05-11-2008, 07:26 AM
Quote:SkyAirWorld wrote:
KenG,
I see from your signature you have helicopters mentioned..
Are you more of a Fixed Wing? or Rotorhead?
Which did you do first?
Whats it like in comparison?
__________
As you can clearly tell, I have recently been looking at Helicopters a little more, a mate offered me a few lessons in exchange for me giving
him a few lessons in fixed wings.....
I started flying airplanes at a Part 141 school that was also part of my College curriculum. As such I flew Cessna's (C152s, C172s, and
C182s) then moved to light twins for my multi endorsement (C320C). As luck would have it my first job ended up in helicopters where I
flew the B204, B206B, and S70. I was given the opportunity to turn my whirly bird job into an airplane job and jumped at the chance and
then was certified in multiple versions of the King Air including the A90, BE20, BE30, and B190.
As far as hours I am more of an airplane guy; my helicopter time is minimal at about 400 or so hours. Other than being an odd
conversation piece and understanding dissymmetry of lift and flapping I am not current in Helicopters and would require a BFR before I
could fly one again. My Helicopter endorsement and a buck will get me a cheap cup of coffee.
The comparison? Well that is like apples and oranges. Different machines for different jobs. I think some one put it best when stated an
airplane gracefully carved it way through the air with Newtonian physics whereas a helicopter makes its way by beating the air into
submission. That being said helicopters do have some very unique capabilities that requires a different skill set when learning to fly. For
a helicopter the hover has to be the hard part to learn and as most landings end at a hover as well as much of your taxing is also done in
a hover it is a critical step to learn. Even with the wheels on the S70 the fastest way to move around was in a hover or by air taxi. Learning
to hover is like patting your belly, rubbing your head and balancing on a basketball with one foot. It takes some time and like a good
landing once it comes to you it is a snap like reality. After learning to hover all of the rest of the flying was easy for me. Even the
autorotations and the 180 degree autorotations where relatively easy.
If given the chance to add Rotorcraft-Helicopter to your ticket I would remark that it is a fun endorsement, but a little pricey. Where as I have
rented Pipers and Cessnas for family trips, I doubt if I will ever rent a helicopter. But it is worth the price for the fun.
Ok since I am sure this is going to come up how does the B206 in MSFS compare to the real thing? Again I have not flown the real B206
in a number of years but my memory is that the real deal is a little easier to fly then MSFS's interpretation. While the little Bell is a squirrelly
animal it is not that squirrelly and once trimmed for flight is generally quite a pleasure. I have also never had the real Bell just start flipping
in the air when brought to an OGE hover like the MSFS version will do from time to time. Then again I ended my helicopter flying S70s
which are large and stable platforms with FPS and SAS working to keep the helicopter stable. Thus my memory of the little 206 may be
jaded by the S70. If you end up flying a non-governed helicopter realize that you will have to manage engine RPM in addition to all of the
other tasks, something that MSFS does not simulate.
Enjoy, helicopters are worth the investment in fun factor just realize that the market for Helicopter pilots is much smaller and you are
competing against a large cadre of military trained pilots.
_____________________________
exsilium
Ken
exsilium
Ken
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