Solo Flight, Helicopter

AggieMike88

AggieMike88

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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
Reading an AOPA article about a helicopter company got me wondering...

What activities does the instructor want you to do on your first solo flight?

Fixed wing it's three good laps around the pattern.

So what do you do for rotary wing?
 
It's been 32 years, but yeah 3 laps to the ground each time if I remember...
 
For me, three laps with a 360 "clearing turn" at the bottom each time. :)
 
I'll find out this week.


How many hours did it take for you all to solo?


I'm at 4.3 hours.
 
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I solo'd at 0.7. My solo flight consisted of hydralics off, 180 autos and pinnacle landings.
 
RotorDude said:
All at once? :eek:
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lol! Nah, just kidding. It's not even a true solo in the Army. We all solo with our "stick buddy" after 10-15 hrs. I actually got to solo twice because another student had his stick buddy quit.
 
Velocity173 said:
lol! Nah, just kidding. It's not even a true solo in the Army. We all solo with our "stick buddy" after 10-15 hrs. I actually got to solo twice because another student had his stick buddy quit.
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That is a really good idea. I don't mind loosing the extra 180 pounds, but its nice to have the critique!
 
What are the requirements for taking the oral and practical? I've heard 20 hours dual, 10 solo.
 
Geico266 said:
That is a really good idea. I don't mind loosing the extra 180 pounds, but its nice to have the critique!
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Yeah but you'll feel a lot better being up there by yourself. I didn't even have to work the radio because the other student takes care of it. Almost felt cheated. But, no way the Army is going to spend the extra cash to allow us to take it up by ourselves especially since they have no single pilot aircraft in the inventory anyway. First time I flew a helo by myself was flying civilian.

Have fun with the solo. Just take your time and do it by the book.
 
Velocity173 said:
Yeah but you'll feel a lot better being up there by yourself. I didn't even have to work the radio because the other student takes care of it. Almost felt cheated. But, no way the Army is going to spend the extra cash to allow us to take it up by ourselves especially since they have no single pilot aircraft in the inventory anyway. First time I flew a helo by myself was flying civilian.

Have fun with the solo. Just take your time and do it by the book.
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I'm really looking forward to it. The Hughes 269a should perform a lot better solo. My CFI likes "aggressive" approaches. I'm getting fairly good at coming to a hover and leveling the skids, But I tend to drift backwards a tad. :nono: Fun stuff.
 
Army flight school was much more fun with TH-55s and you did get to go solo...we did the duel solo thing in UH-1s to stage fields and back.
 
Warlock said:
Army flight school was much more fun with TH-55s and you did get to go solo...we did the duel solo thing in UH-1s to stage fields and back.
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That is what I am training in, a TH-55. Great bird to learn in, and for personal use. Not sure that is the one I will end up with though. Im really liking the R-22.
 
Mine was an add-on to my Commercial certificate. It was in an R-22, so the SFAR73 requirements were for 20 hours before solo. I think I was at 20.1...

We went to a nearby uncontrolled field, my CFI got out and basically said, "I'm going inside, go fly around a bit, come on back when you're done." I think he may have fallen asleep.

Fun times!
 
Where are you learning to fly helicopters Geico?
 
My first solo was just picking it up, holding at a 2-3 ft hover and setting it back down. I did that for 20-30 minutes and had a blast. In an R22 when the 150 lb instructor tells you that you will notice a huge difference when he gets out- he's not lying.
 
I'm drooling all over my keyboard. I got an hour of dual in a Bell 47 about 13 years ago and it was a hoot. When I win the lottery.....
 
Geico266 said:
I'll find out this week.


How many hours did it take for you all to solo?


I'm at 4.3 hours.
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Weren't you using a Robinson ? Have to have 20 hours before you can solo a Robinson per SFAR 73

edit - nvm read rest of post... XD
 
My solo was three laps around the pattern, shoot a landing to a 3-foot hover at the mid-point of the short runway, hover to the far end, make two clearing turns, one to each side, and repeat until complete.

However, some wags claim I didn't solo in the true sense of the word. They claim it was rather the case that my instructor had abandoned the aircraft for his own safety.
 
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I don't know how Robinson instructors do it holding their whole arm up in that awkward position. That has to be uncomfortable as heck after a while of hover training.
 
I only did one lap and then came next day for an unsupervised solo went all around.. my cfi got bitched at for that from the owners.
 
Geico, if your helicopter looks like this when you are done.... maybe you should consider a different sport! LOL, Good luck on the checkride! -Skip
 

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Skip Miller said:
Geico, if your helicopter looks like this when you are done.... maybe you should consider a different sport! LOL, Good luck on the checkride! -Skip
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Meh, sometimes **** happens, that's why they call it training. Learn from it and move on. "What doesn't serve to kill me, only makes me stronger."
 
Put 1.2 on a R-22 today. Nice bird. Did 4 approaches and hovers, 2 landings. No problem. The problem came in hovering and doing 360s in an 11 knot wind. Let's just say I need work. :rolleyes2:

:lol:

This is just too much fun.
 
Henning said:
I don't know how Robinson instructors do it holding their whole arm up in that awkward position. That has to be uncomfortable as heck after a while of hover training.
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Trick I use is to hold the dang thing in the middle where it comes up out of the floor instead of doing that awkward Karate Kid arm crane maneuver, that way I can still rest my wrist on the thigh.
 
Geico266 said:
Put 1.2 on a R-22 today. Nice bird. Did 4 approaches and hovers, 2 landings. No problem. The problem came in hovering and doing 360s in an 11 knot wind. Let's just say I need work. :rolleyes2:

:lol:

This is just too much fun.
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Try doing it with a manual throttle then report back :eek::)

sorry can't help but take a crack at governor babies... my humble opinion we have whole generation of drivers instead of aviators
 
jaybee said:
Trick I use is to hold the dang thing in the middle where it comes up out of the floor instead of doing that awkward Karate Kid arm crane maneuver, that way I can still rest my wrist on the thigh.
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Makes a crapload more sense that what the instructors I flew with were doing.:lol:
 
jaybee said:
Try doing it with a manual throttle then report back :eek::)

sorry can't help but take a crack at governor babies... my humble opinion we have whole generation of drivers instead of aviators
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Govenor babies? Seriously? You make fun of pilots who fly Robinsons helos? Bad karma dude. :dunno:

I just soloed in a Hughes 269a with under a total of 5 hours of total helo training (including 1.2 hours in an R-22.) Governor baby? :rolleyes:
 
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Geico266 said:
I just soloed in a Hughes 269a
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Let me be the first to say congratulations!

The percentage of people that have flown an aircraft solo is very small. The percentage that have done it in a helicopter is even smaller. To have solo'd a helicopter places you in a very small (elite, and superior) group of aviators! :D
 
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