Paid for 3 hours of tuition in a Schweizer / Hughes in the UK (Biggin Hill, near London).Great fun, but not cheap at 500 quid (800 dollars?), and this was a special offer.
Absolutely loved the experience.
Within a minute of starting up, I had control of one control, gradually moving up to all controls within about another minute or so!
Absolutely superb.
Instructor was rather dismissive of the R-22 and research at time seemed to show that the Hughes was safer.
But far too expensive to do in the UK, and the UK is far too busy.
Highlight was an hours flight around the South-East coast, Dover, Kent, seeing Southend and then back.
I did all the flying and observation while the (slightly inexperienced or very trusting) instructor worked out the heights required and what we had to avoid (prisons etc - they get nervous about low flying 'copters).
Great moment as a Gipsy Moth did aerobatics just to my left, and below me.
Great experience, only hope I get rich one day.
-- Rob Allright, November 25, 2003
If you haven't gotten your rotor license yet, you might want to check out www.kdhelicopters.com and see about possibly taking some lesson's with Kim Darst. She's one of the best helicopter pilot's in the U.S. If you want to know more check out http://women-in-aviation.com/cgi-bin/links/detail.cgi?ID=517 for her full biography. Happy hovering!!
-- Mike Valentin, March 28, 2004
Being a certified Canadian Commercial Helicopter pilot type-rated on both the RH22 and Bell 206, I'd just like to add my 2 cents:Helicopters (like any other aircraft) are only dangerous for those who fail to respect their parameters and the environment in which they fly. Helo pilots are trained to react quickly, knowing full well the capabilities and demands of their aircraft. (Something an airline pilot in a fixed-wing "heavy" near MGTOW will identify with around V1 speeds....) :D
If you're hoping for a 'turn your mind off/take a drive in the sky' experience, then yes, you're *definitely* headed for trouble in a helicopter. You *cannot* trim a helo in 3 axes and gaze idly out the windshield. (Not recommended, even if you do have an autopilot/co-pilot!) :)
An engine failure (and subsequent autorotation) is, however, far less stressful in a helicopter than an engine failure in a fixed-wing aircraft. Why? Your ability to trade vertical & horizontal speed against rotor rpm gives you a greater selection of landing places. No need for a long straight path with unobstructed glideslope! That tennis court! Or that parking lot! Maybe even that little field! Also, the lower final vertical & horizontal speeds associated with an autorotation assure you that if you even dent or roll the craft over when landing, you're better off than the fellow who stuffs his Piper Cherokee into the scenery at 60 knots. :)
(On a more flippant (but equally valid note): You'll also not have enough time to worry or doubt yourself. From "engine-failure!" to autorotation to "good stuff! perfect landing!" takes about 30 seconds in an R22, presuming an initial altitude of 1 000 feet AGL. You're sharp? you're alert? then you're alive. I don't know about you, but if my motor snuffed it, I'd want to be on the ground in one piece as soon as possible...) :D Okay, so now you know, helos are the greatest thing since the invention of the aerofoil. So why do so many pilots crash and burn? Well, the greatest danger with helicopters (like EVERY other craft) is not the craft itself. It's the pilot and the choices he makes/the environment he operates in.
If you're doing vertical reference flying (ie. flying with an external load) around powerlines in the fog when near max gross weight, then yes, your risk factor does goes up. Like everything else in life, all manoeuvres should be weighed for "risk vs. time of exposure".
That said, far too many pilots take this lightly and put themselves deliberately in harm's way. The vert. ref. pilot mentioned above has weighed the odds and has his thumb hovering on the winch release in case he needs to jettison the load. If only every pilot were so responsible.
With Wagner's "Ride Of The Valkyries" in their head, too many fly ridiculously low, with no justification whatsoever. They buzz crowds and be a nuisance (face it, most people see helos as blenders just waiting to puree unsuspecting bystanders.) The joyriding pilots perform low-G pushovers in teetering-rotor designs (like the Robinsons and nearly every Bell made) and encounter 'mast bumping'. They get themselves in vortex ring state by descending at the same speed as their downwash (therefore net lift = 0). And the list goes on. One of my long-ago instructors neglected to perform a proper pre-flight inspection and plowed in, taking the mechanic with him. Another took off at night in inclement weather up north and wasn't found for a year, and even then only by accident. (Needless to say, he wasn't alive.)
These were all men with experience. What did them in wasn't the machine per se, it was their lack of judgement. This is the true killer, no matter what you fly. (How many of you would scud run in a Gee Bee replica over unfamiliar terrain?)
I hope that those of you I've not bored to tears with this entry have got something out of it. :D
Should you have any questions/comments/feedback, feel free. :)
Keith Helwig.
-- Keith Helwig, August 12, 2004
I have recently started training to fly helicopter's using the R22. I have held a commercial fixed wing (light aircraft) in both NZ and Australia but both are lapsed some years now. The desire to fly helicopters has been a "disease" that has been with me since I was 4 years old (now 41). My fixed wing experience allowed me to concentrate more on actually flying the aircraft as opposed to trying to take in instruments, radio etc. Having said that there are several points against my fixed wing flying experience - there appears to be a less reliance on instruments than in fixed wing....I'm slowly learning not to cheat by setting attitude via instruments:) Is it good? Oooooooooh Yes - there is absolutely nothing like it. If you have a passion for fying then helicopters have to be the ultimate flying you can do. I enjoy the R22 - but then I have nothing to compare it to. Is it dangerous? Like any aircraft they certainly have the potential to be dangerous. Concentration required between flying fixed wing and rotary is huge - Fixed wing aircraft can be trimmed out in straight and level flight and (not advised) can be left to saunter off in the direction they are pointed with no hands (or very little) required from the pilot (well, on a calm day :)) - Helicopters require full pilot input at all times. Once the machine is live you need full concentration. Know everything about your machine - you can never know enough. Is it expensive? Well let me answer that with a question - does anyone have a spare kidney they could give me to sell off for flight hours :) We're paying around US$280 an hour in the R22. The Hughes 300 (Schweizer) is more expensive but by how much I don't know. In NZ we need to do 50 hours for PPL and I think it's another 100 hours(it may be 150 hours) for CPL. Because of the mountainous country here there is a certain number of mountain flying training required both in PPL and CPL.I'd like to exit on a light note and say that if you want to fly then fly a real aircraft and go helicopters.
-- Marc Angelo, June 21, 2005
After learning about some people who have flown their RotorWay helicopters on 5,000 mile trips, I decided to take my RotorWay on a cross cousntry trip of only 1,300 miles. I knew that from flying an R22 that I would definitely prefer flying the RotorWay over the R22 anytime, but was not at all sure how well and reliable mine would be on a long trip. I had added a Lowrance 2000C GPS to the RotorWay, and that, with its FADEC system, I found the trip to be easy, and the helicopter to be a stable and reliable platform. Many people had told me that they thought that flying a helicopter was very tiring, but I have to say that I was not very tired even when flying all day. In fact, it took only a light touch on the cyclic and collective and peddle inputs were minimal on the entire flight. My one maintenance item was after about 1,000 miles it was necessary to tighten the drive belts to the secondary, but outside of that the machine just flew uneventfully. On several legs where winds aloft showed tail winds available, I climbed to 3,500' and enjoyed 137 MPH ground speed according to the GPS. My conclusion is that cross country helicopter trips are not only a joy, but a great way to travel distances, and would encourage others to do so. And, though I have not taken really long trips, I anticipate trips in it of several thousand miles in the future.
-- Jim Rapier, November 2, 2005
I have owned both a R-22 and R-44 and have flown both on 10 to 20 day long trips my favorite being from San Diego to Alaska if any body would like to see pictures please e-mail me.
-- Todd Peters, September 13, 2011
The thing I found to be the biggest help is moving your head for every input of the controls. If you pull up on the collective move your head up. If you put a left pedal in turn your head left. I found this to be helpful with the lag created by not being hard attached to the flying wing. When flying an airplane your inputs happen as fast as you move the controls. With helicopters there is a momentary delay causing people to input more, and then having to over correct because of it. Then the whole thing repeats, the input lags the student adds more, and you end up chasing the aircraft all over the place. When you move your head it gives the sensation of instant change for the input. I call this ( flying with your head ). Fly the rotor, not the cockpit. Thanks for reading Mick O'Brien
-- Mick O'Brien, January 21, 2015
Amazing Group of Helicopters Landing https://youtu.be/qSQzAOPv5JU
-- J Olesen, April 29, 2015