Helicopter-pilot.info - Lessons 11-15

Lesson 11 12/4/02 Hour 9.9 - 10.9 Engine off landings
I had been going through all my notes making sure I would be ready for the assessment, I got into the office and was told that the chief instructor was still out so today was a reprieve! I was determined that this was going to be a good lesson, some of the previous ones had been a slow and I wasn't picking up things as quick as I had hoped. I did the usual pre-take off checks, the started the helicopter. My instructor asked me to do the radio call. I had done this before and I had been practising BUT come the time to do it......Wycome tower this is helicopter G-BYHT for air info and radio check (good start) and I get the reply "Helicopter G-BYHT, blah blah, runway ,blah blah, taxi, blah blah..blah" I don't hear/understand a word they say, so my instructor has to take over the rest of the call...not such a good start. We take off, I have control and we are in a right hand circuit, which I haven't done before. My instructor does the first practice engine off landing (EOL), we don't actually land but come to hover about 8-10ft above the field. Now it's not usual to be in a glass bubble at 700ft (well it wasn't before I started this) and then to start dropping, so the first time we did it I don't think I was paying too much attention to the controls, engine T's & P's etc (well you can't with your eyes closed can you!) So when i'm told "your turn", I did wonder whether they either had a very good sense of humour or just a death wish. I went round in the circuit, did my engine checks then got the signal "practice autorotation 3-2-1" and the lever goes down (my stomach goes up) and the ground is coming to meet us much faster than I would have preferred. All seemed to be going OK until we get to about 40ft, self preservation takes over and I decide that at the same time as flaring the helicopter (to slow it down) that I want more power so I can get away from the ground, which I did. I did it the next time and the time after that. At the end of the lesson my instructor said (though gritted teeth) "one more try?" which we did, and which seemed to go ok, all the way down....flare at the bottom....level out....then the lever up...fantastic! Not a great lesson but I got there in the end, we went back into the office to find the chief instructor is back and free to take me up now!
My comments: Room for improvement (as my old school teachers used to say) but with a little more practice I will be happy with that.

Lesson 12 12/4/02 Hour 10.9-11.4 Revision Lesson with the Chief pilot.
After every 10 hours or so the chief pilot likes to see how you are getting on. The last 10 hours, while you have built up a rapport with your usual instructor, that doesn't matter. You are now on a one to one with a new instructor, a chief instructor. I was out to impress, for my sake but also for my usual instructor. It must be remembered that this is not only a test on what I have learned so far, but also what I have been taught! How ever good your instructor is they don't want another instructor thinking that their student is not making the grade, I guess it must feel like a reflection on them (that's what I told them anyway) Take off was terrible, but as all my previous take offs have been pretty bad, at least I'm consistent. Straight away he put the Lever down and showed me what happens when you are light on the skids and how to correct it. Up in the air things weren't too bad, straight and level flying was.....almost straight and nearly level. Now the problems started when he said let's try a landing. Up to now my landings have been OK, the only problem has been that the helicopter probably costs round £140k and I don't want to be the one to do the damage, I know they have lots more, but that's not the point. So all of my landings have been OK but they take about 4 or 5 minutes before I think everything is just right and only then do I decide to put the thing down. This was picked up on this within seconds and said " Are you afraid of crashing this on landing?" when I said I was he said, "have a look at this". He took us up to about 100 feet and came back in to land and kept going forward at what seemed to be about 30kts and landed, sliding across the grass until eventually coming to a stop. I realised then that the helicopter wasn't as fragile as I thought it was, my next landings were not too bad, but the great thing was they were almost instant! After that half-hour I went home tired but happy, my take off and landings had improved and I had just stared to get to grips with engine off landings. I was told I was doing ok for 10.5 hrs so that was both my instructor and I off the hook for a while.
My comments: Everything went well, I'm happy!

Lesson 13 17/4/02 Hours 11.4-12.5 Spot Turns and quick stops
Yep, looked at the book, understood all the theory. I mean, how hard can it be to turn the helicopter around slowly?
VERY!!
It's not just turning it around slowly, it's also keeping the aircraft in the hover at the same time, at the same spot and at the same height. Today the wind is only 3kts and still I'm having problems getting my feet to do what they are supposed to do. My instructor tells me that as I am just over 6 feet tall that it takes a little longer to get the signal to my feet, I am beginning to believe it! After about five or six attempts we are getting a little closer to what we should be doing, the helicopter is turning (albeit with some changes in height) in both directions in a slowish sort of way. Throw in a couple of landings and take offs, which all go pretty well, and things aren't looking too bad this lesson. To break the lesson up a bit we also look at the quick stop.My instructor gives me a demonstration of the quick stop, which consists of flying at about 40 feet at 45kts then lowering the 'lever', right pedal and 'stick' back to flare and slow down, then level off and lift the lever with a bit of left pedal...my turn. This time I do all the right things......but not necessarily in the right order! I try: Lever down, left pedal power on Lever down, right pedal then lever up before flare Lever down, right pedal, flare then lever up before levelling off.....the last one seems to be my favourite, although my instructor isn't too happy with it. After a few more attempts I am getting better. Back in the office we book up a lesson for Friday and go to book my medical (which I will need for my first solo, together with a porta-loo!) which we are able to do at Wycome as they have a Doc on site. Medical booked for next Wednesday 12.30, and a lesson before just in case I fail the medical! My instructor asks me how I am doing with the Law revision (helicopter groundschool). Now, I am not lying when I say I have read it many times but it sends me to sleep each time! I think a bit more concentrated revision is in order.
My Comments: Spot turns OK, quick stops were coming on. Take off and landings were much better, so I am happy about those!

Lesson 14 19/4/02 Hour 12.5 - 13.4 Precision Transitions & downwind quickstop
The lesson was booked for 3.00pm but unfortunately all the helicopters are still out when I get there, so my instructor suggests, unsuccessfully , that I take the law exam. I should say that I have been studying for the Law exam for a while, but not as much as I should. I'm told that you get three attempts, but I am the type of person who likes to pass first time so I need a little more time. Instead of the exam they try's to educate me with some navigation. How is it possible to have so many different norths? After about half an hour a helicopter returns, which is just as well because the navigation isn't going well! Seat belts on, doors closed, fuel shut off valve on.............I go through the checks as usual, start procedure and then my favourite, the radio call. Up to now I have not really heard the response from the tower after my call, maybe nerves, maybe losing my hearing. If my hearing is going I'm sure the medical will show it! A successful radio call and near complete response from me (maybe a little help) and it's time to take off. Usually my instructor takes off and passes control to me. Today is special; either they trusts me now........ or have been drinking at lunchtime. My money is on the lunchtime drink! I take off and taxi sideways (taxiing needs a little practice) over to 'Echo' where I am demonstrated a precision transition. A precision transition is basically a move from one place to another quickly with a nice clean quick stop at the end. My turn next and all goes well, that wasn't too much of a problem. We try a couple more to make sure it isn't just luck and they go ok too. Time for the downwind quickstop. Another demonstration and it's my turn again. This isn't as easy as it looks, not only are you doing the quickstop but also a banked turn which we haven't really practised before. I can see these are going to take some time to master, or even do to any degree without my instructor holding onto the controls with white knuckles! What I find, is that I can do a lesson and everything can go horribly wrong, but about two lessons later it all comes together (except take off and landings). We try a couple of landings and then take offs with some spot turns which all seem to go OK. We try some more quickstops and downwind quickstops which are going to need more practice. Time to go back and i'm asked to take her back to the pad and then land. Again this is a first, so the lunchtime drink hasn't worn off yet! Unfortunately the pad is concrete and I haven't landed on this before (does it make a difference?) and there is an audience so it all goes pear shaped and my instructor completes the landing.
My comments: I'm happy, the take offs and landings are getting much better. I was getting worried about them. Spot turns I'm sure I will have sorted soon. Precision transitions I am happy with and quickstops just need practice. I think things are coming together well.

Lesson 15 23/4/02 Hour 13.4 - 14.5 Vortex Ring
I have booked an early lesson today, 10.00am. The weather is perfect, so hot that the shorts come out and my bare legs are forced upon the world. Into the briefing rooms for a lesson on why and how vortex ring occurs and how to get out of it, I have already read this in the book but I get to ask my questions now and clear up anything I don't understand . A quick lesson on how to top up the oil and then we begin. Usual checks, start up and then I have control for take off. Obviously I have done my radio call and obviously I don't hear/understand what the tower say to me. I think I just take that for granted now. I am thinking of getting a small portable radio which will pick up the frequency, maybe this will help me learn the language. Across the runway for a few spot turns and then into the circuit and away. Not sure how far we went, but we picked a nice quiet spot and climbed to 2500ft for a demonstration of vortex ring. Before that demo I get one on banked turns, I have a few trys which don't seem too much of a problem. Vortex ring is fairly straightforward and we practice that for a while before heading back to the circuit. A couple of take offs and landings and then my instructor asks for a circuit with all the extras (well, not really extras but essentials) like the look out calls, FREDA check, etc. The circuit goes well and the only thing to let me down was the landing back near the control tower. An almost perfect day. Tomorrow I have a lesson and then...the MEDICAL.
My Comments: This is probably the first lesson where nearly everything has gone as I would have liked. Take off, landings, spot turns. We did a circuit which was as good as I could have hoped for. Vortex ring was no problem.

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