Flying a Helicopter?

[1stDeuce]

There are lots of how to fly a heli vids out there, but IMO, Smarter Every Day has one of the better ones, and they only really focus on hovering...

Hovering a Helicopter is Hilariously Hard - Smarter Every Day 145 - YouTube

 

[Garandman]

In many conversations with pilots of both, it usually goes like this: Most airplanes want to fly. Helicopters want to kill you every second you are in them. //

I was in a Cavalry Squadron with an Air Troop. Flown on them plenty: Hueys, Kiowas (Bell Jet Rangers), and Blackhawks.

In the Army, there were many sayings, such as:

"Helicopters don't fly, they beat the air into submission."

"Hel-i-cop-ter N. Origin unknown. A collection of 14,000 parts, flying in formation."

They don't take the kind of g forces fighter aircraft see, but fighters don't come back with tree leaves in their skids. It's very challenging and dangerous.

 

[Furu]

I have very limited, did I mention limited experience behind the controls of a helo but significant fixed wing time in many aircraft large and small including lots of fighter time and my comment would be that it is not necessarily harder to fly a helo just different and like all flying requires you to acquire those specific skills, lots of hand, eye and foot coordination. I would say the closest in a fixed wing would be a light taildragger in a crosswind where rudder and stick controls are constantly active.

I agree with his statements. I have both fixed and rotary experience in many types of platforms.

check 6's comment is very accurate

"just different and like all flying requires you to acquire those specific skills, lots of hand, eye and foot coordination"

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Flying anything has its ups and downs.

 

[dickfoster]

Flying anything has its ups and downs.

The only trick is getting the ups and downs to happen when you want and getting them to happen in a controlled manner so you don't die.
It's good to always remember that you can never use the altitude above you or the runway behind you.

 

[turnkey4099]

I was in the AF at Hof Germany monitoring Russian military comms. Army recruiter showed up with a great deal. Quit AF as a Tech Sgt and sign on with the army. They'd make me a warrant officer and teach me how to fly a helicopter. I was almost ready to sign on the dotted line when reality struck. Okay, teach me to fly helis - great... and then what. NAM!! Nope, no thank you, my yellow stripe would not look good in an army uniform.

 

[dfkrug]

In the Army, there were many sayings, such as:

"Helicopters don't fly, they beat the air into submission."

"Hel-i-cop-ter N. Origin unknown. A collection of 14,000 parts, flying in formation."

You made my day, G.

Sounds like quotations from fixed-wing pilots, who all seem to hate choppers.

I have taken the controls of small airplanes numerous times over the years, but I
never wanted to become a pilot. No landings or takeoffs, of course.

In the 90s, I paid for a 1/2 hour lesson in a Robinson R22 (piston-engined helocopter),
and it was a hoot. I got to take the controls and try to hover, etc. All I can say is:
use a flight simulator first.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

It costs a whole lot of money to stay 1" off the ground.

 

[ovrszd]

I've got no real stick time in rotary wing, a little but not much and never tried to hover. I am a fixed wing type so I'd have to say that flying one of those swing wing death traps is gotta be harder, especially if your nose starts to itch. Plus from my experiences in Viet Nam I know all those helicopter pilots are completely friggin nuts and I think driving helicopters made them that way.

You should have added "under those conditions" to your statement.

Although having never piloted a helicopter I have flown hundreds of hours in them. Love em. Have as deep of relationship with them as man can have with a machine. Always stop what I'm doing and search the sky until I spot one when I hear them fly by. Can identify the military models by sound long before sighting them. :flagday:

 

[ovrszd]

I was in the AF at Hof Germany monitoring Russian military comms. Army recruiter showed up with a great deal. Quit AF as a Tech Sgt and sign on with the army. They'd make me a warrant officer and teach me how to fly a helicopter. I was almost ready to sign on the dotted line when reality struck. Okay, teach me to fly helis - great... and then what. NAM!! Nope, no thank you, my yellow stripe would not look good in an army uniform.

My second cousin was a Huey pilot in Vietnam. Got shot down twice. I was a Grunt in Vietnam. I have a tremendous respect and admiration for him. He has a tremendous respect and admiration for me. It equals out.