Flight #: 067, 068
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Cumulative Time: 80.1hrs
I'm circling the runway on my Private Pilot : Rotorcraft : Helicopter license... so close. I've been doing a few flight here and there to make sure I pass the FAA Check Ride. Mostly working on the "tough" maneuvers like [straight-in, hover, 180-turning] autorotations. Supposedly this is the point where everyone needs work.
No doubt, I can get safely to the ground in an engine failure condition... I just need to make them perfect. My issue now is keeping the nose level and not over-speeding the main rotor.
What is an over-speed, you ask? Well. The main rotor is rated up to a certain RPM. Go below the limit (a rotor RPM below 80% plus 1% per 1000ft of altitude) and your main rotor will stall out. Meaning that you will not have the ability to get it spinning again to generate lift. This happens, you check-out.
If you go above the limit, 104% you get in to over-speed territory. An over-speed introduces increased stress on the bearings, joints, bolts, connectors, blades, etc... and since the rotor is what keeps you in the sky, you need to be very conscious of any excess of stress.
As my dad always says... "Be good to your boat-oar, and it will be good to you." Which I've adapted to "Be good to your main rotor, and it will be good to you."
Anyway, there are really two types of rotor over-speeds. Minor and major. A minor over-speed would be a rotor RPM of 105% to 110%. This would require squawking the ship, and having it inspected by a licensed mechanic. Over 110%, you replace the blades, rotor hub, and send the engine back to Robinson for a full rebuild. BAD NEWS.
All that being said... if you are ever in a real emergency, have an engine failure at altitude and need to bring the ship in for an emergency landing... rotor RPM is really not a concern. If you get the helicopter to the ground, and you can walk away... success. An over-speed is not an issue.
Showing posts with label hover autorotation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hover autorotation. Show all posts
Monday, May 19, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Maneuver Practice
Flight #: 062-066
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: Various
Past 5 flights have all been maneuver practice... just honing the razors edge. The final result of it all:
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: Various
Past 5 flights have all been maneuver practice... just honing the razors edge. The final result of it all:
- my normal approaches are rock solid - landing withing 3ft of desired point
- autorotations are passable, not perfect, but passable. I still need to work on my entry speeds... I keep slowing down without trying.
- air-taxi / quick stop - perfect.
- hover autorotations - damn fine. I've learned to roll off the throttle S L O W L Y, and all else is smooth.
- running landings - passable, need to work on my speed control here.
- running takeoff - perfect.
- max performance takeoff - perfect.
Monday, February 25, 2008
White board markers and post-it notes, flight essentials.
Flight #: 041
CFI: Gareth E.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N8340S
Duration: 1.6hrs
Cumulative Time: 46.2hrs
Got another chance to fly with Gareth this afternoon. Another good flight. Again focusing on the patterns, approaches and emergency procedures for the stage 1 flight, scheduled for the 28th.
It is really good to mix it up with instructors. Gives you a chance to get used to someone else's way of teaching and helps find the errors of your ways. Fact is, they are teaching the same thing... but with slightly different twists... sometimes it is that twist that hits home. It was the case this time too.
I have issues "hitting the spot" when coming in for a landing. I generally overshoot my spot cause I'm too high and too fast when I turn final. So, I mentioned this to Gareth before the flight just so that I could get some other eyes to help me work on it. Right before run-up, he ran in to the pilot lounge and grabbed a white board, dry erase marker and a stack of post it notes. Odd, thinks I.
Anyway, he asked me to fly a normal approach to golf intersection on alpha taxiway. On the way in, I did as I do normally... overshot my spot. So, he took controls on the next one, handed me a dry erase marker and told me to put a mark on the inside of the cockpit plastic just over the landing spot when he said we were lined up. So, I did just that. Little "x" on the screen. Then, we just did a go around.
At 700ft as I turned on the downwind leg. Out come the post-it notes and Gareth covers up the air speed indicator with a little "Now that's broken... so no point looking inside.". Great... clearly he and Kristie talk. :)
But, they are both exactly right... I look into the turn, keep my eye off my spot and either lose too much, or gain too much speed. And that is what kills me. So, I kept my eyes on the touchdown point... and wham, made it.
We continued the flight executing other maneuvers, but nothing too exciting to speak of. All pretty much on target... and feeling good.
I've got one more flight with Kristie before my Stage 1 Ground exam and flight. But right now, I'm feeling great about ground, and pretty good about the flight.
CFI: Gareth E.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N8340S
Duration: 1.6hrs
Cumulative Time: 46.2hrs
Got another chance to fly with Gareth this afternoon. Another good flight. Again focusing on the patterns, approaches and emergency procedures for the stage 1 flight, scheduled for the 28th.
It is really good to mix it up with instructors. Gives you a chance to get used to someone else's way of teaching and helps find the errors of your ways. Fact is, they are teaching the same thing... but with slightly different twists... sometimes it is that twist that hits home. It was the case this time too.
I have issues "hitting the spot" when coming in for a landing. I generally overshoot my spot cause I'm too high and too fast when I turn final. So, I mentioned this to Gareth before the flight just so that I could get some other eyes to help me work on it. Right before run-up, he ran in to the pilot lounge and grabbed a white board, dry erase marker and a stack of post it notes. Odd, thinks I.
Anyway, he asked me to fly a normal approach to golf intersection on alpha taxiway. On the way in, I did as I do normally... overshot my spot. So, he took controls on the next one, handed me a dry erase marker and told me to put a mark on the inside of the cockpit plastic just over the landing spot when he said we were lined up. So, I did just that. Little "x" on the screen. Then, we just did a go around.
At 700ft as I turned on the downwind leg. Out come the post-it notes and Gareth covers up the air speed indicator with a little "Now that's broken... so no point looking inside.". Great... clearly he and Kristie talk. :)
But, they are both exactly right... I look into the turn, keep my eye off my spot and either lose too much, or gain too much speed. And that is what kills me. So, I kept my eyes on the touchdown point... and wham, made it.
We continued the flight executing other maneuvers, but nothing too exciting to speak of. All pretty much on target... and feeling good.
I've got one more flight with Kristie before my Stage 1 Ground exam and flight. But right now, I'm feeling great about ground, and pretty good about the flight.
Monday, February 11, 2008
More practice towards Stage 1 Check
Flight #: 037
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N7155W
Duration: 1.4hrs
Cumulative Time: 41.5hrs
Still gearing up for the Stage 1 Check on the 19th. All is looking good. While it is not actually part of the stage 1 check, Kriste demonstrated and then let me fly a 180º turning autorotation. It is exactly what it sounds like. You lose engine power and need to make a 180º turn to hit your landing spot. It is very much like a standard auto except that in the turn you have to be very conscious of your rotor RPM. As air is forced under the main rotor your RPM shoots up, and this happens in the turn naturally. So, you just have to be on top of it.
I've had a few questions about the Stage 1 check, and what it is. Basically it is a check, done by the school, to make sure you are ready to begin Stage 2 - which includes solo and cross country flights. It consists of two phases.
The first is a 2 to 4 hour verbal examination of all topics covered in Stage 1 of the course. This includes aerodynamics, emergency procedures, power plant mechanics, airport operations, regulations and airspaces, etc. The idea here is to make sure I'm in complete understanding of all the rules and operations governing helicopter flight. In some cases, I don't need to memorize exact rule paragraph and sections, I just need to know basics and be able to find the regulation in the FAR/AIM manual. In other cases, emergency procedures, I need to know them immediately and exactly - In case of an emergency. This exam is conducted by a totally new CFI, someone who I've not yet worked with. This keeps things pretty impartial and opens me up to hearing the question in different ways.
Once I pass this portion of the Stage 1 check, I then move on to the flight. This consists of taking a flight with the new CFI out to the west practice area and executing an Off Airport Landing, an example of Settling With Power (Vortex Ring States) and running through basic pilotage and radio communications. We then fly back to Charlie Pattern and execute normal patterns, quick-stops, max performance takeoffs, running takeoffs / landings and a few auto rotations.
When this is complete, I move on to the beginning of my solo flights. Can't wait!
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N7155W
Duration: 1.4hrs
Cumulative Time: 41.5hrs
Still gearing up for the Stage 1 Check on the 19th. All is looking good. While it is not actually part of the stage 1 check, Kriste demonstrated and then let me fly a 180º turning autorotation. It is exactly what it sounds like. You lose engine power and need to make a 180º turn to hit your landing spot. It is very much like a standard auto except that in the turn you have to be very conscious of your rotor RPM. As air is forced under the main rotor your RPM shoots up, and this happens in the turn naturally. So, you just have to be on top of it.
I've had a few questions about the Stage 1 check, and what it is. Basically it is a check, done by the school, to make sure you are ready to begin Stage 2 - which includes solo and cross country flights. It consists of two phases.
The first is a 2 to 4 hour verbal examination of all topics covered in Stage 1 of the course. This includes aerodynamics, emergency procedures, power plant mechanics, airport operations, regulations and airspaces, etc. The idea here is to make sure I'm in complete understanding of all the rules and operations governing helicopter flight. In some cases, I don't need to memorize exact rule paragraph and sections, I just need to know basics and be able to find the regulation in the FAR/AIM manual. In other cases, emergency procedures, I need to know them immediately and exactly - In case of an emergency. This exam is conducted by a totally new CFI, someone who I've not yet worked with. This keeps things pretty impartial and opens me up to hearing the question in different ways.
Once I pass this portion of the Stage 1 check, I then move on to the flight. This consists of taking a flight with the new CFI out to the west practice area and executing an Off Airport Landing, an example of Settling With Power (Vortex Ring States) and running through basic pilotage and radio communications. We then fly back to Charlie Pattern and execute normal patterns, quick-stops, max performance takeoffs, running takeoffs / landings and a few auto rotations.
When this is complete, I move on to the beginning of my solo flights. Can't wait!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Stage 1 Prep...
Flight #: 032
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N8361N
Duration: 1.1hrs
Cumulative Time: 35.3hrs
Another good flight. Getting prepared for my Stage 1 Check Ride. This pretty much means doing everything over and over and over until I get it perfect. I've been doing pretty well on the hover autorotations recently. Which feels pretty good. My normal autos have not been so smooth, though. Mainly due to my lack of proper setup. Practice Practice...
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N8361N
Duration: 1.1hrs
Cumulative Time: 35.3hrs
Another good flight. Getting prepared for my Stage 1 Check Ride. This pretty much means doing everything over and over and over until I get it perfect. I've been doing pretty well on the hover autorotations recently. Which feels pretty good. My normal autos have not been so smooth, though. Mainly due to my lack of proper setup. Practice Practice...
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Mixin' it up
Flight #: 031
CFI: Garreth E.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N8361N
Duration: 1.1hrs
Cumulative Time: 34.2hrs
My flight this morning was canceled due to Wx (weather) issues... icing mist at 0ft. So, so flight.
Later in the afternoon I got a SMS from Kristie asking if I was available, last minute, for a flight. I'm always ready for a flight! So, I sped over to HAI. When I got there Garreth, another CFI, was the one with a helicopter and training slot. So, it was Garreth and I today.
This was great practice for me... because not only did I have to prove myself to a new CFI, but I also had to get used to their method of training.
Now, I can't prove it, but I think Garreth was messing with me during the pre-flight. There were about 8 things which were out of their normal setting. For example, the transponder is normally set to 1200... this time it was at 1100. The clutch was engaged, the altimeter was set to 400ft below sea level, and a number of fuses were pulled. I caught 'em all. Which is, of course why they would test me.
Other than that the flight was pretty normal. Hovers, auto rotations, patterns, quick stops, etc. Garreth introduced slope landings which, as Garreth said, is where most landing occur. Rarely do you actually get to land on a flat surface. Good point.
All in all, a very good flight.
CFI: Garreth E.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N8361N
Duration: 1.1hrs
Cumulative Time: 34.2hrs
My flight this morning was canceled due to Wx (weather) issues... icing mist at 0ft. So, so flight.
Later in the afternoon I got a SMS from Kristie asking if I was available, last minute, for a flight. I'm always ready for a flight! So, I sped over to HAI. When I got there Garreth, another CFI, was the one with a helicopter and training slot. So, it was Garreth and I today.
This was great practice for me... because not only did I have to prove myself to a new CFI, but I also had to get used to their method of training.
Now, I can't prove it, but I think Garreth was messing with me during the pre-flight. There were about 8 things which were out of their normal setting. For example, the transponder is normally set to 1200... this time it was at 1100. The clutch was engaged, the altimeter was set to 400ft below sea level, and a number of fuses were pulled. I caught 'em all. Which is, of course why they would test me.
Other than that the flight was pretty normal. Hovers, auto rotations, patterns, quick stops, etc. Garreth introduced slope landings which, as Garreth said, is where most landing occur. Rarely do you actually get to land on a flat surface. Good point.
All in all, a very good flight.
I made hover autos my bitch!
Flight #: 030
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N8340S
Duration: 1.2hrs
Cumulative Time: 33.1hrs
In excellent CFI style, Kristie got me right back into hover autrotations next flight. And it was a good thing too.... they still un-nerve me a bit, but I no longer question what I'm doing. I know.
We did quite a lot today, straight-in, turning and hover autorotations. Running landings, running takeoffs and steep approaches. All good.
And, at the end Kristie told me she wants me solo'ing by end of January. WooHoo!
That does mean I need to pass my Stage 1 Check Ride. Essentially a 2-4 hour verbal exam with an hour flight with another CFI or the Chief Flight Instructor.
Means a lot of studying in my future, but I can't wait to fly on my own!
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N8340S
Duration: 1.2hrs
Cumulative Time: 33.1hrs
In excellent CFI style, Kristie got me right back into hover autrotations next flight. And it was a good thing too.... they still un-nerve me a bit, but I no longer question what I'm doing. I know.
We did quite a lot today, straight-in, turning and hover autorotations. Running landings, running takeoffs and steep approaches. All good.
And, at the end Kristie told me she wants me solo'ing by end of January. WooHoo!
That does mean I need to pass my Stage 1 Check Ride. Essentially a 2-4 hour verbal exam with an hour flight with another CFI or the Chief Flight Instructor.
Means a lot of studying in my future, but I can't wait to fly on my own!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
So, I almost killed Kristy...
Flight #: 029
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N8361N
Duration: 1.3hrs
Cumulative Time: 31.9hrs
Well, not really. But if it were not for her quick reaction, we certainly would have a few bruises. Here is what happened... we were doing straight-in autorotations along side of hover autos.
A straight in autorotation is set up 700ft MSL (500AGL) and 70 KIAS. When level, lower collective, right pedal, slight aft, and completely roll off throttle, then pitch pull to get your rotor RPM into the green. Then you continue your entrance to land safely. It is an advanced maneuver to get you safely to the ground without power. Really a beautiful thing when it is done right... you just sort of float in.
A hover autorotation is set up at about 1-2 ft AGL hover. When ready, you completly roll off throttle, hard right pedal, little right cyclic and pause... then hard and large pitch pull on collective. This is quite a bit more abrupt and is used when the engine cuts out in a hover. You have very little time to execute this... cause you are only 1-2 ft off the ground. Dropping a helicopter from 2 feet does not sound like much but 1400lbs can make a pretty big dent. That and you have a blender blade spinning above your head.
After about 4 hover autos in a row I got mixed up... and, I have to be honest here, hover autos freak me out a bit. I know practice makes perfect... and that fear and panic will eventually go away but not this day.
In short, I set up for the hover auto, rolled off throttle, lowered collective and threw in right pedal. The helicopter just dropped out of the sky. Kristie tore up the collective to reduce the fall but we hit hard... and bounced up about 8 inches and then slammed down again. An absolute mess. Where did I go wrong? I lowered collective. You never lower collective in a hover autorotation... never. You only lower in a straight-in or 180 auto rotation. I just got confused.
See, when you lower collective, you reduce the pitch of the main rotor blades... and lose lift. If you lower throttle you reduce the power to the blades... and you lose lift. If you do both and don't have airspeed and altitude... you got nothing left. And, in a hover auto you have neither airspeed nor altitude. So, you are in a helicopter, in the air, with nothing. That's why we fell.
When you do it right, you pause a little, then yank the hell out of the collective to soften your hit. If you do it perfectly, you just land with a little bump. But, that pitch pull slows down the rotors significantly... so you can only do it once. You have to wait till you need it at the last minute.
So, I suppose there is a silver lining here... I know how bad a 2ft fall can be and I will never do it again.
Other than that end-of-the-day mess, the rest of the day was good.
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N8361N
Duration: 1.3hrs
Cumulative Time: 31.9hrs
Well, not really. But if it were not for her quick reaction, we certainly would have a few bruises. Here is what happened... we were doing straight-in autorotations along side of hover autos.
A straight in autorotation is set up 700ft MSL (500AGL) and 70 KIAS. When level, lower collective, right pedal, slight aft, and completely roll off throttle, then pitch pull to get your rotor RPM into the green. Then you continue your entrance to land safely. It is an advanced maneuver to get you safely to the ground without power. Really a beautiful thing when it is done right... you just sort of float in.
A hover autorotation is set up at about 1-2 ft AGL hover. When ready, you completly roll off throttle, hard right pedal, little right cyclic and pause... then hard and large pitch pull on collective. This is quite a bit more abrupt and is used when the engine cuts out in a hover. You have very little time to execute this... cause you are only 1-2 ft off the ground. Dropping a helicopter from 2 feet does not sound like much but 1400lbs can make a pretty big dent. That and you have a blender blade spinning above your head.
After about 4 hover autos in a row I got mixed up... and, I have to be honest here, hover autos freak me out a bit. I know practice makes perfect... and that fear and panic will eventually go away but not this day.
In short, I set up for the hover auto, rolled off throttle, lowered collective and threw in right pedal. The helicopter just dropped out of the sky. Kristie tore up the collective to reduce the fall but we hit hard... and bounced up about 8 inches and then slammed down again. An absolute mess. Where did I go wrong? I lowered collective. You never lower collective in a hover autorotation... never. You only lower in a straight-in or 180 auto rotation. I just got confused.
See, when you lower collective, you reduce the pitch of the main rotor blades... and lose lift. If you lower throttle you reduce the power to the blades... and you lose lift. If you do both and don't have airspeed and altitude... you got nothing left. And, in a hover auto you have neither airspeed nor altitude. So, you are in a helicopter, in the air, with nothing. That's why we fell.
When you do it right, you pause a little, then yank the hell out of the collective to soften your hit. If you do it perfectly, you just land with a little bump. But, that pitch pull slows down the rotors significantly... so you can only do it once. You have to wait till you need it at the last minute.
So, I suppose there is a silver lining here... I know how bad a 2ft fall can be and I will never do it again.
Other than that end-of-the-day mess, the rest of the day was good.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Page 2!
Flight #: 028
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N8340S
Duration: 1.2hrs
Cumulative Time: 30.6hrs
Another good lesson. Great weather today, gentle wind to help with my hover practice, and about 10 mile visibility. Sunny (and I forgot my sunglasses), so that helps with SAD. Well, not really a sufferer, but it is nice to finally have sun in your eyes.
We ran through some advanced maneuvers again, just getting better at all of it. I actually got to do about 75% of a running landing on my own. Coming in at 40knots at 2 feet above the ground is very similar to the feeling one gets riding a motorcycle. It is that sensation where speed seems to increase the closer you get to the ground. Addicting.
Also filled up page 2 in my logbook. Again, not a real big deal, but it is a physical milestone when you have to turn pages to get to the next entry.
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N8340S
Duration: 1.2hrs
Cumulative Time: 30.6hrs
Another good lesson. Great weather today, gentle wind to help with my hover practice, and about 10 mile visibility. Sunny (and I forgot my sunglasses), so that helps with SAD. Well, not really a sufferer, but it is nice to finally have sun in your eyes.
We ran through some advanced maneuvers again, just getting better at all of it. I actually got to do about 75% of a running landing on my own. Coming in at 40knots at 2 feet above the ground is very similar to the feeling one gets riding a motorcycle. It is that sensation where speed seems to increase the closer you get to the ground. Addicting.
Also filled up page 2 in my logbook. Again, not a real big deal, but it is a physical milestone when you have to turn pages to get to the next entry.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Patience... easy does it.
Flight #: 027
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N8361N
Duration: 1.1hrs
Cumulative Time: 29.4hrs
Another good flight today. Continuing to practice basic maneuvers. As Kristie said, "You know how to fly this thing... now just get fast and accurate." She's right, of course... I do know how to fly. Hovering is no big thing anymore, I just need to get more focused on the details now.
For example when hovering down the end of the taxi way, I need to stick my heading. I tend to wobble and fishtail quite a bit. The is the side effect of wind, but I should be faster on the pedals to keep any significant movement from happening.
Also, she is referring to the fact that I tend to over correct with my collective to much. After lift off and ascent to pattern altitude (700ft MSL, 500ft AGL) I end up correcting too much and bouncing up and down around my target altitude. Test standards require that I'm with in 100ft of my target, so I'm skirting with that limit now... but I just should be better.
I think it all stems from the fact that the feedback is rather slow... meaning that when I'm happy with my altitude, I should just use the collective a little bit, and just let the helicopter react. I give a little nudge... then wait about 1/2 second. When I don't see correction, I hammer it, and we drop. I just need to be patient.
It's not all bad... I'm worrying about tuning things now... and not keeping aloft.
We started doing running takeoffs today as well. Feels wrong. This is one of those maneuvers that I should never be in. Basically it is how to squeek a liftoff when you can't hover. Basically it is getting light on the skids and then sliding forward, while still on the ground, until you hit ETL. Then, with that added lift component you are able to climb out with much less power than normal. You should never be attempting a take off when you don't have enough power... and should should not be landing in an area where you would get in this situation. But, none the less... it is something you should know... just in case.
We also started hover autorotations. This is when you lose power in a hover. You start out low and work your way up... as you get better. We started at "light on the skids" and worked our way up to about 2 inches off the ground. When Kristie demonstrated it, it was an abrupt but soft landing. When I tried it was like dropping the helicopter from 2 inches. Just like everything else... practice makes perfect.
CFI: Kristie H.
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta II
Aircraft ID: N8361N
Duration: 1.1hrs
Cumulative Time: 29.4hrs
Another good flight today. Continuing to practice basic maneuvers. As Kristie said, "You know how to fly this thing... now just get fast and accurate." She's right, of course... I do know how to fly. Hovering is no big thing anymore, I just need to get more focused on the details now.
For example when hovering down the end of the taxi way, I need to stick my heading. I tend to wobble and fishtail quite a bit. The is the side effect of wind, but I should be faster on the pedals to keep any significant movement from happening.
Also, she is referring to the fact that I tend to over correct with my collective to much. After lift off and ascent to pattern altitude (700ft MSL, 500ft AGL) I end up correcting too much and bouncing up and down around my target altitude. Test standards require that I'm with in 100ft of my target, so I'm skirting with that limit now... but I just should be better.
I think it all stems from the fact that the feedback is rather slow... meaning that when I'm happy with my altitude, I should just use the collective a little bit, and just let the helicopter react. I give a little nudge... then wait about 1/2 second. When I don't see correction, I hammer it, and we drop. I just need to be patient.
It's not all bad... I'm worrying about tuning things now... and not keeping aloft.
We started doing running takeoffs today as well. Feels wrong. This is one of those maneuvers that I should never be in. Basically it is how to squeek a liftoff when you can't hover. Basically it is getting light on the skids and then sliding forward, while still on the ground, until you hit ETL. Then, with that added lift component you are able to climb out with much less power than normal. You should never be attempting a take off when you don't have enough power... and should should not be landing in an area where you would get in this situation. But, none the less... it is something you should know... just in case.
We also started hover autorotations. This is when you lose power in a hover. You start out low and work your way up... as you get better. We started at "light on the skids" and worked our way up to about 2 inches off the ground. When Kristie demonstrated it, it was an abrupt but soft landing. When I tried it was like dropping the helicopter from 2 inches. Just like everything else... practice makes perfect.
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