Helicopter Check Ride Part 4 Flight Training Tips
Aug 09, 2017Helicopter Check Ride Part 4 Flight Training Tips
Helicopter Check Ride Part 4 Flight Training Tips
Show up prepared for your Helicopter Lesson
I had a Commercial Helicopter Pilot show up for CFI Helicopter Training with no flight bag, books, E6B computer, cross-country plotter, a notebook, or anything. I asked him if he was ready to work on his Helicopter Instructor Rating.
He said, "Yes!"
I said, "Where is your bag?"
He replied, "What bag?"
I said, "The bag you’re going to carry all your stuff in."
"I don't have one."
I then asked, "And where's your Rotorcraft Flying Handbook, and your FAR/Aim Manual?"
He said, "The Rotorcraft flying handbook may be in the car. Not sure where the FAR/AIM is at."
This young man was going for his Certified Flight Instructor Rating, and he did good and ended up getting it. But here was a guy with a Commercial Helicopter Rating, wanting to do the CFI, and didn't show up ready to go.
Helicopter Check Ride Part 4 Flight Training Tips
The point I need to make is to get a flight bag. You can start with a small bag, then, as you continue with your Helicopter Training and Helicopter Career, you can move up to a larger one. If you go for an Instrument Helicopter Rating or a CFI Check-Ride, you are going to be carrying a ton of stuff with you. I remember going for my Helicopter Instrument Rating with my arms full of stuff. The Examiner stated, "That's what instrument and CFI Check-Rides should look like!"
Bottom line is, from the beginning of your Helicopter Training, get yourself a bag and carry all your books with you. Get yourself some markers and highlighters, pens and pencils, and get yourself a decent notebook. You will need it!
When you go to your Helicopter Lesson, always have all your stuff with you even if you only plan to fly! If the weather is bad, you can still do Helicopter Ground School!
You have your time scheduled. Maybe you get to the airport and the aircraft does not start. If you have your stuff, sit down with your Helicopter Instructor and do some Ground School.
I have helped many people that maybe did not get the best Helicopter Instruction somewhere else. In many years, I have seen many different mistakes people make. I am here to fill the void in Helicopter Ground School!
Aircraft Choice
Choose the Helicopter that is right for you! The main Helicopters used for Helicopter Flight Training are the Robinson R-22, Schweizer 300, and The Enstrom Helicopters. All these Training Helicopters have good qualities; they all have pros and cons. Some of the characteristics are different and numbers vary but they are still helicopters.
Don't let one school tell you that you have to fly this one exact Helicopter. If you are a really tall individual you may want to be in a larger aircraft like the Enstrom Helicopter. If you are a smaller person and price per hour is a big factor, you may want to choose the Robinson Helicopter. The Schweizer is kind of in between, but they are all great Helicopters. Do some research; it may be worth your time to travel to a Helicopter School that is farther away to be in a Helicopter that is better suited for you!
One-Hour Flight Lesson
This is a huge Helicopter Training Tip. The human brain can only handle about one hour of any new complicated skill before it needs a break. When you are Learning How to Fly Helicopters, or doing Helicopter Ground School, you need a break after one hour. I am not talking about Helicopter Cross Country Training or Check-Ride Preparation; I am talking about in the beginning. Your Helicopter Flights should be one hour or less. If it is any more than that, it is a waste of time and money.
Before I became a Helicopter Instructor, I was a Police Officer and Firearms Instructor. I went through an Instructor Development course and a point they made very clear was on training for an hour. Either in the classroom or out in the field, you need to give a person a short break. Even if it is only 5 or 10 minutes, that break is very important.
Helicopter Training Ground Knowledge
Study! One of the most important things with Helicopter Flight Training is your self-study and your dual Ground School with your Instructor! Many Helicopter Flight Schools have great ground school classes, some of the others, not so much! The thing that I have seen over the years is Helicopter Students are usually lacking on the Helicopter Ground Knowledge areas!
Helicopter Students do not normally fail the flying portion of their Helicopter Practical Test! They normally fail on the oral portion of the test! Everybody wants to fly, but nobody wants to do ground school! That's just the way it is, the flying is the fun part, the ground study is not! You have to force yourself to Study!
Your self-study time and time with your instructor is the key. It's 25% flying, 75% ground time to get to your rating. That is why you have to make study time priority one.
You want to spend a lot of time studying right from the beginning! It will make the process so much smoother if you hit the books hard from the start!
That is what it takes you get through your training with the least amount of time and money! You have to commit yourself to Helicopter Ground School. That is why we developed our Online Helicopter Ground School and Helicopter Training Ground School on DVD. To help you with the subject areas you need to know to become a Helicopter Pilot!
Helicopter Flying Handbook
One of the first questions many prospective helicopter students ask is, what books do I need?
The best place to start is The Helicopter Flying Handbook. The FAA recommends this book for Student Helicopter Pilots, Private Helicopter Pilots, Commercial Helicopter Pilots and Helicopter Pilot Examiners.
Do not let this book overwhelm you in the beginning; it can be intimidating at first. Start out with reading the basics about Helicopter Controls and get familiar with this book.
As you progress with your training, and with help from your Helicopter Instructor, things will start making sense.
You can continue adding the other books and materials you will need to become a Helicopter Pilot! So start out by getting your copy of The Helicopter Flying Handbook!
Helicopter Pilot Written Test
Start working on your Helicopter Written Test early on in your training! A good goal is to try to get your Helicopter Written Test done prior to your First Helicopter Solo.
Helicopter Check Ride Part 4 Flight Training Tips
Not many people accomplish this, but it sure is very helpful to get it done and out of the way. You do not want to be trying to prepare for your Helicopter Practical Test and trying to finish your Helicopter written test last minute!
Don't Cancel!
Even if the weather is bad, show up at your scheduled time and do Helicopter Ground School with your instructor! It is very common that Helicopter Students see the weather is bad and they cancel their scheduled time.
Helicopter Instructor Student Relationship
A very important point is getting along well with your Helicopter Instructor. If you have any kind of personal issues, it can be a very tough learning environment.
You are spending large sums of money on your training. It needs to be a good experience. It is a lot of time and effort to get from off the street to Rated Helicopter Pilot. Do not be afraid to ask for a different instructor if you are at a larger Helicopter Flight School! If you are at a smaller school, and that is not an option, change Flight Schools!
If you are having personal issues with the Helicopter Instructor you are flying with, it is going to drag out the training. It is going to cost you more money and it is not going to be a good experience!
Helicopter Lessons Learning Plateau
Something you may hear about when you start your Helicopter Flight Training is a Learning Plateau! It happens to almost every Helicopter Student Pilot during their Helicopter Training! Do not get discouraged, it will most likely happen to you.
Be prepared for this common issue during your Helicopter Training. Let's say you are flying frequently. You start noticing that you have several flights in a row where your performance will actually drop off and you will be getting frustrated.
One option is to take a break. Maybe just a few days will work. Maybe even a week or two will be what you need. Helicopter Students will always worry that if they take time off they will lose their momentum. In reality, many people come back after a short break and have their best flight ever. I have seen this happen many times!
Be prepared to hit that learning Plateau; know that is the natural progression! Take a break, relax, go hang out at the beach, or whatever you like to do! Then go back and continue your Helicopter Flight Training! You may just be surprised at how well you do!
Aircraft Checklist
I want to talk about the Aircraft Checklist! You have to use the Helicopter Checklist! If you are just starting your Helicopter Training, or you are working on an Advanced Helicopter Rating, you should still be using the checklist.
Use it for Helicopter Preflight, Helicopter Start up, Helicopter Shutdown, Pre-Landing and any other required phase of flight. There are those of us who have tried not using the checklist because we have done it so many times. The truth is you will forget something almost every time!
When you are going for any type of Check-Ride, the examiner will always expect you to use the Helicopter Checklist. The FAA designated Pilot Examiner, FAA Examiner, and Company Check Airman will expect you to be using the checklist!
If you try to get away with just using the checklist for Check-Rides, they will know. You will not have a good flow and that will give them the impression that you may think you too smart for all that! So use the Aircraft Checklist, every time!
Hover Pre Take-Off Checks
There are Helicopter Flight Schools teaching the Hover Pre Take-Off Checks. That’s great!
It should be mandatory, everywhere, for everyone! No excuses! Yes, this includes YOU!
The problem is, many schools and instructors are not teaching these, that is just plain wrong!
You want to do the Hover Pre Take-Off Checks because you are giving that engine a chance to spit, sputter, miss or puke! You are checking the Helicopter Engine temperatures and pressures and checking the manifold pressure or torque to see how much power you are pulling for the day!
There are many reasons to be doing the Hover Pre Take-Off Check! It is a general practice for Helicopter Safety. You are checking to make sure the aircraft is ready to go! One single thing you miss could be disastrous and lead to a Helicopter Accident! If you are not doing them, start doing them! You need to do a Helicopter Pre Take-Off Check before every single Take Off!
Hover Clearing Turns
This is a HUGE Helicopter Safety Tip for your Helicopter Flight Training! Always clear the Helicopter Tail prior to turning nose left or right. Many Helicopters Pilots do not want to do this every time because they think it is too redundant. They get tired of doing it and think there are no obstacles or people around.
It is a fact; I have had a tractor pass me from behind and drive right under the rotor system while practicing Hovering Autorotation. I have had the same things happen with cars while doing Hover Practice on the airport ramp. When you think nobody is around these obstacles come out of nowhere.
There are Helicopter EMS Pilots out there that have thousands of Helicopter Flying Hours that turn their tails into trees, wires, hangars and all sorts of other stuff. It can happen to anyone. You have to clear the tail every time you go to turn the aircraft. Make sure your side is clear. If you are flying with a passenger or a Helicopter Instructor, make sure they clear the tail for you! Clearing The Tail is a very important part of Safe Helicopter Flying!
The Helicopter Lessons we are teaching are not just to get you through the Helicopter Check-Ride. These are basic simple rules that you should use throughout your Helicopter Flying Career!
Do the clearing turns! Do them every single time before you start your Helicopter Hovering Turns!
The Key to a Good Autorotation -- A Good Setup!
Now I want to talk about autorotation. It is a thing that we all love to do, getting into fun stuff. They can also be stressful, so I just wanted to give you a few tips.
On an autorotation, the key is a good set up. It is just like the key to a normal approach, a hover auto, or anything you do. The key is just a good set up.
On a straight in auto, you want to have your five-hundred (500) AGL, vertical speed near zero (0), and have whatever Mean Sea Level, or MSL, that you want. In the Enstrom, we are using an Air Speed of seventy (70). Enter the autorotation nice and smooth.
You then do three things:
· Lower the collective (depending on model amount of throttle you roll off will vary)
· Add right pedal (in a counter-clockwise rotating system)
· Add a little bit of aft cyclic to set your speed
If you have a nice entry, this is all you have to do at the beginning.
On your way down you start your cross checks; looking inside and then outside, checking your spot, and checking your RPM and airspeed. I cannot say it enough, if you set it up nice, it is going to be nice.
As you are flying it down, you are going to wait until approximately treetop level when you begin a gentle flair, gradually increasing as you bring it in. Then, at eight (8) to ten (10) feet high, you level the aircraft and raise the collective while rolling back on your power with pedal adjustment. (This procedure may vary depending on make and model of aircraft).
The following link is for one of the videos I shot for autorotation. Again, the key is a good set up!
Hovering Autorotation
(Helicopter with Counter-Clockwise Rotating System)
With the hovering Autorotation, it is all about timing. It is not complicated as far as the amount of things you have to do, but doing them at the right time is the key.
You want to reposition your hand on the throttle, have a nice hover going, and make sure you count the maneuver off. Either 1-2-3-enter or 3-2-1-enter is fine, as long as you count off. I had a student do one yesterday and not tell me he was going to do it. That is a good way to scare your instructor.
Reposition your hand on the throttle, count off 1-2-3-enter, and have a decent hover going, or a somewhat stabilized hover. When we enter this, we are going to roll off the throttle, add the right pedal, then you need to pause (the key is to pause). That is a common mistake because students want to roll the throttle off and yank the collective up, dump it or not pull it at all. You want to pause. I think One-One 1000, and then pull. That is the whole key!
Get stabilized, reposition your hand on the throttle, count 1-2-3-enter, roll off throttle and add right pedal, count One-One Thousand, and then pull, settle down to the ground, collective back down.
E6B Flight Computer
Now let's talk about the 3 Scales on the E6B, the A, B, and C scales.
When you are working through these problems, the A scale is on the outside, B is in the middle, and C is on the inside. Remember A is Distance, B is Minutes, and C is Hours.
I also want to point out the equation for calculating the different problems are on the face near the center of the E6B. So, when you’re with the examiner on your Check-Ride and you get nervous, just remember the A, B, & C scale, and your equations you need to work the problems are right on the face of the E6B.
I am not an expert at this. If I do not teach cross-country for a while, and I go to show somebody how to use it, I have to sit down and review it for myself first.
When you go on your Check-Ride, you want to be good with it because he may say something like your cross-country planning looks good but I think I want to go somewhere else now.
Go ahead, pull out your E6B, and figure out what the changes are going to be in the time and the amount of fuel that we are going to need. Just DON'T panic, and I have seen people do it. They are twirling it around and they forget to look right at the equations.
Helicopter Check Ride Part 4 Flight Training Tips
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