rotors turning should I need to do so. At first
glance the controls look similar to a fixed-wing aircraft—pedals, a stick, and a lever
that looks like a Johnson Bar in Cherokees to
lower the flaps. But helicopters don’t have a
rudder, or flaps, or ailerons, so what do the
controls do?
Your feet control the antitorque pedals,
which control the tail rotor, allowing the
pilot to rotate around the vertical axis (yaw).
The tail rotor counteracts the torque of the
main rotor, keeping the helicopter’s fuselage
from spinning in the opposite direction of
the main rotor’s rotation.
What looks like a stick is called a cyclic.
This allows the pilot to change the pitch of
the rotor blades individually as they cycle
through their rotation. This tilts the plane of
rotation, which controls the direction and
speed the helicopter moves. What looks like
a Johnson Bar is the collective. It includes
the throttle and is the power control. It
changes the pitch of all the rotors at the
same time (collectively), increasing or
decreasing the lift.
Bill had done a preflight while I was in
awareness training, so we were all set to go.
Once we were all in and settled (EAA multimedia journalist Brady Lane was in the back
seat taking photos), Bill explained start-up
procedures as he went through the checklist
and started the engine. He pointed out the
different gauges to watch, just like on an airplane: oil temperature, oil pressure, and
rpm. When the blades got up to speed
(they’re constantly rotating at about 400
rpm in flight), we were airborne and headed
east, away from the airport and over the city
of Kenosha.
While on a direct course for Lake
Michigan, Bill turned the controls over to
me. It was instantly apparent how delicate
control inputs needed to be. The cyclic
required little more than a gentle nudge
with my fingertips to maintain a straight and
level flight path, and turns didn’t require
much more than that. By the time I was
starting to feel comfortable managing the
cyclic and collective in harmony, we had
reached the lake, and Bill took the controls
to nimbly navigate us up the lakeshore and
demonstrate a bit more of the R44’s capabilities. The view was spectacular, and the
practical advantages of a helicopter for certain jobs like search and rescue were clear.
After I got to play with the controls some
more, we headed back to Kenosha Regional
Airport for a simulated engine-out and some
hover practice.
This was probably the area of helicopter
flying that gave me the most butterflies in
my stomach. Remember, going into this I
was still fairly sure that helicopters plummeted to the ground when the engine
stopped, and the little laughs helicopter
pilots gave me when I asked about glide
ratios didn’t ease my mind any. But, Bill
assured me, the FAA wouldn’t certify anything that would just fall from the sky, so I
summoned all of my faith in government
agencies and hoped for the best as Bill set up
the maneuver over Runway 7L. He talked
me through the maneuver as I watched the
engine rpm drop while the rotor rpm held (a
good thing in this case). Within seconds we
settled on the runway with a gentle thunk.
No harm done, no flames or flying parts—
pretty darn docile all around. There goes
that myth.
Next, we were off to a grassy part of the
airport for hover practice. I knew this skill
was a hard one to master. I had failed time
and again at the “Chopper Challenge” game
in the KidVenture area of EAA’s museum,
and if that was any representation of
hovering a real helicopter, we were in for
some excitement.
Bill set us in a hover about 3 feet above
the ground and offered me the antitorque
pedals to get a feel for that control and do
some 360-degree turns—first to the left, then
to the right. I quickly learned the pedals
were also sensitive, requiring little more
than a wiggle of my toes to turn the helicopter under the rotor. Next he offered me the
collective, putting me in charge of the helicopter’s 3-foot hover height—certainly more
of a challenge.
Then he handed over the cyclic and the
wild ride began! I held altitude fairly well,
and for the most part was able to keep the
nose pointed at the FBO in front of us, but
pilot-induced oscillations were plenty. Bill
would chuckle as I tried to regain a stable
state, and then he would reset us in a hover
over the center of the patch of grass every
minute or so. I certainly understand how it
usually takes people five or six hours to learn
to hover. After about five minutes of me providing comic relief to the folks watching
HOMEBUILT OPTIONS
While there are a number of type-certificated
helicopter designs, it also is possible to build and
learn to fly in your own homebuilt helicopter.
You might find an instructor willing to teach you
in your homebuilt once it’s finished and the
flight testing is completed. However, most pilots
flying homebuilt helicopters prefer instruction
in a type-certificated model at a flight school
before transitioning to their homebuilt.
Popular homebuilt helicopter kits include:
● Rotor Way A600 Talon—Rotor Way International
● Hummingbird 260L—Vertical Aviation
Technologies Inc.
● Safari—Safari Helicopters
● Mosquito—Mosquito Aviation Ltd.
● SkyBlazer—Phoenix Rotorcraft LLC
from a nearby hangar, Bill took over the controls and brought us back to the ramp for a
landing. He walked through the shutdown
checklist, and as the rotors slowed to a stop,
my first helicopter lesson came to an end.
I learned a lot that day, and gained much
appreciation for another way to fly. Adding a
helicopter rating to my private pilot certificate has officially earned its place on my
bucket list, and as soon as I can justify the
time and money to make it happen, I will.
For now, well, if I’m not at my desk, you
might check the KidVenture area in the
museum, over by the hovering game. I’ve got
some skills to hone.
Kelly Nelson, EAA 787745, is associate editor for EAA
publications. A private pilot, she recently earned her
tailwheel endorsement and hopes to add a helicopter rating
to her certificate one day. For a video of her introductory
helicopter lesson and links to more information on training,
visit www.SportAviation.org.
