Awesome Helicopter Landing Video

kimberlyanne546

kimberlyanne546

Final Approach
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Kimberly
Not sure if this is already a well known video, but I got this description in my email from a pilot list I belong to:

A helicopter pilot catches up to a small ship on the open sea, moving into the wind at 20 knots. There's a 30 knot headwind with gusts of 50-60 knots. As it hovers, the ship rises and falls 15' or more, pitching at wild angles. The pilot sure was skilled, finally synchronizing the movement of the helicopter to those of the ship!
Wow, is this ever an amazing landing! (video only; no sound)
Hooray for our military pilots!

http://www.prismdefence.com.au/index.htm

Looks much better when you view the video in full screen because of this picture in picture thing they insert towards the end.
 
Actually, that's kind of why I like your avatar, saw you were from Texas and didn't think "snow" then saw your snowman and figured you must have been so happy to see it snow that day - you went outside and gave the snow all your pilot gear for an hour.

I am a student, so I have a headset but no aviators yet. I need to get some for the next time it snows in California (near San Francisco)..... it has happened twice in my lifetime, but never enough to build a giant snowman like you did.
 
Well, WELCOME to POA! Hope you'll stick around! How far along on your private pilot lessons are you?
 
What skills!!!!! I've only landed helos on solid ground. The Lynx is one awesome aircraft. I cannot imagine why he would land in those conditions, other than being military. They can make you do some crazy stuff. Believe me, I know lol. I am not worthy compared to this dude! (or Dudet)
 
I came here from another board and notice a lot of members here that were there (recognize avatars) so I don't know if I should repeat my story......

Several times it has been suggested I switch CFI's but I really like my instructor and am "OK" with the fact that I didn't solo until 39 or 40 hours . . . . but talk to me between hours 25 and 40 and I was a whole different pilot! I have been with two other CFI's and he is nothing like them.

I haven't solo'd again (schedule / wx) but that was on May 7th. The issue was I think he wants students to be up to PTS standards rather than solo early and "clean up" their skills towards the checkride.... he didn't like my flare I guess. A crude video of my first landing is here - used a G-Mount and camcorder on side windshield (with stall horn and screaming like a girl at the end):

http://youtu.be/AYrE7V8RFEk

We did instrument including unusual attitudes, not done with the whole 3 hours but he likes to space that out. We did 3 "fake" cross countries that didn't count in my log book as cross country time - but good practice for the checkride and they had deviations so were not 50+ miles but I got lost on one and got to practice pilotage etc. We did VOR and two "real" cross countries, including one yesterday and now have 4-6 hours XC time in the book so that is done. We started some night flying and night landings too.... and have been working on short / soft (takeoffs and landings)

The next step is two more supervised solo's either in the pattern or to the practice area, then the big 100+ mile night cross country next week, finishing the remaining required night landings out of 10 landings, then I guess my solo XC (short) but not sure.

They "say" I'm pretty far along (I think I have 50 or so hours now, not sure), but there always seem to be delays and setbacks and frustrations.... I took the written and got a 95 (thought I would fail) so that is out of the way but I have a lot to learn still and felt rusty yesterday after not flying for 1-2 weeks.
 
OK, I've got a real question for you rotary pilots. I've spent a lot of time (in the military) riding in helicopters, so it is not a huge deal for me, at least I thought it wasn't. I guess it was around twenty or so years ago, I was up in Las Vegas with my lady friend. We decided to go out and take the dam tour just for something different to do.

A few miles beyond Boulder City, we came upon a helicopter offering rides to folks like us, tourists. This was before I ever thought about becoming a real pilot, like I sorta am now. Anyway, we decided to give it a go so we pulled over and parked.

It was a very windy day, and the helicopter landing pad was kind of nestled in a rocky little gorge beside the road. The walls of this small canyon were not all that far away from the tips of the rotor blades, at least in my mind they weren't.

So we climb aboard with another couple and the pilot lifts off. I'm thinking about all the wind, and the rock wall just off our left side. I look down and notice that I have a severe case of white knuckles while holding on to a bar, I think it was above the seat in front of me.

Nobody else noticed, and I gingerly relaxed my grip on the bar before I damaged either it or my hands. So we get above the dam and the pilot goes into a turn. I'm expecting all kinds of wind problems, but there were none at all. The chopper flew like it was a calm day.

To my question: Are helicopters immune from the wind? What's the story? I know I should know this stuff, but I don't.

John
 
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One of the very best demonstrations I'd seen was the Jayhawk hovering at First Flight Centinnial when the President showed up. Winds were something like 28G42 PK 55. He was perpendicular to the wind direction and remained absolutely motionless against an angry sky. It was liked he was pasted in place.
 
To my question: Are helicopters immune from the wind? What's the story? I know I should know this stuff, but I don't.
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I'm not a helicopter pilot, but I know a lot of commercial helicopters demonstrate sideward flight up to 25 or 35 knots. (simulates hovering/landing in a 35 knot cross wind)

As far as I know, the pilot just needs to tilt the rotor plane into the wind (just like rolling into the wind for a sideslip landing). So, I would say a helicopter hovering, just needs cyclic to correct for wind (pedal too). Similar to an airplane landing in a crosswind I would guess.
 
Impressive video! Landing anything on a rocking aircraft carrier must be stressful. Fighter jet or helicopter.
 
First, welcome to PoA, Kimberly!
Second, I noticed two things in that video. 1) they had a Garmin x96 in the cockpit. 2) they nailed the landing circle dead center!
Thanks!
 
Thanks! I got an interesting reply on another thread on my first day posting here but hope to stick around despite the attacks..... my 99s sent me the helo video and I thought it was good enough to share....

Looking forward to finding out what this site is all about.

Kimberly
 
John Baker said:
To my question: Are helicopters immune from the wind? What's the story? I know I should know this stuff, but I don't.

John
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Not immune from the wind, but on a turbulent day when a fixed wing would be getting beat to death a helicopter will ride very smooth.

While hovering a helicopter it's important to keep the wind in certain quadrants. Phenomenons such as LTE (Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness) can happen if not careful, as well as Vortex Ring State (Settling with Power).
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Thanks! I got an interesting reply on another thread on my first day posting here but hope to stick around despite the attacks..... my 99s sent me the helo video and I thought it was good enough to share....

Looking forward to finding out what this site is all about.

Kimberly
Click to expand...
We're generally good folk here!

Good to see fellow 99's on here. My wife is the sec'y of the North Central section of the 99's. In fact, I was supposed to help with an air marking today at my home base, but it was canceled due to Wx.
 
John Baker said:
To my question: Are helicopters immune from the wind? What's the story? I know I should know this stuff, but I don't.

John
Click to expand...

Not at all. When I fly the OH-58 which does not have an abundance of power....approach into the wind is usually a must. If I would approach to a landing with a stiff tail wind without using power-saving techniques, I would over-torque and or droop the rotor. By setting your approach into the wind you have better tail rotor authority and your main rotor will be more efficient. Also in gusting conditions hovering into the wind you can go in and out of effective translational lift which require very significant power changes to maintain a constant hover altitude. Bigger helicopters like the UH-60 have loads of power and usually land into the wind so they don't become a brown out statistic. Many Hawk pilots will know they are landing into a tailwind but don't need to care so much.
 
gprellwitz said:
We're generally good folk here!

Good to see fellow 99's on here. My wife is the sec'y of the North Central section of the 99's. In fact, I was supposed to help with an air marking today at my home base, but it was canceled due to Wx.
Click to expand...


Awesome. Technically I can't be a 99 until I am a pilot so as a student I am an "associate member" but they made me a name badge and everything. I don't know alot about the organization (yet) - I've only been to one real meeting, however I have been told I will be working a booth at an air show for them selling hot dogs - LOL.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Awesome. Technically I can't be a 99 until I am a pilot so as a student I am an "associate member" but they made me a name badge and everything. I don't know alot about the organization (yet) - I've only been to one real meeting, however I have been told I will be working a booth at an air show for them selling hot dogs - LOL.
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Hey, that sort of thing could help you "earn" a scholarship! My recollection was that a student pilot certificate qualified you for membership, but that was a few years ago, so they may have changed, or my memory may be faulty.
 
That is a pretty awesome video.

WAY outside the pitch/roll limits we have in the USN.
 
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