Intro flight

[fly2001]

I had an intro flight today and it was just as amazing as I thought it would be. I've had a few fixed wing intro lessons, but the helicopter was just unreal with sense of freedom. My instructor let me fly for a while and even though they told me I did good for my first time, it was all overwhelming (I'm assuming thats natural first time?)

Can any of you experienced pilots tell me if it just becomes natural when your flying (like driving, not that simple obviously, but you know what I mean). My instructor just flew around with all the confidence in the world, like I would drive my truck around. I guess what I'm asking is there a point where you just become one with the machine and it all becomes second nature to you? Any info is appreciated thanks!

[Goldy]

Absolutely it does...I think for me it was really around 75 hours where I felt significantly more in control, and it was just easy to do things like change a radio frequency. I remember during solo flights where every little move of the bird made me uneasy...the slighest breeze would put you on edge. I guess it just gets more natural on every subsequent flight. Just realize one thing...this will cost you money..there is NO way I know in the civilian life to get any of the training cheaply..

 

Safe flying !

Goldy

[Witch]

Become one with the machine? Like a Borg?

 

Really, at about ten hours I was manuvering the bird around in a hover like it was second nature. It helped me to be distracted from trying to concentrate of what I was doing. If you can get distracted, you can relax, and that'll help a bit. The rest will come a bit easier. Take this from someone with 35 hours and still hasn't soloed. It's those dang autos I tell ya.

 

Enjoy your flights and try flying a river or two.

 

Later.

[flyby_heli]

Witch...

 

At 35 hours you should try to talk to your instructor and get him to sign you a hover solo endorsement. This way you can go out by yourself and hover around at the airport, doing pickups/setdowns, pedal turns of different kinds and quick stops.

I usually let my students hoversolo first (usually between 5 and 15 hours depending on their skill level) and this tends to help them build confidence in their own skills, get more acquainted with the machine and relax which again makes them absorb the harder maneuvers (autos, hover autos, slopes) easier. Do this for a couple of hours and then polish up on your autos before soloing at altitude.

 

Just a thought that might help

Flyby

Edited November 26, 2006 by flyby_heli

[delorean]

You let your solo students do quick stops?!? What are you nuts? That's just asking for overspeeds and banged up stingers. I would check your insurance policy and see what it says about letting students practice emergency maneuvers on their own.

 

And, remember, YOU as the CFI will hang for anything goes wrong on a solo flight, not the student.

[flyby_heli]

Quick stops are not an emergency maneuver in my eyes, more a precision maneuver (I believe it is even listed as that in the PTS) and maybe the best maneuver there is to get the students get their coordination together. It has all phases of flight in one maneuver.

 

Of course I don't let them practice them without doing lots of them with me in there first, to he point where i don't even have my hands/feet physically on the controls when they demonstrate them.

 

I know I'm responsible for them when they solo, i guess i just don't sign them off for solo-stuff until I'm confident they won't screw up anything. Alot of times rated pilots are more hazardous then students, because the students know and accept their own abilities, or lack thereof, and fly accordingly!!

And, knock on wood, I haven't had any incidents with any of my students yet.

 

I guess different instructors have different ways of teaching.....there is more than one way to Chicago, right?!

[slick1537]

lol, I remember my intro flight keeping the aircraft flying steadily in one direction came naturally to me, and my instructor told me it takes some people 5 hours before they can do that. He even took his hands off the cyclic and I was like holy crap I must be awesome! :-p however hovering was not possible for me, taxiing while hovering I could do for some reason. Of course he pretty much controlled the collective and pedals so maybe it was all and illusion and he did all teh work .

[Lasiter]

Hello All,

My first intro flight was what I called, "confirmation". This was to validate my interest in flying helicopters. I had several hours of fixed wing lessons, but never got around to finishing what I started. Even now, my friends and fellow fixed guys think I am nuts as I have already spent double what they did to get their pvt. license and I have yet to get my PPL. LOL

 

I took my intro flight and let the feeling and decision sit about a week. I seriously looked into my financial situation and planned out a strategy in which I could conceivably fund my mission to get my license. I actually got hands on the controls and was able to get it straight and level within the first 5 mins of flight. Straight and level of course is the easiest.

 

Intro flights are good ideas. So many people I have met just jump in and think the transition from fixed to rotor is simple as an add-on. This is of course is not the case. Besides, my first intro flight in a helicopter was out of Girdwood, Alaska on a 70 plus degree sunshiny day with glaciers, whales, etc. How can you pass that up?

 

Anyhow, thanks for the "soapbox".

 

 

 

Delorean,

My instructor also informed me that I was not allowed to perform any of the manuevers of that nature during my solo time. My instructor basically told me that he feels that at a point where I can fly the machine on my own beyond hovering, picks/setdowns, if something does go wrong he is confident I can walk away from it. Maybe I won't hit my "spot" on my auto, but at least I know enough to get the machine down.

 

The scary thing is if my instructor allowed me to perform such manuevers I would do them. I have complete trust in my instructor and his knowledge of what I am supposed to and authorized to do. Do you know if some manuevers and such have different mandates for different aircraft? I fly an R22...so there are some definite differences in hour limitations of when to solo etc. I am not as familiar with the 300, etc.

 

Thanks

[coanda]

Delorean,

NO QuickStops!?!?!? are u kidding me!!! Just kidding, i flew for my private at the house of Charlie. I probably snuck one or two in down at festus when no one was looking, usually white knuckled but still they happened. I felt really bad after, not worth doing it once and wrecking a ship, just get your private then go all out. Its not really the hardest skill to master but it definitely need not be done unless with your instructor. like i said just wait until you got your green card.(pl not immigration)

[oldcobrapilot]

FLY2001,

 

 

When your nerve endings extend out to the main rotor tips,tail rotor and skids,your'e getting there.

 

 

HOVERING; BE PATIENT! It,s like trying to ride a unicycle on a glass ball, in the pouring down rain, at night, with one eye closed, while your'e trying to get a piece of...

 

 

" A MANS GOT TO KNOW HIS LIMITATIONS."

CLINT EASTWOOD

[Witch]

Hey Flyby, I think I will ask Mike if I can take the bird out and play around the field, especially the dung piles, and get some low altitude hours in. But alas, I was supposed to get my checkride Saturday but I got spaced. Hopefully Friday, and solo all day Saturday.

 

Cobra, I would like to talk to you about independant contracting. Moreso on the business and marketing aspect of contracting.

 

Later