00, Total 2:00
Ex 4/8 Effects of Controls and Hover @ 45 seconds
As learning to fly helicopters is an expensive business and I also have my fixed wing flying to budget for I will be taking lessons at the rate of one per month. Although this might mean I spend some time re-learning the previous lesson I'm in no hurry to get my licence and so will take my time. Therefore I booked my next lesson just three weeks after the first.
This would be my first 'proper' lesson following the trial lesson.
Booked at Sheffield, as it is local and where I do my fixed wing flying.
Exercise 4 - The effects of control. Back in the classroom like fixed wing. Airmanship.
Proper classroom briefing and then out to do the flying.
Out for the pre-flight, as the helicopter had already been flown earlier on we only had to do the pre-flight check.
An easy to remember process: 4-3-2-1
Four warning lights to check, with ignition on, MR, MC, TR, ALT?
Three Telatemps and oil levels
Two fuel tanks, to check levels and that the caps are on securely. You don't want one of them flying off and into the tail rotor.
On belt, to check for cracks, fraying, tension.
Checklist for take off, friction, brakes, fuel.
Sensitivity of collective, 1cm up for the low RPM.
Wait for the oil temp so that the needle is in the green.
Cool take off from the hover seeing the airport from a completely different perspective, including the South Yorkshire Police helicopter turning the rotors at its own helipad - and I'd never noticed that in the 9 months I'd been at Sheffield.
We followed the M1 south and followed through on the exercise. Again, the sensitivity of the controls were a surprise but I soon had the handling under control. This was much improved compared to my reservoir circuit a few weeks earlier. Although, as in fixed wing flying when learning it is easy to focus on one thing too much and as I was looking to keep straight and level, I actually dropped to just 600ft agl before the instructor checked the descent and brought us back to 1200ft.
Climbing using the MAP, boost to 23in to climb, down to 15in to descend. Counter for the yaw.
Keeping a level lookout, and the compass against the horizon I was turning, climbing, descending with relative ease. We followed the M1 back northerly and then southerly. As today the weather wasn't so great - after days of humid heat the low level rain clouds were on their way across the country so the cloud base was quite low. We kept our eyes peel for traffic and spotted a small Cessna in the same air-space. At first we thought it was departing but it turned and went behind us. It was a great opportunity to turn and track to keep the Cessna in view. Eventually the fixed wing climbed away and we continued with the exercises.
Inbound to EGSY. Fixed wing at the VRP followed in by approach @ 70kts. Descend then 60kts. Instructor takes over as I'm doing the fixed wing trick of managing airspeed with attitude and altitude with power - of course, things are the changed around in the rotary world. So as the Cessna landed ahead of us on R28, we aimed for the H on the south side grass at the airfield. Again, I'd never noticed this previously in all the landings I'd made at Sheffield, it shows just how focussed pilots are on the approach that they are only concerned with the runway and immediate path ahead of the aircraft as it comes in to land.
Hover exercise - difficult to start with again but this time up to 45 seconds and it was feeling easy, until a backwards circling technique was invented by me. Even the instructor thought that was a new trick. Using all three controls is, strangely enough, easier to manage as I am in full control, whereas when the instructor is taking one or more of the controls there are two people trying to anticipate the action of the helicopter.
Brake the blades and stop them in line with the helicopter.