R44 Helicopter Autorotation Practice
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ค. 2019
- Join me and Trevor Hale, a certified flight instructor from Mesa, AZ, for a 30-minute flight where I practice straight-in and 180° autorotations. Before we finish up, Trevor demonstrates -- or tries to demonstrate -- the Vuichard Maneuver for recovering from settling with power/vortex ring state. This is a complete video of our flight and includes all conversation, both on-topic and off-topic. It's basically two pilots practicing together, chatting about the maneuvers and sharing flying stories. I considered editing out the downwind portions of each pattern we flew, but thought there was enough interesting chatter to keep it. We're real people and we're not trying to prove anything. We're also not trying to show off, so don't expect anything fancy.
Because so many folks seem to like the scenic flying I do in the area, I also include my flight to the airport and back to base from the airport. If all you care about are the autorotations, start the video at about 5:00 and end it when Trevor and I land. If you're here for the scenery, just watch the first and last 5 minutes.
There's a lot to say about this video. Unfortunately, TH-cam only gives me 5000 characters for a description and my comments are closer to 10,000. So I urge you to read the full description on my blog at www.aneclecticmind.com/?p=12823. That's also where you'll find links to lots more information if you really want questions answered.
I hope you find the video interesting (at least) and educational (if you're a pilot who really wants to learn about this). I know it's not as exciting as the dramatic autorotations you can find in other TH-cam videos. I don't fly like that so if that's what you come to my channel for, you'll be disappointed. I believe in flying within my limitations and the limitations of my aircraft. That's the only thing that can keep me and my passengers safe.
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The usual questions answered:
About Me and the Helicopter
- I have been flying for about 20 years. My nearly 4,000 hours of flight time is in R44, R22, Bell 206L (Long Ranger), and Bell 47 helicopters.
- The helicopter is a Robinson R44 Raven II -- the same one that appears in the photo at the beginning of the video. You can learn more about them here: robinsonheli.com/r44-specific... I own this helicopter. It is the third helicopter I've owned since 2000.
- My helicopter has ADS-B Out and is picked up by radar facilities. You can see my track for recent flights on Flightradar24: www.flightradar24.com/data/ai...
This is a great site for tracking any almost any flight, including the airlines.
About the Video
- The video was recorded with a pair of GoPro cameras, one of which is connected to the helicopter's intercom system. Both cameras record audio, but I dialed down the helicopter sound to about 40% of normal volume so it wouldn't be annoying.
- The video was edited on a Macintosh using Screenflow software. (Screenflow was the only affordable software I could find that allowed me to do picture-in-picture.) Learn more about it here: www.telestream.net/screenflow...
- The intro music is by Bob Levitus, famed "Dr. Mac." You can find him here: www.boblevitus.com/
I'm trying to drop flying videos like this one every Sunday morning and usually drop "extras" with more info about owning and operating a helicopter midweek. I'm also working on putting together occasional livestreams with Q&A chat. Subscribe so you don't miss anything new! And tell your friends. The more subscribers I have, the more motivated I am to keep producing videos like this one.
Still reading? Thanks! Maybe you'll consider buying something from my Etsy store to help support this channel? Start here: www.etsy.com/shop/FlyingMAir
It’s actually helpful to see someone so experienced in flying to be nervous
Ha! If you think I'm nervous there, you should have seen me on my check ride Monday!
Why don’t you complete your autorotation to the ground. The last 50’ are the most critical and to me it seems like you are flying way to fast.
I should say flying too fast when you do your power recovery.
I love how the firefighter helicopter pilot responded hahaha, that's great.
Loved it when the firefighter pilot said "I love your videos." Quite the celebrity there, Maria! ;)
Me, too! Made me giggle.
I've been a pilot for a very long time but your videos make me think I'll be a rotary wing pilot shortly
IT IS NOT BORING. I have heard you say several times that what you are doing is probably boring for us...NOT SO...Everything you do for me is new and interesting. Never thought about having to turn sideways going down hill to keep the tail rotor clear...Never knew where the term "cherry picking" came from to describe choosing only the very best without defects. Very interesting that you gain new techniques every time you fly with a new instructor. Sure do enjoy watching you fly. Inspire you...wow ... I don't know how to do that, but if it counts that an old fart like me who understands a little about flying is watching every minute of your videos, then count me in. I especially enjoy your seeing things that you enjoy. The tour of the cockpit the other day was great...covered ever instrument, switch, knob and gauge... I know its a lot of extra work, and I'm sure it doesn't pay much to take us along, but I sure do enjoy it. Thanks very much for making the effort to put these together. Good luck on your check ride.
I kept thinking, "Penny? Who's Penny?"
I didn't see the dog in the left seat until you were at the FBO. 🤣
I'm 61 and about to take my first lesson. Thanks for the video😊
Good luck to you! I knew a man who got his private pilot helicopter rating at age 65. 👍🏻
As a fixed winger I've always wanted to try rotors but never got there. Appreciate your vids for the experience and allowing me to feel like I'm there with you. Beautiful country there also.
Awesome post‼️ love the 2 cameras/picture-on-picture
Great subject to present and you did great. Looking forward to exploring more of your channel. 🤙🏻🚁💯😎
Thanks so much!
I love watching these flying videos, thanks for uploading them!
Hey! The fire guy likes your videos! Heck yes!
I found this video really educational and it's relaxing at the beginning and end. Not a whole lot of chatter about this or that, just easy instructions and seeing it practiced a few times without frills. Love it.
LOL. I thought we talked too much.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I enjoy them!
What an awesome area to fly in......
Wow, this brings back memories of practicing power off landings.So glad you recorded your practice and allowed us to watch. Thanks!
You are right, love the scenery, chat and all.
With each and every video, I learn and enjoy what you do so much more!! Your knowledge and experience shows each and every time; thank you so very much!! Trevor ain't no slouch either; mad skills!! The included links were excellent and added so much more to the video; thank you!! Solid camera positions!!
When my Uncle Ernie was learning to fly fixed plans in the late 1970's, I rode with him and his instructor during one of his many flights. One particular one was when he was practicing Stalls!! SCARED me to death; it was a long 30 minutes of terror. When we landed, and while Uncle Ernie was shutting it down, the instructor asked me if I liked it, flying that is, and I told him I did....the instructor then told me..."Yeah, I could tell how much you liked it whenever your knees ended up in my back"...I sat right behind the instructor, which was deliberate, I'm sure, for our safety.
I am so glad you added the comments about touchdown auto's. I spent 28 years as a military, civilian helicopter instructor pilot and company check airman. For the very reason you stated I believe anyone can fall 10,000 feet, but its those last 50 feet that make or break a successful autorotation.
OMG, is that ever true. You can have a perfect glide, but if you hit the ground wrong, it could be game over.
@@FlyingMAir so do you throttle down the engine to practice autos? Is there a chance to recover if you fuck it up? Seems like it would take too long to respool the engine and rotors to save yourself no?
@@nmnmnm35 No. If you wait too long to recover from a bad auto, you are right, you will bend metal. That is why I believe it is so important to do touch down autorotations as often as possible. The problem for most operators is the increased cost of replacing skid shoes more often due to sliding along on the surface you are landing on. The instructor must be able to recognize a bad autorotation in time to recover before it is too late.
Can’t tell you how much I enjoy your videos!
I love that the doggo comes along for the flight! :D
love the videos. Riding along with you and penny, is almost like having my own helicopter, but without the expense.
Such a calm and well-mannered dog. Love the videos!
Really liked the video. Trevor appears to be a good CFI to learn from.
He is good. I especially like the way he was ready to be on the controls but pretty much kept off them. I once had a CFI who was so heavy-handed on the controls I sometimes couldn't tell if I was flying or he was.
Thanks Maria - really nice flying and loving seeing Penny in your videos!
Once again I felt like I was in the helicopter with you. Keep them coming!
Another fantastic video, very informative, I watch on a big screen TV and it feels as if you are right in the Helicopter with you, its great.
What a nice video, I dont know why I feel so relaxed watching how you fly.
I enjoy your videos very much! I also love reading your blog, An Eclectic Mind. Your writing and videography is excellent.
We did enjoy it a lot. Thank you very much.
I went through four times! I really like it, thank you and congratulations!
This was fun to watch and very educational if you know nothing about autorotations in a helo. Thanks Maria!
Great videos. Thanks for sharing. Keep up the good work and safe flying.
I only found your channel today. Your my new hero. You handle that bird beautifully top job.
Good luck! Certainly learned plenty today! Camera placement was fine. I really enjoyed it 😊 Thank you! Motivate me🤣🤣🤣👏👏👏👏
That was pretty awesome when the firefighter said he liked your videos :)
As someone who can't be a pilot, watching your videos allows me to experience this. It's a lot of fun to watch. Keep making them as long as you're enjoying it! :)
This was great! Thanks for sharing, very informative.
First time watcher, that was fun. Thanks for sharing.
Really did enjoy this Maria, your really good at what you do, thanks for sharing!
Great stuff!
I enjoyed seeing that...
Thanks for sharing
OMG! Your little dog (Ms. Penny), looks like a tiny Egyptian Anubis God! LOL! Cute!
Making "Slow TV" out of autorotation practice! I've done autos with models and hearing the two of you talk about the nuances of what you were doing was truly interesting, thanks!
That was a cool video Maria! Very interesting especially the Vuichard maneouvre.
This video is interesting, and caused me to read alot about Autorotations and avoiding low-G on entry.
That was awesome. I dig the new camera position for when someone is riding with you. Also how cool is it that the fire pilot likes your videos. Means your getting famous. I wish i was penny. Thanks for sharing
Really enjoyed this! Thanks for the ridealong!
This was fantastic. Cool guy and great flying. A lot of useful info here. Thank You.
Just started watching you channel. Thank you for producing these videos.
Just found your channel. Very entertaining. Thank you. I did subscribe!
As always, enjoyed. And I appreciate your "student hat" when you're flying with a CFI. Very fun.
I love these videos.
Great video as always, very good to watch
*_"DOG IS MY COPILOT"_*
😁😁😁
{Great vid!}
Seconding what the firefighting helicopter pilot said, great videos!
Great job with the auto's and that Vuichard Maneuver def feels weird at first , but it saves you so much alt . Love your vids , keep up the good work .
Impressive skills both by you and the CFI.
Love all your content. Makes me wanna get a helicopter. Keep on keeping it real 👍👍👍
As someone that flies fixed wings its always completely fascinating to see videos as informative as this on some conditions that can affect the other kind of wings :p Really interesting to watch.
Great video, every second of it
Enjoy your videos. Keep em coming, please.
Great video. I've seen auto rotations practiced. Great job!
Be safe over there! Fire season is just around the corner. Loved the video, great training session. You'll do well on your test fly!
Awesome as always
I am about to start for my PPL in helicopters, I learned a lot from this... thank you.
Best of luck on your check ride, looks like you are going to do great!! Trevor is a great instructor!!
Fantastic to watch ... thanks!
Your videos are excellent, keep em up. Dan, England.
Have watched many of your informative and beautiful footage and the quality of the image, along with the confident and simply explained narration, makes ALL your clips the best on the site in my opinion. By the way, just imagine where Penny could head off to in the world due to her airmile tally.. :D
Nice brought back memories, like the new vortex ring procedure.
Awesome video! My best friend was a R44 pilot and recently passed away in a flying accident. Being able to see and learn what he was so incredibly passionate about really does bring me comfort and closure, so I thank you for posting! Subscribed!!
Sorry to hear about your friend.
FlyingMAir thank you, he was living his dream flying tours in Hawaii.
Well I recieved my PPL for fixed wing in October of 2018. Will start training for my Helicopter PPL in the fall, so watching your videos and a few others is beneficial to me.
Great lesson from Trevor!
Much enjoyed, thank you.
The camera views are great. Love your flying
Looking good, safe flying 🚁🚁
Just spent an hour this morning on Auto's and needed a good video to go over the basics. Very nice video that did the job. What amazes me on reviewing this video is just how gentle the flair is..., how important it is to start getting the power in early ,, and thanks to Trevor , the PTS don't state exactly when that power comes in. I screwed up the first one with a late application of power that had a predictable outcome. Trevor mentioned RATS, I was amazed how I forgot to recite this and my practice CFI verbalization went out the window forgotten. What I forgot to do was chair fly after not having flown for 10 days. Trevor had another take-away, do the shake the feet and hands to deal with the death grip. Thank you for sharing the video.
Trevor is a great instructor. He really knows his stuff and isn't bossy or showy.
Loved it. Watched the entire thing. I need to practice relaxing when I’m watching! 🤣
Another pretty cool video 👌
I really enjoyed that and learned a lot.
Reminds me when my pilot in Vietnam would practice autos and power off hovers to practice dead stick landings. Huey’s were fun to fly. Enjoy your videos.
When I was doing my HELO training at ADS, Addison Texas, We practiced Landing to a poing, run on landing and Autos in the grassy area between the runway and tower., I trained in TH-55's in the 1990's. Had a retired US Army helicopter pilot for big wigs. We worked on squared off procedures like military would.
My next Instructor was a retired Dallas PD AIR1 pilot. He taught me to fly a loser and more gentle hand on the controls. Made me a smoother person on the controls, Loved every minute of it,
I love going to ADS!!! I’m currently in ground school online for helos
That was awesome. Not a lot of people show their weaknesses on camera, so it is nice to see that you are human and are susceptible to mistakes like the rest of us. The fact that you brought that bird down safely is amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks. In all honesty, I did a lot better than I expected. That first 180 auto was ugly, but it was actually the only one that was seriously bad.
@@FlyingMAir Yes, I believe he's referencing the fact that a lot of TH-camrs would edit that bad one out so that nobody would see it.
I think you might be right about those edits, but that's just lying to viewers. We're all human, we all make mistakes. Why not fess up to them? Also, there might be some folks learning to fly helicopters who tune in to learn more. Showing them that a 20-year, 3700-hour pilot doesn't always do it perfectly helps them to understand that we never stop learning.
I do admit, however, that if I screwed them all up, this video probably wouldn't exist. LOL.
Your flying looks impeccable.
Your nickname should be "Superwoman"
That's very kind. I've been told I'm a "good stick," but I'm far from impeccable! Thanks, though!
I'm a fixed wing guy that went to school in Grand Coulee Dam a million years ago so I really enjoy hearing about the area you live in. I dated a girl from Wenatchee for little while and used to ski at 49° North back in the day. I only have one small piece of criticism about your videos. You do a wonderful job and you're an excellent pilot so there is no need to to say otherwise in your videos. Step back for a moment and realize how much you've accomplished. You own your own helicopter, fly for a living in a beautiful part of the world. Most people will never dream of getting to do what you do. you should be proud of yourself not apologize for your success. Congratulations! Frazer N34490
Thanks. I’ll try to remember that. 🤷🏻♀️
@@FlyingMAir I'm not too sure how I came across, I meant it all as a complement. I'm encouraged every time I watch your videos.
enjoy the footage of the landscapes, You got me thinking my next helicopter maybe a Robinson r44
As a crewchief on an OH-58A in the army, My maintenance test pilot and some of the regular pilots wanted me to be well versed in emergency procedures. I found it quite amusing the first time you rolled the throttle. Muscle memory kicked in, and I could feel myself going through the autorotation procedures. I wonder if any other (actual) pilots felt that as well?
You, Marie, are a great pilot! You have a way to bring the viewers into the flight. Kudos to you on that last 180. Perfect!
Thank you for bringing us along on this flight. Even though I can no longer become a pilot (flight physical), I learned quite a bit from your CFI on the VRS. Interesting maneuver, with very little loss of alt.
Can I ask about how the R44 is for LTE? Noted that you said that aircraft has great TR authority.
Fantastic auto rotation btw
Thanks, very honest and a great insight
Man, as a fixed-wing pilot, this video REALLY makes me want to take rotary lessons! Maybe one day 😅... Awesome job 👍🏽
Go for it!
Have to say as mundane your videos may seem to you I find them transfixing. Also thanks for your description comments I find them educational. A toast to the apparently mundane! I love it!
It took me more than 3 minutes to discover that you had your cute dog with you. You have a fantastic job.
Awesome content!
Great video thank you!
Nice flying....you are a great heli pilot
Really awesome
What a fun video - thanks for sharing. Penny seems like a great copilot (even if she can't reach the pedals....at least she doesn't complain).
I love early morning flying. Smooth air, beautiful scenery, well rested.
Thanks for taking us along. I’ve never done autorotations with my very limited helicopter experience, but it seems a lot like doing power off landings in fixed wing. I definitely understand your hesitance with the 180’s. It’s good to get a little time with a CFI to restore a little confidence.
That's pretty much what it is. I don't like doing 180s mostly because it feels as if you're diving to the ground when you finally make that turn. It's tricky (for me) to keep the nose down so I don't build up rotor RPM while bleeding off airspeed.
FlyingMAir
Reminds me of the time I scared my ex wife when I was cleared for a short approach landing from downwind: throttle to idle, full flaps and a steep side slip to the runway.
amazing flying
Loved your videos. Good luck on your check ride.
Thanks!
Flying the R22 in Germany, your auto looked superb ;) Wish i could practice this more often
Brilliant !!
Beautiful looking area.