Helicopter Teaching In-flight

by Philip Greenspun and Kasim Te; updated March 2014

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Used in helicopter training at East Coast Aero Club in Boston.


This document is intended for a helicopter CFI teaching VFR maneuvers in flight in a Robinson R22 or R44. It suggests exact wording both for describing maneuvers initially and responding to common errors. The initial descriptions are deliberately brief so as not to overload a student.

Start Up and Rotor Engagement

Attitude Flying

Straight and Level Flight:

Turns:

  1. "Temporary cyclic side pressure to hold a slight bank."
  2. "Slight aft cyclic to maintain altitude."
  3. "Slightly before reaching your desired heading, neutralize the cyclic to a level flight attitude."

Common Errors and Responses:

Initial Hovering

Common Errors and Responses:

Takeoff to a Hover

  1. "Gages green, fuel (in hours), lights out, area clear."
  2. "Raise the collective in small increments until light on the skids. Gradually add slight left pedal to maintain heading and feel for the sweet spot with the cyclic."
  3. "Feel for the change in CG as the helicopter lifts up the first skid (usually the right skid)."
  4. "Slowly raise collective to a five-foot hover."

Common Errors and Responses:

Landing from a Hover

  1. "Focus in the distance."
  2. "Stabilize your hover."
  3. "Lower collective slightly to establish a descent rate."
  4. "Continue lowering collective slowly to overcome ground effect."
  5. "Fly the helicopter to the ground."
  6. "Once firmly on the ground, smoothly lower collective to flat pitch."

Common Errors and Responses:

Normal Takeoff

  1. "Gages green, fuel (in hours), lights out, area clear."
  2. "Stabilize hover."
  3. "Slight forward cyclic to accelerate."
  4. "At ETL, more forward cyclic to prevent the nose from rising and right pedal to maintain trim."
  5. "At 45 knots, aft cyclic to lift the nose to a 60 knots attitude."
  6. "Raise collective to maximum continuous power."

Common Errors and Responses:

Traffic Patterns

  1. "After takeoff, climb on upwind."
  2. "Check clear and turn crosswind."
  3. "Check clear and turn downwind."
  4. "Just before reaching pattern altitude, lower power (to 17 inches in the R22, to 19 inches in the R44) and pitch to maintain altitude."
  5. "Check gages, fuel (in hours), lights out, pull up carb heat."

Common Errors and Responses:

Normal Approach

  1. "Check gages, fuel (in hours), lights out."
  2. "Abeam your spot, pull full carb heat."
  3. "Decrease power (15 in the R22; 14 in the R44). Aft cyclic to prevent the nose from dropping."
  4. "Check clear and turn base."
  5. "Check clear and turn final."
  6. "Level off at 300' AGL and 60 knots."
  7. "Wait to intercept your approach angle (approx. between the yaw strings and the compass)."
  8. "On final, maintain the spot in the same position in the windshield with collective. Use aft cyclic in response to ground rush."
  9. "At 100', push down the carb heat."
  10. "At 50', transition from a crab to a slip to align the skids with the ground track."
  11. "Zero out your airspeed and descent rate at a 5 foot hover above your spot."

Common Errors and Responses:

Maximum Performance Takeoff

  1. "Roll the throttle down to 75% and do a mag check."
  2. "Roll up to the green."
  3. "Carb heat off."
  4. "Gages green, fuel (in hours), warning lights out, and area clear."
  5. "Increase power until light on the skids."
  6. "Increase power to an inch below maximum and maintain a slight nose low attitude (level attitude in the R44)."
  7. "When climbing through 10 feet, check your power again and pull in maximum power if you haven't already done so."
  8. "Use cyclic to pitch for ETL airspeed in the climb."
  9. "Once clear of the obstacle, accelerate to best climb speed."

Common Errors and Responses:

Steep Approach

US Army method:

  1. "The maneuver is the same as a regular approach except the angle is steeper and the descent rate is greater."
  2. "On final at 300' AGL and 60 knots, intercept a steep approach angle. The spot should be just around the yaw strings or slightly lower."

Hillsboro method:

  1. "The maneuver begins like a normal approach, but you decelerate earlier."
  2. "On final at 300' AGL, slow down to 30-40 knots."
  3. "Upon intercepting a steep approach angle (the stop should be just around the yaw strings or slightly lower), bring in power to establish a descent rate of 100-200 feet per minute."
  4. "Keep the collective stationary and maintain the angle to your spot with cyclic only."

Common Errors and Responses:

Shallow Approach and Running Landing

"Shallow approaches are hard because you need control your descent rate with cyclic. Near the ground, if your descent rate is too high, use forward cyclic to accelerate."

  1. "A shallow approach begins just like a normal approach."
  2. "Fly a pattern to line up on final at 300' AGL and 60 knots."
  3. "As you intercept your angle, the spot should be approximately at the compass on the windshield."
  4. "Maintain your angle similar to how you would on a normal approach."
  5. "At 100', you must push down the carb heat."
  6. "At 50', align the skids with the ground track with pedals."
  7. "Maintain airspeed just above ETL and keep your power constant."
  8. "If your descent rate is too high, forward cyclic to accelerate."
  9. "Before touchdown, cyclic to level the skids, pedals to maintain skid alignment, and collective to cushion the landing."
  10. "During the slide, cyclic controls lateral track, pedals maintain heading, and reduce collective to brake."
  11. "Avoid aft cyclic."

Common Mistakes and Responses:

Slope Operations

Slope Landing:

  1. "Consider the wind. A headwind will stabilize you."
  2. "Approach your spot at a 45 degree angle so that you can see where your tail rotor will be. Do not turn your tail rotor into the slope."
  3. "Focus in the distance to stabilize your hover above your spot."
  4. "Lower collective slightly to establish a descent rate."
  5. "Continue lowering collective slowly to overcome ground effect."
  6. "Descend vertically until the uphill skid contacts the slope."
  7. "Use uphill cyclic to lock the skid into the hill. Wiggle the pedals to make sure the front and rear of the skid are both in contact with the hill."
  8. "Lower the downhill skid slowly. Input cyclic to keep the helicopter from sliding."
  9. "When the downhill skid contacts the slope, continue to slowly lower collective."
  10. "When power is down to 15, slowly center the cyclic."
  11. "Slowly lower the collective to flat pitch."

Slope Takeoff:

  1. "Gages green, fuel (in hours), warning lights out, area clear."
  2. "Slowly load the disc by raising power to 15."
  3. "Use cyclic to pin the uphill skid against the slope."
  4. "Slowly raise collective until the downhill skid is level with the uphill skid. Simultaneously center the cyclic to keep the ship level."
  5. "Slowly center the cyclic until you feel the uphill skid break free."
  6. "Raise the collective to climb vertically above the slope."
  7. "Move away from the slope without pointing the tail rotor into the slope."

Common Errors and Responses:

Air Taxi

  1. "Gages green, fuel (in hours), warning lights out, area clear."
  2. "The maneuver is just like a normal takeoff except when you climb through 75 feet, reduce power to 18 inches (R22; 17 inches for the R44) and pitch for a level altitude."

Common Errors and Responses:

Rapid Deceleration ("Quick Stop")

Common Errors and Responses:

Hover Autorotations

  1. "Focus on a specific tree or building in the distance."
  2. "Reposition your hand underneath the throttle."
  3. "Count down and roll the throttle into over travel to disable the correlator."
  4. "Add right pedal and slight right cyclic."
  5. "Just before touchdown, raise collective to cushion the landing."

Common Errors:

Straight-In Autorotations

  1. "Full carb heat."
  2. "Gages green, lights out, fuel (in hours)."
  3. "Stabilize on final at 70 knots (R22; 75 knots for the R44)."
  4. "When nearing a steep approach angle, countdown."
  5. "Down collective to enter, with right pedal and aft cyclic. The goal is to preserve the power-on attitude."
  6. "Throttle off to split the needles."
  7. "Crack the collective slightly to check rotor RPM."
  8. "Pitch for autorotative speed (R22: 65 KIAS; R44: 70 KIAS)."
  9. "Eyes outside."
  10. "At 200', confirm airspeed, rotor RPM, and descent rate within acceptable limits."
  11. "At 40', aft cyclic to flare."
  12. "At 10' feet, twist throttle above 80% to rejoin the needles and forward cyclic to level the ship."

Common Errors and Responses:

180 Degree Autorotations

"180 autos are just like straight-ins except with a turn. The greatest challenge is to control your pitch and airspeed in the turn."

  1. "Full carb heat."
  2. "Gages green, fuel lights out, fuel (in hours), area clear."
  3. "Abeam your spot on downwind, enter autorotation."
  4. "Once established in a straight-in, turn toward your spot."
  5. "Divide your attention between straight ahead and your spot."
  6. "In the turn, maintain pitch with cyclic and raise collective slightly to contain RPM if need be."
  7. "When rolling out, remove any collective that you had pulled for the turn."
  8. "By 200' AGL, the turn must be complete."
  9. "End the maneuver just like a straight-in autorotation."

Common Errors and Responses:

Confined Areas

  1. "High recon at 500' AGL and check for four Ws (wind, wires, way in, way out) and four Ss (size, shape, surface, slope)."
  2. "Fly a traffic pattern to your spot."
  3. "Your final approach is the low recon."
  4. "Cyclic controls ground track and speed, collective controls your angle, and pedals maintain trim."
  5. "At 100', push down the carb heat."
  6. "At 50', align the skids with the ground track with pedals."
  7. "Before sinking below obstacles, make a no or no-go decision."
  8. "Zero out your airspeed and descent rate either at a 5 foot hover above your spot or directly on the surface as appropriate."

Common Errors and Responses:

Pinnacle Approaches

"Pinnacle procedures are difficult due to lack visual references on approach. Include the airspeed indicator in your scan."

  1. "High recon at 500' AGL and check for four Ws (wind, wires, way in, way out) and four Ss (size, shape, surface, slope)."
  2. "Fly a traffic pattern to your final approach."
  3. "The final approach is the low recon."
  4. "Cyclic controls ground track and speed, collective controls your angle, and pedals maintain trim. Also glance at your airspeed indicator."
  5. "At 100', push down the carb heat."
  6. "At 50', align the skids with the ground track with pedals."
  7. "Zero out your airspeed and descent rate either at a 5 foot hover above your spot or directly on the surface as appropriate."

Common Errors and Responses:

Settling with Power

  1. "Begin at at least 3000' AGL."
  2. "Point into the wind and establish an OGE hover."
  3. "Lower collective to establish a descent rate of 500' feet per minute."
  4. "Watch as the descent rate begins to rise."
  5. "Raise collective to demonstrate that more power increases the descent rate."
  6. "Recover by lowering collective slightly and pitching down to fly out of the vortices."
  7. "As soon as the airspeed is alive, bring in full climb power and pitch for a 60 knot attitude."
  8. Optional: "Repeat the maneuver with a tailwind to see the difference in recovery time."

Common Errors and Responses:

Governor-Off Operations

"With the governor off, keep the tachs in your scan. Manipulate the throttle manually to keep RPM in the green. Compensate for the imperfect correlator. The correlator won't work well particularly below 18 inches, so be careful with pickups and set downs. When might we need to fly with the governor off? Safety notice 35 states flying near broadcast towers might interfere with governor operation. "

Low Rotor RPM and Recovery

Introduction: "During high density altitude, high gross weight, and high power (e.g., four fat guys going on a steep approach into a confined area near Big Bear, CA), you may encounter low rotor RPM. The natural reaction of a pilot is to decrease speed and pull more power. We practice this because the proper recovery is just the opposite: lower collective, roll on throttle, and increase forward speed."

Demonstrate low rotor RPM and recovery in the hover:

Induce low rotor RPM and demonstrate a hover: "Note the ship will still fly in many conditions even with low rotor RPM."

Once the student is comfortable with low rotor RPM recovery in the hover, try it in the air:

Common Errors and Responses:

Hydraulics-Off Training (R44 only)

Demonstrate the hydraulics off in the cruise: "Note control inputs are heavier and there is lag. Consequently, hovering is difficult and perhaps hazardous. Keep the airspeed at 60 knots and come in for a running landing. We will terminate at a 15' hover to be safe."

Shutdown Procedures


Want to start training in Boston with East Coast Aero Club? Call 781-274-6322 to enroll, or email philg@mit.edu

Copyright 2008-2014 Philip Greenspun.


philg@mit.edu