Goldy Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Last October or so I got to fly the new R66. I love doing full downs (doesnt everybody?) so I had to take her for a few auto's (9 actually). This is a video of my first full down auto in the R66. Not all pretty as I had about 15 minutes of TT in the 66! But lots of fun all the same. Enjoy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trans Lift Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Certainly sounds much cooler than a 44. What height were you at when you entered? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twratc Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Nice.You make it look easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Hughes Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Is there noticeably more inertia in the rotor system compared to the R44, or does it feel pretty similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikemv Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Goldy, great demonstration of professional pilot skills even in a new airframe! Did everyone notice the stability of the yaw and pitch attitude during the glide portion? Notice how the windscreen center post stays lined up with the centerline of the runway most of the time and no changes in trim(yaw)! Imagine how good it could be after a full model transition and some time in the aircraft. Great job, Goldy. See you at Heli Expo! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldy Posted February 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 (edited) Goldy, great demonstration of professional pilot skills even in a new airframe! Did everyone notice the stability of the yaw and pitch attitude during the glide portion? Notice how the windscreen center post stays lined up with the centerline of the runway most of the time and no changes in trim(yaw)! Imagine how good it could be after a full model transition and some time in the aircraft. Great job, Goldy. See you at Heli Expo! Mike Thanks for the great comments Mike. It certainly wasn't perfect with that bit of nose wiggle in the flare, but I corrected for it in the end. At the time I was flying, this was the only certified R66 Robinson had, so I really didn't want to ball it up by sliding onto the runway sideways!! Honestly, every pilot should start his first auto in an R66 and then work down to a 44 and finally an R22. It would be so much easier!! Auto's are a blast, I honestly cannot describe how easy they are in a 66. Basically same blade as your JetRanger but 500 pounds lighter overall. You will notice very little flare needed, just pull the nose back a bit to bleed off some airspeed. Remember this is at sea level so the air is pretty thick! There is a reason the SFAR doesnt apply to the R66, it really is an easy ship to fly. As far as normal ops, lots of power to spare and the only weight/speed/torque restriction is to reduce to 130 knots. (Remember the JetRanger rules over 85%TQ limited to 80 knots or so). You could say I'm a fan. Now if I could only find 800K laying around. Darren- Yes, noticeably more than the R44R2. Trans- I didnt actually look at my altimeter. My goal was to just enter when it felt right to hit the numbers. I'll try to zoom into the instruments but I think it was about 700 AGL. We had a Piper way down below us on short final that I was waiting for so I wasnt descending much. The Piper did a touch and go 2 miles in front of me, we did an auto, skidded to a stop, spooled her back up, took off, and I caught up to that Piper on the downwind! Had to do S turns ABOVE it to maintain separation. Gotta love power. edit- I love seeing that torque gauge at zero! Anyway, if you go full screen and HD, you can see the altimeter when I turn west. I entered the auto turning from base to final, and I was around 800MSL, or about 700AGL (TOA is about 100' field elevation) Edited February 6, 2011 by Goldy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kandace Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Fantastic! I enjoy autos as well. I'd love to fly an R66! Kandace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADRidge Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Man, I didn't think anything could auto better than a -44. You had enough time to write a book during that glide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whistlerpilot Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Here's the article to go along with the video. Nice job Goldy! http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1qvs1/RotorcraftProfession/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http://www.yudu.com/item/details/282759/Rotorcraft-Professional-Vol4Issue1= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trans Lift Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Trans- I didnt actually look at my altimeter. My goal was to just enter when it felt right to hit the numbers. I'll try to zoom into the instruments but I think it was about 700 AGL. We had a Piper way down below us on short final that I was waiting for so I wasnt descending much. The Piper did a touch and go 2 miles in front of me, we did an auto, skidded to a stop, spooled her back up, took off, and I caught up to that Piper on the downwind! Had to do S turns ABOVE it to maintain separation. Gotta love power. edit- I love seeing that torque gauge at zero! Anyway, if you go full screen and HD, you can see the altimeter when I turn west. I entered the auto turning from base to final, and I was around 800MSL, or about 700AGL (TOA is about 100' field elevation) Was just wondering because, as ADRidge said above, you had enough time to write a book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldy Posted February 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 (edited) Here's the article to go along with the video. Nice job Goldy! http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1qvs1/RotorcraftProfession/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http://www.yudu.com/item/details/282759/Rotorcraft-Professional-Vol4Issue1= Thanks Eric......hmmmm, I look good behind those controls! If you want to try writing a book, you should see this thing in a hover auto. Edited February 10, 2011 by Goldy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldy Posted February 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 update- Hey guys, 3 days later and I have over 700 views on YouTube....way cool, thanks for all the responses. Goldy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Man, I didn't think anything could auto better than a -44. You had enough time to write a book during that glide. Try a Bell 47, I can make a sandwich and eat it during an engine failure at hover ( cause its not really an auto at hover.... not enough updraft to turn the rotors, just enough inertia to cushion the landing ) heck for that matter I've seen one set down, picked up and left pedal turned 180 and set back down again during an engine failure at hover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeloJunkie Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 Goldy - Great video. I have not flown the R66 yet but did get a good look at one thanks to Simon over at Advanced Flight while I was up trianing with him last week. Very nice ship for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldy Posted February 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 Goldy - Great video. I have not flown the R66 yet but did get a good look at one thanks to Simon over at Advanced Flight while I was up trianing with him last week. Very nice ship for sure! Simon is the man when it comes to the R44. I flew with him at my last Robbie safety course a few years back. I have always wanted to go back and fly with him....how was it? Does he still have the all white R44? Glad you liked the video, now up to almost 900 hits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trans Lift Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 Simon is probably the best instructor I have ever flown with. He came over to MA last year to do some company training with us on our 44's. Great guy, an english guy and an Irish guy in a helicopter together is always a good time!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyNHighNFast Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 Awesome auto Goldy! That was like slow motion, compared to an auto in the 22. I just got home and pounced on part 3 of the series. When are you going to put up the tail wagging video? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlatoNC Posted February 18, 2011 Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 (edited) Thanks for sharing Goldy, super smooth auto entry, reminds me of when we enter from 3000agl to practice gliding. Those gauges seemed to light up when you turned final and the sun hit them, almost like a luxury car's dash lights at night. As much as I appreciate Frank's utilitarian mentality, it would be nice to have something better than dim pop out bulbs illuminating the gauges at night. Not to mention a red 'night vision-friendly' spotlight overhead that did more than light up the left side of my headset Edited February 18, 2011 by PlatoNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldy Posted February 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2011 Awesome auto Goldy! That was like slow motion, compared to an auto in the 22. I just got home and pounced on part 3 of the series. When are you going to put up the tail wagging video? Ahhh, you read it and you paid attention! That was when I did my first hover auto in her....again, lil slow on the amount of pedal response needed, but since the ship just sits there, plenty of time to make a correction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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