Helicopter Flight Information
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Helicopter Flight Information |
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Test Your Knowledge, with these Questions...Send your answer via email to ... Email Answer Correct answer will be posted later. This was intended to be bi-weekly, but I got to busy so now it is when ever I get time. February 1, 2006 - What are you going to do to avoid LTE (Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness), and in the event that you do experience it, how are you going to recover? January 1, 2006 - Is it possible to experience transverse flow effect in other than forward flight? At what air speed does TFE occur relative to ETL, and does it occur on approach as well as departure? How can a pilot recognize passing through TFE? September 1, 2005 - What Aerodynamic factors cause the popping sound created by the rotor blade in a low power setting? FYI, part of the Fly-Neighborly technique for helicopters is to descend at Less than 200 FPM or 800 FPM or greater to minimize this load popping sound when approaching over business or residential areas. July 1, 2005 - Here is one for you all, lets get some deep participation on this one!! What is your preferred technique for departing a confined area? What is the proper technique? Answer - There are several different techniques utilized and taught, however there are really only two (2) safe ways to execute a confined area departure. The most common is a stabilized climb with a slow forward creep taking advantage of available translational lift in the climb. This is a good technique, however in the even that an abort becomes necessary, when the helicopter is brought to a hover, it will sink due to the loss of translation. The Vertical Climb Technique to obstacle clearance is the most stable departure technique. Since there is no translational lift accept that which is gained by wind, there will be non lost if sufficient power does not exist to exit the area, therefore a abort is easiest with this technique. Unacceptable technique - What I call the Zoom and Climb technique. In this departure, the pilot uses available space to quickly accelerate forward, and then he or she pulls back on the cyclic entering a cyclic climb. The problem with this technique is that it is never stable, and as a result there is no safe abort; even more it is just bad technique. May 16, 2005 - Is a check of aviation or FAA weather required before flight? Also a part of this question; is a weight and balance calculation required to be carried in the aircraft on your flight in addition to the official weight and balance documentation in the Aircraft Flight Manual? Answer - Part 1, Weather - For a part 91 flight, all that is necessary is a check of the weather through any available source. A check of the weather is necessary however. For a part 135 flight, a check of the weather through an FAA approved source is required. In the event of an accident, and during the investigation, it will be determined whether or not you actually did use an FAA approved source and it is to your benefit if you can show that you did in fact call Flight Service. Part 2, Weight and Balance - For a part 91 flight, it is not necessary to carry any information other than the approved weight and balance document which is required to be in the aircraft, however as with the weather, it is beneficial in the event of an accident or incident if you can produce a document that shows that you actually calculated the weight and balance. For all part 135 flights, weight and balance documentation showing the current data must be carried. Be advised that if anything goes wrong (and if you fly long enough, something will occur), the more you can show that you did all you could to ensure the safety of the flight, the better off you will be. May 1, 2005 - Is it legal to log more than 8-hours Flight Instruction in any 24-hour period? Answer - Interestingly enough, not many responded to this. Per FAR § 61.195 (a), It is NOT legal to instruct for more then 8-hours in any 24-hour period when acting as a Flight Instructor. A violation of this is regulation (as almost any other) may result in a suspension. I have reviewed student logbooks and saw where a previous instructor had signed off an excess of 8-flight hours in a single day. This is a foolish mistake as it is written and signed evidence of a willful violation. Flight Instructors be aware of this. April 14, 2005 - With regard to the fuel reserve requirement as stated in FAR § 91.151(b), is it legal to operate the helicopter in flight with less then 20-minutes fuel onboard? Answer - Yes of course it is, provided that when you departed on the flight, the planning was realistic, and included the required 20-minute reserve. If it was realistic, and unforecast winds (or other circumstance beyond your control) was encountered, then you may fly beyond the 20-minute reserve. Just don't run out of fuel and crash! April 3, 2005 - As reported to me after the event, two pilots, both low time, one of which was a 200+ hour commercial pilot, and the other a 100+ hour private pilot were practicing hover maneuvers in a Robinson R22 helicopter. They were over a runway at a normal hover altitude of 3-5 feet. The commercial pilot noticed the rpm running away, and stated the it was at the upper limit of the indicator, while the private pilot stated that the Manifold Pressure was indicating above 29 inches. Both pilots agreed that there was a significant over-speed which required an expensive inspection. The private pilot stated that upon noticing the problem, he initiated the landing of the helicopter, the commercial pilot did not disagree. Both pilots stated that the governor had failed and caused the problem. I disagreed. Why? Answer - As I overheard these pilots explaining to someone else how the governor failed and caused this over-speed, I had to interrupt and explain to them that although the governor may have failed, it was actually the pilots who failed to watch the rpm as they should have, and they how allowed the over-speed to occur. After the inspection, it was found that what actually occurred was the pilots tense on the controls and over-riding the governor. The governor never failed, and never again gave another problem. However the event cost more than $10,000 in inspections. March 22, 2005 - Why is the rotor mast tilted slightly to one side on helicopters? What difference would occur if this tilt was not built in? Answer - Most would believe that the mast is tilted (in American helicopters) to the left slightly (Sitting in the Pilot seat) to compensate for Translating Tendency. Remember that Translating Tendency is the Tendency of the helicopter to drift to the right while in high power situations such as hover or slow speed flight. Is this true? Actually no, if the mast were straight (not tilted to the left), there would be significant left cyclic displacement, therefore the mast is tilted slightly to reduce the amount of cyclic displacement required to compensate for Translating Tendency.
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