Helicopter Flight Controls: The Cyclic
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ม.ค. 2020
- This is the third in my Helicopter Flight Control series covering the four flight controls in a helicopter. In this video, I show you the cyclic and how it controls main rotor blade pitch to change the direction and/or speed of flight. Then I take you for a flight and demonstrate various turns, as well as how I can reduce/increase speed without descending/climbing. Although I don't provide details about the collective, it does play a part in this video; you can learn about the collective in that video: • Helicopter Flight Cont...
Please keep in mind when you watch this that I recorded the two parts of the video on different days months apart so there's a bit of repetition. Sorry about that.🤷🏻♀️
BIG DISCLAIMER: I am not nor have I ever been a flight instructor. The purpose of this video is not to teach you how to fly a helicopter. It's simply to explain, mostly to non-pilots or fixed wing pilots, what the cyclic control does. If you want more information, I strongly urge you to consult the Helicopter Flying Handbook, which is FREE on the FAA Website: www.faa.gov/regulations_polic... You'll find Chapter 3 especially informative. Be sure to look up Low-G pushovers or mast bumping.
About Me and the Helicopter
- I have been flying for about 20 years. My nearly 4,000 hours of flight time is in Robinson R44, Robinson R22, and Bell 206L (Long Ranger) helicopters.
- The helicopter is a 2005 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 on-the-ground video was recorded with an iPhone 8 Plus using a wireless lavaliere microphone for audio. Additional video footage was shot with a GoPro Hero 7 (amzn.to/2Lxyzwl).
- The in-flight video was recorded with a pair of GoPro Hero 7 cameras (amzn.to/2Lxyzwl), one of which is connected to the helicopter's intercom system with an NFlightCam audio cable (amzn.to/31syLTm). Both cameras record audio, but I dialed down the helicopter sound to about 25% of normal volume so it wouldn't be annoying. I used just the cockpit audio from the rear-facing camera because the video from the camera mounted between the two front seats showed everything you needed to see.
- The camera used for in-flight video was mounted with an early version of my new Instrument Cam set up, which you can learn about in this Behind-the-Scenes video: • Behind the Scenes: Coc... . It's based upon a MyPilotPro Helicopter Mount (mypilotpro.com/product/helico...) modified to get the height I need. This version is a little low, but it does show the cyclic movements effectively.
- The video was edited on a MacBook Pro using Screenflow software. 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 try to drop cockpit POV videos every Sunday morning and "extras" with more info about owning and operating a helicopter midweek. (Some channel members get early access to some of these videos.) I also host occasional livestreams with Q&A chats. Subscribe and turn on the notification bell so you don't miss anything new! And tell your friends. I'm trying hard to deliver good videos and grow my subscriber base.
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Thanks Maria. Very good lessons.
I fly R44 as a student.
I an holding The cyclic with my
fingertips. It is much easier to control the helicopter that way.
Sorry for my bad English.
Best regards from Marianne,
Sweden.
great way to start the year, I love this kind of videos. have a happy new year. thanks for your well done videos
Enjoyed immensely..! Very informative and landscape is gorgeous..! Keep on, keep on..!
Happy New Year Maria, and good to see you back, some good info here today, thanks, be watching!
Great video. Thanks for sharing! Excellent explanations.
Thank you, enjoyed your video on the cyclic. I have my first flying lesson in a week's time in a R44. Thanks again.
Subscribed, you’re my new fav TH-camr
Thanks Maria! Enjoyed the video. 👍
This is an awesome video. I used to try and make helicopters with Technic Lego as a kid and the swash plate was the biggest pain to recreate! I have one of the latest Technic rescue helicopters and they have created a proper cyclic system which works just like the real thing 🥰
Thank you for a great narration!
Always enjoy the how and why. Keep them coming. Are u enjoying the Arizona weather
Omg. The weather was amazing here today. 70F and not a cloud in the sky.
Happy new year and thanks for another fantastic video 😍
Thanks! Same to you!
Hope you enjoyed the holidays Maria, happy new decade. Good video - was delighted to see it pop up on today's You Tube. Good flying.
Thanks very much. Happy New Year to you!
Helicopter are cool. Just saw one on a trailer behind an RV at a rest area the other day.
That thing is so hard for me at this point. Thanks for giving me hope that it gets easier. The clarity of saying you do not wanna make any sudden movements because that could be very dangerous is appreciated.
Great Instructional video! You do an excellent job of explaining Helicopter Flight controls. Looking forward to the “Collective” Flight control. Thanks Maria, and happy Happy New Year!!!
Oops, the collective video came out 2 months ago
Glad you found it. I was about to look it up for you. I actually shot the flying part of the cyclic video before the collective video on the same day.
Thanks Maria - I always tend to think of cyclic and collective as being intimately united functionally - instance things like collective adjustment for fwd or backward direction/attitude changes inducing climb or descent.
Always enjoy your videos and wishing you the best for 2020. :)
They definitely are linked. When adjusting one, you often have to adjust the other. Best wishes to you, too, this year.
Great video!! Very concise!! Enjoyed it 😊
Thanks very much!
Thanks Maria,I like your videos.👍👍👍
Loving the videos 👍🚁
Brilliant video and excellent explanation. Thanks. Discovered your website, and then this channel, after searching a particular piece of helo info on Google. You write superbly (yes, I know you are a professional writer). Look forward to watching more of your videos.
I've missed you and your videos; life gets in the way, oftentimes.
I’m working on some new content. Show some helicopter and airplane videos this weekend. With luck, I’ll get one of them online tomorrow morning.
Thanks for a nice flight.
Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much for this video. Beautifully done!
I’m taking my intro flight this weekend & I’m nervous & excited. Anyway, thanks again!
🤙🏾
P.s. I wonder if one of my cats would ride with me in the future🤣
I don't think I'd ride with a cat. Too easy for them to get under the pedals or collective.
Great video's, just subbed.
Hope you had a great Christmas and have a Blessed New Year , hope all your dreams come true for 2020.
Thanks very much. Same to you!
Happy New Year!
Very pro (of course) and a nice explanation of the cyclic. I used to fly fixed wing (Musketeers, Cherokees and Arrows). Learned at Hobby pre-Southwest days. A huge controlled airport for a while for only general and corporate aviation as all the airlines had moved to IAH. Anyway there was a helipad for the police training and while taxiing by one day with a flight instructor, I mentioned something about how cool that would be to learn to fly a "chopper". He kinda laughed (as I only had, maybe, 15 hours total) and said, "Buzzy, the only similarity for you between a fixed wing aircraft and a helicopter is...they both fly in the air." :-)
I could argue his comparison -- for example, we both have wings -- but it isn't worth it. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Nothing wrong what so ever with taking hand off the collective in my opinion, obviously not during manoeuvres or low flight but especially at hight on a long flight, every machine I’ve flown I’m barley touching the collective on a long flight, hell I wouldn’t be on the collective or the pedals in the 206
Nice
this is a great video, i have never been in a helicopter, but i do fly RC helicopter Gas and electric, the cyclic controls to me are the same as to being sensitive, alot of pilots say that the cyclic is sensitive, just like an big rc helicopter, Again Great Video!
Nice. Very very cool . Thanks for sharing. I am a native of AZ. And cannot for your vlogs you took from there.
I’m hoping to have some fresh AZ content soon. 🤞🏻
Thank you. Cyclic is hydraulic assist.
I had my first trial lesson flight today. That cyclic is a weird unpredictable handle of
sort
Please tell more about ur experience with the cyclic, how much time it ll take to master?
I LIKE YOUR VIDEO
Nice tutorial, Maria. Don't forget to say that you put in an input to the controls then take it off...or else you will keep on going!
By the way, Happy New Year.
Lol! I was thinking that when I edited the video. I guess I should add it to the description.
Happy 2020.
Thanks! You, too!
Oh the Washington Pilot returns with the Stick!
Just found your site, I really like the way you explain things. I have my fixed wing private certificat and have really gottnen interested in the helicopters. I thought I had the rudders figured out till i started reading that the european helicopters rotors turn opposite than the north american. I always felt like when you were raising your collective you would need to add right rudder... is that correct. and thanks again for your videos!!!
I'm NOT a pilot, but very mechanically minded...I've always viewed the rotor as a spinning plate on a pole,of course in reality you are suspended from the plate or I'd compare it to a waiter's round tray with full glasses, you lean the tray in the direction you need to go but not so much as to spill anything "gentle inputs" ...just the way my brain correlates it,I know it's not a perfect analogy but similar enough! Been missing your videos but know "tis the season"
It’s a pretty good analogy. When you get to the point where the helicopter just goes where you want it to, that’s when you know you’ve got the right touch.
I’m traveling for the winter and haven’t flown in a while. I’ve got my video archives with me but am at the mercy of a laptop and often dismal internet connectivity. 🤷🏻♀️
Quite interesting, i wanna fly and learn from you, please teach me 😭
Having learned how to fly in an OH-6 first without flying a fixed wing aircraft, the first time I flew a Cessna 150 it scared me half to death. I felt like the Cessna would not respond to the yoke movement at all. Very uncomfortable experience. I guess that's why instructors say it's easier to teach a backhoe operator how to fly a helicopter than a fixed wing pilot.
Ty very much for your videos....very informative.....when you want to gain altitude in a helicopter is it just a adding of power and more collective? I saw when you took off and gained altitude on a previous video you got it off the ground but I didn't see you pulling collective up higher as you you were climbing....
In cruise flight, I can lift the collective a little or pull the cyclic back. Either will allow me to gain altitude, but only using the collective does so with increased power.
@@FlyingMAir ty so much for your reply....Im just a flying nut and have tried for years of my 54 to learn a little bit of info hoping to have chance to get behind controls of a heli some time in my life....if just to hold the controls....Hailing from the midwest I have always been amazed by crop dusters and how a pilot could fly over the very tops of a cornfield and get to the end and throw it in to a 3 or 4 hundred foot climb....throw completely around and go back to the skids being at corn tops....I again ty for your reply and for clarifying...it just opens the door for a million more questions and hope to rent me a ride at local airport to put them to rest....thanks again
👍
How much pressure you apply on the cyclic..one pound two give me an example please..I'm trying to build a cyclic simulator
I'm building controls for a simulator. Is there any tendency for the cyclic stick to re-center itself if you were to let it go, or is it fairly neutral? Does that change with the hydraulics engaged vs disengaged? Great video series.
There is no "neutral" position for the cyclic. If you let go, it flops wherever it feels like. That's why you can't let go in flight. No difference with hydraulics on or off.
@@FlyingMAir Wow, I would have thought it would have some small self-centering spring force. Interesting that it doesn't. Another question, which I'm sure depends on the helicopter, but lets say an R44 for example: Is there a linkage that ties the collective to the tail-rotor pitch to "automatically" offset some of the main rotor torque? For, example, in a hover I'm guessing is when you need quite a bit of anti-torque. Is one of your pedals depressed quite a bit, or are the pedals adjusted to be even (trimmed) in hover? Thx in advance.
No, the tail rotor pitch is not connected to the collective in any way in any helicopter I know. The pedals control the tail rotor. The pilot must use the pedals when necessary to stay in trim or point the way she wants. In flight, the pedals are mostly even unless there's a crosswind and crabbing is required. Also, understand that when you press down one pedal, the other pedal comes up an equal amount. They are not independent of each other.
You might try stopping by a flight school if there's one in your area and getting a first-hand look at a helicopter with an instructor. I think you'll find it interesting. If you've got a little cash to spend, go for a demo flight and use the controls yourself! Good luck.
Hello, Can I pester you for one more question. I've developed a free body diagram for the helo, but I'm wondering if (on an R44) the rotor head can transmit pitching/rolling moments to the mast. (ignoring the yaw torque for now). I'm trying to understand the relationship between the pitch/roll of the rotor disc, vs the pitch/roll of the airframe. Say we're cruising at constant speed. Why does the airframe pitch forward? Is it simply because the rotor disc is pulling forward, and the drag on the fuselage is pulling back, and the difference between the two creates a pitching moment, which in steady state is eventually offset by an equal and opposite moment created from the CG wanting to swing forward? Do you feel like you're really riding in a pendulum when you're flying in a helicopter? (dangling from the rotor mast, vs a feeling of being rigidly attached to the rotor disc). Thanks for any insight you can provide.
You really need to go to a helicopter flight school for a chat with an instructor or a demo flight. Think of it this way: when you push the cyclic forward (to go forward or speed up), the rotor disc tilts forward. I don't think it has much (or anything) to do with the drag on the fuselage. If you feel like you're in a pendulum in the helicopter, the pilot is screwing up.
Maria, I've only ridden in a heli once (for lunch in the bottom of the Grand Canyon in 99) so really didn't pay attention to the controls as I was oogling out the windows. It's interesting to see how the controls work. You mentioned the friction knob and tightening it makes the cyclic "heavy". Is the reason for that adjustment to make the cyclic less responsive for those who don't have a "light touch" on the stick to keep them from over controlling/correcting?
Friction is to “lock” the controls when the blades are spinning but the pilot can’t hold them. It obviously doesn’t lock them, but it makes it a lot less likely for them to move on their own. Friction should be disabled during flight.
Hope your ok haven't seen anything for a while.hope you do a video on ground effects.
Yes, I’m ok. Dealing with some personal issues lately. Going to gather new footage in Arizona next week.
I'm just looking at helicopter flying as something to learn. Most likely spend time on a flight sim like flight gear. I have just started to use the simulator and would I be right to think that getting the collective and the cyclicto work together so you can go forward is an art? I seem to be having to dive to get air speed forward then pull up, a bit like a dolfin leaping from the water and then diving again!
It just takes practice. It's very easy to over-control with the cyclic, but once you get the hang of it, it's easy. Really.
I did my first flight yesterday, and was putting waaaay too much cyclic input. I think I was putting inches of movement into the cyclic, and it seems like you’re putting in millimeters. I’m excited to get my next flight in and refine my input skills.
So just to be clear. Simply put. If you where to push forward on the cyclic, the main rotor blade would have more pitch as it rotated around the rear of the helicopter then as the rotor blade comes around the front the pitch is decreased creating a tilting forward of the aircraft resulting in forward motion. Correct?
Yes, the pitch on each blade changes independently to tilt the rotor disc , pitch the aircraft in the direction of that tilt, and move in that direction. Works with forward, sideways, and reverse.
@@FlyingMAir interesting. For the longest time I used to think that the entire rotor shaft would tilt in the direction of travel….if that make sense.
thanks madam. in a twin engine chopper, do the engines run simultaneously?
Yes they do
9:50 - Turn left!
Are your rudder inputs as small as the cyclic inputs? I was watching, but never saw the rudder pedals move.
Maybe.
i wish you were my teacher!
Does the cyclic return to neutral if you let go or does it just stay where you leave it?
I want to LOL because the answer is NO and NO! It does whatever it feels like so if you let go for any length of time, you will crash.
Some pilots claim they use cyclic friction to keep the cyclic where they put it, but flying with any friction on is a very bad practice.
Doesn't the cyclic control the swash plate which in turn controls the pitchhorns on the main rotor blades ?
Yes, but I did not illustrate to that level of detail, so I kept my discussion simple.
Love your vlog. I still have not seen my name
As I think I told you once before, only channel MEMBERS and Patreon PATRONS are listed on the member wall. These are the folks who chip in a few dollars every month to help cover the crazy expensive costs of flying the helicopter and obtaining the video and editing equipment to make the videos. They deserve my special thanks and recognition. Subscribing is not the same as becoming a member or patron. This channel has almost 60,000 subscribers - surely no one expects me to list them all (even if I could find a list of who they all are).
Every time I prepare a video for release, I update the Member Wall with the current members. You have not appeared on either list when I did an update so your name does not appear on any Member Wall. I hope that explains why you haven’t seen your name.
Nice Video, .... where is the collective?
In another video.
Your machine gun button is like Airwolf Cyclic button of machine gun!
What is the toggle switch on the pole do?
If you're talking about switch on the vertical bar for the cyclic, it's for the landing lights.
MARIA, CURIOUS AS TO HOW MUCH BLADE PITCH IN DEGREES THERE IS BETWEEN FULL FORWARD AND NEUTRAL, AND I ASSUME IT'S THE SAME FOR FULL BACK. IT LOOKS LIKE ONLY A FEW DEGREES IN THE VIDEO. ALSO DID I HEAR YOU SAY ON THE ANNUAL COMING UP IT WAS VERY EXPENSIVE, AND HOW OFTEN DOES THAT COME AROUND.
I have no idea how many degrees of motion the blades themselves can pitch via cyclic inputs. I’m not even sure if that’s in the pilot operating handbook. It isn’t nearly as much as the collective allows.
As for the overhaul, it’s due every 2200 hours of flight time or 12 years, whichever comes first. It’ll cost about $250,000. I am accepting donations.
I would love to fly a helicopter but probably will never happen because I'm too old!
Never too old!
Maria, very slight input! Very Difficult!
I could not see the blade move at all!
You country. I am from India
Machine gun!😄 you wish