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R22 Beta II pre-flight


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Hello,

I'm compiling a list of any pre-flight procedures that are used in addition to the ones on the Robinson checklist. Any contributions would be appreciated and we could all learn something in the process.

Thanks

 

One of mine : Run your hand down the underside of the tailboom. Some times a tail rotor gear box leak will be found in this manner. I've heard of the fluid pooling under the ship some distance from the tail rotor gearbox.

Thanks,

Richard

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Richard,

 

Your idea is a good one. Need to be careful though, not to end up with a preflight checklist which is 1000's of items long. That might put people off using them carefully.

 

I'd rather have fewer (all-encompassing) items which are done well, than many small specific items. The small specific items are just fine in your head. For example, 'Tailcone Rivets and Skins...Check" if done properly would be sufficient for me to find any TRGB oil on the underside.

 

However, making your own detailed personal list when starting out, is a very good idea. In fact, that's exactly what I did. Very soon though, I developed a flow which will included the 'extra items' making my 'carefully typed' list almost redundant. To start off with though, it helps to train your eyes for problems. So, here are 3 items which I would include in such a list.

 

1. "Governor Switch OF....Light ON - Check, Govenor Switch ON....Light OFF - Check"

 

When Robinson changed the checklist, they removed the "Governor...Off" item at shutdown. So basically the govenor is on all the time now. Now, although the preflight checklist calls for "Govenor lights ON" (pg 4-2), this requires actually flicking the switch off, to get the light. This can be easily overlooked, particularly by older-bolder pilots who still preflight the same-old-way they have done for ages, meaning that the governor light might not be checked for an indefinite number of flights. You see, in the past, you didn't need to do this, as the governor light would be on when you got into the aircraft. Newer pilots brought up on the new checklist might not have this problem. - Would be interested to know if anyone is / was affected in this way, or is it just me being paranoid? Are the govenor lights being checked every flight? - be honest!

 

2. I'm told hard landings will clearly manifest themselves in the aft vertical strut (as well as tailboom droop). Damage at the base of the mast fairing and fuselage is also an indicator of hard landing.

 

3. "Baggage Compartments....Check" - Know what you're checking for.

A number of students I trained couldn't tell me the main reason for this check. Most would say they were checking for 'loose' items or to check that there wasn't anything that shouldn't be in there. I believe the reason was to ensure there wasn't any 'hard' objects packed right up to the top. The crashworthiness of those seats depends on the space below your bum

 

Hope this helps.

 

Joker

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And while you're in the baggage compartment, don't forget to check the teletemp under the pilot's seat.

 

That's above the heater tubing. If exhaust is leaking from the muffler into the heat shroud it should raise the temp enough to blacken some plates on that sticker.

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At the Robinson Safety Course they told us to check the gap between the fiberglass housing of the cooling shroud and the tailboom - it should be less then a finger think.

Reason: possible movement of the engine (a better/more detailed explanation appreciated - can't recall all the details :unsure: )

 

I was told that some instructor found a handling weel in his baggage compartment, with one tube pointing straight upwards!

I really don't want to sit in that seat when the structure collapses due to a hard landing! :blink:

 

Cheers, Philip

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The baggage compartment is also because alot of students like to use weights to help them after the fat-ar*sed instructor gets out. :D :D

It would be difficult to get anywhere with full tanks 2 people and the forgotten weights under the seat.

 

It would be nice to have the last line say 'final walk-around check'

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I'm sure most of you guys check this as it is on the main checklist and should be a very obvious thing that needs constant checking, but I can't count the number of times I've found the oil level to be below 4 qts. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who checks because I seem to add oil on every flight.

 

I notice not many people actually get down and look at the skid shoes either as it is not clearly specified. But for training aircraft which go through daily running takeoff/landings they wear down quickly and I know there have been incidents at my school where the shoes wore completly through and into the skids.

 

Worn paint on the bottom of the rear handling rod can indicate groundstrike during a flare, though I'm not sure at what point that becomes a problem.

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Worn paint on the bottom of the rear handling rod can indicate groundstrike during a flare, though I'm not sure at what point that becomes a problem.

 

Good point to always check the bottom of it for dirt or bad scrapes that indicate it hit the ground during a recent autorotation. Any time you think that this rod has made contact with the ground, tell an engineer (mechanic) before you do anything else. The TR driveshaft, flex-couplings, or tailcone could all be damaged from such an impact.

 

I'm not sure at what point it becomes a problem either, but and engineer/mechanic does. ;)

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Not exactly on point but I have twice landed and hovered to parking with the trim knob up. I have since added that to my down-wind/before landing check.

 

 

One thing I always made students practice before they solo, was practice hovering with that trim on. It'll scare you the first time, but after you know what's causing it, you just compensate.

 

Another was hover, then land with full frictions applied on the cyclic. You'd notice full frictions applied on the collective when you went to pick it up, but you can easily miss the cyclic if you don't "stir the pot" right before you pick it up.

 

One time I was training a guy who always had the death grip problem. He was having a horrible day hovering and everytime I went to take over I had to fight his death grip. Well, long story short, after about 20 minute of wrestling with him on the cyclic I told him to take a break.......and I found that the cyclic friction was full on. Boy did I feel bad, we had both been fighting the friction when we though it was each other. Ahhhh, good times.

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  • 1 year later...

Good idea about the checklist. I started with a Flight School written checklist and have now moved to using the POH for pre-flights and start checks. One thing regarding the governor on the R22 Beta, the Robinson provided checklist and the POH are different regarding governor position at start. POH advises Governer on prior to ignition and Factory checklist advises governor off prior to ignition.

Please correct me if i'm wrong but my CFI and I sat there for 5 minutes discussing pros and cons of it being on or off that early in the checklist. I would say off until after the Needle Split check as it could potentially go into green RPM catching unawares (if it drifts above 80%). On the other hand it does force the student to continue the checks and starts with their hand always on the throttle and collective down to prevent this. Any thoughts?

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At the Robinson Safety Course they told us to check the gap between the fiberglass housing of the cooling shroud and the tailboom - it should be less then a finger think.

Reason: possible movement of the engine (a better/more detailed explanation appreciated - can't recall all the details :unsure: )

 

The engine has cantelevered mounts (like alot of small airplanes), so as the motor-mounts sag, the scroll-cage end of the engine will dip down creating a bigger space between the tail cone and scroll cage. That can mess with the belt tensions and engine idle RPM. The throttle cable mount is on the airframe, so if the engine sags too much, the idle can't be corrected anymore, and the engine will idle too high.

 

Robinson R22 Mtx manual (page 2-9, revise April 2007) says: "Idle RPM with engine warm, clutch engaged, throttle closed: 53 to 57%"

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Check below the small (about 3/8 inch diameter) opening below the co-pilot door for blue fuel stains. That hole is a fuel drain connected to a reservoir that surrounds the fuel selector. If the fuel selector leaks, it will drip into that reservoir, and out the tube. It's not a sump that can be drained for preflight, just check for blue stains below the hole which would indicate a leaking fuel selector.

 

It's also the perfect size for a bug nest.

 

I've never seen one, or heard of one go bad, but it's a favorite trivia question for our local pilot examiner.

Edited by Collective Down!
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Something I've seen more than anything else is just loose screws on the sides of the helicopter. I always try to run my hand along any screws I can get to just to see if anything moves, and take a look at them as part of the "engine general" part of my checklist.

 

Also (may be silly for some) I have little personal things like tying my hair back, scratching my nose <_< and making sure my sunglasses aren't smudged. Maybe not life or death things, but they can drive me nuts if I realize too late.

 

HVG

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Worn paint on the bottom of the rear handling rod can indicate groundstrike during a flare, though I'm not sure at what point that becomes a problem.

 

it shouldn't take worn pain to tell you you have had a ground strike my friend.

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Guest rookie101

I always like to get my hand back in the mast and feel the rotor brake cable and give it a tug from the inside, make sure when I go to pull it I know nothing is coming loose. I dunno how long you guys wait to apply the rotor brake on shut down but I like to give it a minute before I tug on it, 30 seconds seems way too fast.

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I always like to get my hand back in the mast and feel the rotor brake cable and give it a tug from the inside, make sure when I go to pull it I know nothing is coming loose. I dunno how long you guys wait to apply the rotor brake on shut down but I like to give it a minute before I tug on it, 30 seconds seems way too fast.

When I was instructing in the R22 I would have my student wait 30 seconds or until the clutch light went out, which ever came last. Usually the clutch light would stay on a little longer than 30 seconds. Just something I picked up from an instructor on a stage check a few years ago.

 

--CM

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it shouldn't take worn pain to tell you you have had a ground strike my friend.

 

yes, it should.

 

mind you, this is for r22 beta II PRE FLIGHT. i think he insinuates that another student or person has committed the ground strike, and that is the way that he found out.

 

at what point do tail boon strikes become a problem? i dont know. maybe when the thing starts to bend.

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yes, it should.

 

mind you, this is for r22 beta II PRE FLIGHT. i think he insinuates that another student or person has committed the ground strike, and that is the way that he found out.

 

at what point do tail boon strikes become a problem? i dont know. maybe when the thing starts to bend.

 

I know what he meant. He isn't insinuating anything, he was making a statement about a hypothetical ground strike. Mind YOU

Edited by doanut99
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That stinger is built to take quite a beating......in the UPWARD direction only though. I always used to cringe, then yell, when students used it to push the helicopter around or pull the tail down to check the aft t/r flex coupling. You do that on a 206, and you'll break it off. But remember, just like the skid cross tubes, it's a cheap, sacrificial component. So bent it if you need to.

 

If you nail that stinger, several things *could* have been damaged depending on the impact and RRPM.

 

1 - The tailboom attachment bolt holes could have been "wallowed" out. Remove the bolts and measure the holes with a micrometer. The manufacturer will have the tolerences (if any).

 

2 - The tailboom could have been kinked or bent.

 

3 - The t/r driveshaft could have bumped a former in the tailboom (usually a result of really high RRPM). Check the flex couplings too.

 

4 - The t/r driveshaft could have been bent or warped. Measure the runout.

 

5 - The m/r may have struck the tailboom if the tail was popped up while in a low RRPM state. Highly likely since usually the only time you're going to bump the stinger is in a touch down auto.

 

6 - If the stinger gets bent horizontally at all, it could impact the t/r's tip path plane--particularly if it's bumped hard again.

 

Each manufacturer will have a list of things to check after a tail strike. On preflights......In Robinsons and most others, look for the missing paint. In 206s, look for the gap between the stinger and bumper mounted above it.

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