Simulated Autorotations

Could not get a pattern today, so we opted to get simulator time and do an introduction to auto-rotations. Last time I was in the simulator I actually enjoyed it. This time, now that I understand the feel and motion of flying a helicopter it was really annoying. The simulator is nothing like a real helicopter.

Only thing that I thought that was helpful was the beginning of muscle memory. I'm not going to try to explain it yet... because it wasn't real.

Patience.

Frasca TruFlight H (aka Flight Sim)

Due to a pretty nasty weather front in the area we took some time on the flight simulator. More or less to run over startup and shutdown procedures for the R22. Definitely an interesting lesson, but very different from the real thing. Actually, to be more fair, the instruments look/act pretty much the same as the real thing, but flight is definitely odd. First of all, there is no mass or motion... so accurate muscle memory is lost. So, while worth the time to go over the checklists, it definitely has a lot to be desired. I did get into a good hover tho. But again, does not really count for much.

We also squeezed in about an hour of ground training - primarily on airfoils and aerodynamics. Did a bit of review and will dive in to the lift equation next time.

Another flight (I hope) tomorrow.