Pilots rely more on vision than on any other sense to orient themselves in flight. The following visual factors contribute to flying performance: good depth perception for safe landings, good visual acuity to identify terrain features and obstacles in the flightpath, and good color vision. Although vision is the most accurate and reliable sense, visual […]
Today, helicopters are quite reliable. However, emergencies do occur, whether a result of mechanical failure or pilot error, and should be anticipated. Regardless of the cause, the recovery needs to be quick and precise. By having a thorough knowledge of the helicopter and its systems, a pilot is able to handle the situation more readily.
The maneuvers presented in this section require more skill and understanding of the helicopter and the surrounding environment. When performing these maneuvers, a pilot is probably taking the helicopter to the edge of the safe operating envelope. Therefore, if you are ever in doubt about the outcome of the maneuver, abort the mission entirely or
From the previous Ground Procedures and Flight Preparations section, it should be apparent that no two helicopters perform the same way. Even when flying the same model of helicopter, wind, temperature, humidity, weight, and equipment make it difficult to predict just how the helicopter will perform. Therefore, this section presents the basic flight maneuvers in
A pilot’s ability to predict the performance of a helicopter is extremely important. It helps to determine how much weight the helicopter can carry before takeoff, if the helicopter can safely hover at a specific altitude and temperature, the distance required to climb above obstacles, and what the maximum climb rate will be. [humix auto=”1″
This section discusses the components, sections, and systems found on most modern helicopters. Helicopters come in a variety of sizes and shapes, but most share the same major components. The section introduces the major components/ sections of the helicopter and the systems that correlate with each. Knowing how the components and systems work on the
This section presents aerodynamic fundamentals and principles as they apply to helicopters. The content relates to flight operations and performance of normal flight tasks. It covers theory and application of aerodynamics for the pilot, whether in flight training or general flight operations. Gravity acting on the mass (the amount of matter) of an object creates
A helicopter is an aircraft that is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors, each rotor consisting of two or more rotor blades. Helicopters are classified as rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft to distinguish them from fixed-wing aircraft because the helicopter derives its source of lift from the rotor blades rotating around a mast.
This section contains information on dealing with non-normal and emergency situations that may occur in flight. The key to successful management of an emergency situation, and/ or preventing a non-normal situation from progressing into a true emergency, is a thorough familiarity with, and adherence to, the procedures developed by the airplane manufacturer and contained in
The light-sport aircraft (LSA) concept broadens the access of flight to more people. LSA have been defined as a simple-to-operate, easy-to-fly aircraft; however, “simple-to-operate” and “easy-to-fly” do not negate the need for proper and effective training. This post introduces the light-sport category of airplanes and places emphasis on transition to a light-sport airplane. Even though
