the journal of the professional helicopter pilot

A Different Kind of “Night” School by Tony Fonze

Inside: We Fly the S-92 Pg 12 COLUMNS 2 From the President 4 You Have Mail 4 Editor’s License 20 NTSBs

& MORE FEATURES

5 Help From Norway

6 A Different Kind of “Night” School

18 Live & Learn —Oil Rigs that can Shoot

12 We Fly the S-92

18 Live & Learn

15 Inadvertent IMC

19 Member Profile

—Ho Ho Ho

22 Test Pilot

—Meets the FLYIT Simulator

Volume 5

www.autorotate.com

Issue 1 January-February 2005

A u t o r o t a t e i s t h e o f f i c i a l p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e P r o f e s s i o n a l H e l i c o p t e r P i l o t s ’ A s s o c i a t i o n ( P H PA )

From the President MAKE A DIFFERENCE platform to communicate to existing members and serve as a vehicle to attract new ones. And it takes money and time to build the reputation and contacts so sorely needed to get anywhere in our efforts to change things for the better. It takes the support of large numbers of members before many of the benefits we all wish to see can become reality.

Professionalism: To say our profession is changing would be an understatement. The days of the cowboy flying the Bell 47 are gone and the days of the professional pilot flying the sophisticated aircraft of today are here to stay. We, as a profession, are starting to stand up and ask to be treated as professionals. The problem is, if we wish to be treated as professionals, we must first act like professionals. Professionalism is earned. We all know that. PHPA was founded to help develop the business of helicopter piloting into a respected profession that serves the needs of its members and its customers. This is no easy task, but it can be accomplished if each and every one of us insists that everything we do in this business be kept on a professional level. This is the one aspect of our chosen career that is entirely in our hands. PHPA and Safety: PHPA has sent our Safety Committee Chairman, Mr. Al Duquette, to the Transportation Safety Institute’s, Accident Investigation Course. Al will also be attending their Human Factors Accidents course. Al will now be able to participate in NTSB accident investigations involving helicopters. This is a huge and expensive undertaking for PHPA, but one we feel is a must. Our end goal is to have PHPA members represented during any accident investigation they find themselves involved in. We also have a member who has been through both the helicopter and fixed wing accident investigation courses and who served for a number of years on accident investigation teams. He has volunteered to help us with our efforts in this arena. PHPA will be attending the American Helicopter Society’s International Helicopter Human Factors Safety 2

Photography: Craig Dreher

Symposium in September 05. We have been invited to speak at the conference and to participate in all of the workgroups. PHPA will send three members to this most important conference. For information on the conference you can go to http://www.vtol.org/ and follow the links to the conference information. PHPA and You: I noticed the other day, in a message about benefits, a pilot stated that he had been a member of AOPA for thirty-five years. That is remarkable. I also noted that AOPA was founded on May 15, 1939. That was sixty-six years ago, if my math is correct. I had to chuckle, thinking that PHPA is only two and a half years old. I hope that in sixty-six years, PHPA has grown to the point that it too can provide all the things AOPA today provides for its members. One thing is certain, PHPA will only be able to do so with your support. PHPA is a non-profit organization, but it still costs plenty to do the things that we do on behalf of helicopter pilots everywhere. It takes money to send pilots to accident investigation schools in the hope that we can represent our members in an accident investigation. It takes money to attend FAA, HSAC, IFALPA, and OGP meetings where we work to represent your interests in vital areas like safety. It takes money to put out Autorotate so that it can be used as a

None of this will happen overnight. I will say, however, that many, many doors have been opened and more are opening every day as we work our way through the myriad of problems that need to be addressed on behalf of the community of helicopter pilots. PHPA is slowly garnering the respect of many across the industry as a level-headed organization with the growth, prosperity and safety of the entire profession as its key focus. Our safety conference last October was proof of that. For those of you who did not attend the conference, our first, the Director of Operations from ICAO gave a presentation there, as did Bell, Eurocopter, Sikorsky, the FAA, TSI (Transportation Safety Institute), the Army Safety Center, LSSI, Shell Oil and others. Not a bad list of participants for our very first safety conference, especially when you consider that we are only two and a half years old. And especially when you consider that all of this is happening with only a fraction of the support that might be available from the total pilot community. In just over two years, PHPA has become a nationally and internationally recognized entity. Why does that matter? Because that is how we position ourselves to serve our members. A PHPA member is the current Vice-Chairman of the IFALPA Helicopter Committee. Another member is on the ICAO committee that is writing the rules and regulations that will govern the Tiltrotor and

www.autorotate.com the pilots of the Tiltrotor. He is, by the way, the only one on the committee who actually has flown a Titlrotor. PHPA is receiving requests now, for us to provide speakers and committee members to other organizations around the country and the world. Recognition is coming and it is this recognition that allows us to become a successful force in the determination of your future. Autorotate: Autorotate is your magazine. Yes, it’s only 24 pages long, but it has a voice, and it is the voice of the pilot. There are a number of decent publications out there, but none other can make this claim as clearly as Autorotate. So, help make that voice a little louder. Our editor, Tony Fonze, works to put out a publication that represents the interests of our members. But, as Tony is fond of saying, “I can’t write every article in there.” Our deepest thanks to the members who have contributed Feature Articles, Live and Learns, Member Profiles, and supporting material because they thought it was the right thing to do. Dana Raaz, Jeff Smith, Troy Hayes, Hunter French, Eric Scheie, Dorcey Wingo, John McLaughlin, Michael Sklar, Errwolf, and the rest of you who have taken the time and energy to make a difference—thank you.

Now, to the rest of you. As I’ve said before, you can’t fly a helicopter without creating stories. Many of those stories contain valuable lessons, opportunities to save lives. Autorotate calls those Live and Learns. Share them with us and become part of the active family of PHPA. This is an easy way to get your toe in the door and we could use your help.

Volume 5 Issue 1 Publisher: The Professional Helicopter Pilots’ Association Managing Editor: Anthony Fonze Design: Studio 33 Editorial Assistance: Michael Sklar

Do you have an opinion about the direction of the magazine? Let us know, we will listen.

Autorotate is owned by the Professional Helicopter Pilots’ Association (PHPA). Autorotate (ISSN 1531166X) is published every other month for $30.00 per year by PHPA, 1809 Clearview Parkway, New Orleans, LA 70001.

Send your Live and Learns, story ideas, contributions and suggestions to [email protected]. You’ll make his day.

Copyright © 2005, Professional Helicopter Pilots’ Association. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. It is illegal to make copies of this publication. Printed in the U.S.A. by union employees.

I know most of you have heard of the 80:20 rule. In any organization, there are 20% of the people who actually make things happen. Be part of the 20%. Help us grow the 20% to 25%, 30%, 50%, 75%. Renew your membership. If you’re not yet a member, join. Send in a Live and Learn or a story suggestion. Find one friend to join PHPA. Attend our annual meetings. There’s much to be gained by each of these actions. Resolve to make a difference and do it.

Subscriptions: Subscriptions are provided to current members of PHPA. PHPA membership is offered at $60.00 per year. Promotional discounts may be offered. For a complete list of membership benefits go to www.autorotate.org. Single issue reprints offered, when available, for $5.00 each. To become a member of PHPA or to notify PHPA of a change of address, contact PHPA at 1809 Clearview Parkway, New Orleans, LA 70001. Phone 866-367-7472. Fax 504-779-5209. E-mail [email protected]. PHPA members may submit address changes at www.autorotate.com. Local members may submit address changes through their locals. Local members with e-mail addresses, who are not registered at the website, should contact their locals.

Butch Grafton President [email protected]

Employment, Business Ads, Flight Schools, Sales, Classifieds, Reference, Free Stuff, The FORUM and more...

Article Contributions and Editorial Comments: Article contributions, including ideas, freelance stories, an interest in assignment articles, Live and Learn experiences, photographs, and comments are welcome and should be sent to autorotate, 3160 N. San Remo, Tucson, AZ 85715. Phone 520-906-2485. Fax 520-298-7439. E-mail [email protected]. Autorotate and PHPA are not responsible for materials submitted for review. Notice: The information contained herein has been researched and reviewed. However, Autorotate and PHPA do not assume responsibility for actions taken by any pilot or aircraft operator based upon information contained herein. Every pilot and aircraft operator is responsible for complying with all applicable regulations. Cover: Aaron Reyes; inset, Jack Bowers

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“You Have Mail” More Preaching Needed Editor’s Note: It is not unusual for me to receive several e-mails after a new issue is published, sharing members’ thoughts on one or more articles. I very much appreciate the input and try diligently to use the constructive criticism, constructively. Two recent suggestions that we have implemented are putting the author’s e-mail addresses at the end of their articles (with the author’s permission) and another is this one—publishing the Letters to the Editor. It’s a good idea and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself.

Here is why the PHPA is a good organization

sort of outlined where we are today, but if

but I'm pleased to send my kudos now to the

Keep those cards and letters coming. Send them to [email protected]

there is some good advice out there, then we

whole crew. For a tiny little mag, you never

need to hear it so we have an idea of where

fail to inform me, make me feel at home, and

we want to go and how to get there.

that someone cares about my sorry ass.

and you should be a member…) In two articles about the safety conference, the pilots operating in the North Sea were mentioned. It sounded like they had some

agreed to write an article for the magazine discussing what it’s like to fly in their world, which should give us an opportunity to compare and contrast issues of safety, compensation, etc. I’ll keep you posted. Tony

very interesting things to say that we might learn from. However, I wished more of what they said had been discussed. The articles

Someone Cares I'm still reading the fine print on this Issue,

Keep Preaching... Just got the latest issue of Autorotate in the mail today. I have a few comments about the

Lastly, there should be regular reporting on what goes on at the “table” as illustrated on the front cover. What kind of issues are being

content.

discussed (or not and should be) and how do First, from your editor’s remarks on page 3:

we as pilots fit in?

I’m very glad to hear that the magazine will That’s just my two cents of feedback.

be expanding some (at least that’s what it sounds like). I’m also glad to hear that it will

Thanks for making Autorotate happen. Eric Scheie

mean to the industry. For better or worse,

[email protected]

they are an issue and nowhere else seems Eric:

There were two articles on the safety conference. I was pleased to see that there was some content in Autorotate that gave an idea of what the PHPA is actually doing. I think a certain number of such articles need to be done on a regular basis. While it might at times seem like preaching to the choir, I think a little preaching still needs to be done (i.e.

Having flown chase for the AH-54 A, my compliments to Raymond L. Robb for his beefy, informative article on the truly awesome ornithorpter. Yes, it took a team of experts to get it off the ground every day, and yes, it had its problems. I personally feel the negative political spinoff from the war in

take a close look at unions and what they

willing to even mention the “U” word.

Bravo!

Thanks much for the input Eric. Next month’s feature story is on unions: what they are, how might they affect us, how are they already at work. We will also try to help get more of the word out on PHPA and our efforts on behalf of helicopter pilots. This has been on our minds for quite some time and we’ve been exploring options to help gather information and disseminate it to our members. We’ll continue that effort until we get it right. Also, I have contacted the “Norwegians” and they have

Vietnam as well as the tremendous cost of Lookheed's program made the decision easy for congress. Axe the beast and move on. A sad legacy, but look what we learned! Watching that warrior zip away from our chase ship at Yuma proving Grounds every morning makes an impression: "Yonder goes the future of rotorcraft, Ya'll." Dorcey Wingo

PHPA, Unions and Autorotate PHPA is the Professional Helicopter Pilots’ Association—nothing more, nothing less. It is a non-profit organization started by a handful of helicopter pilots attempting to improve the profession of helicopter piloting, for everyone. It is an altruistic organization with no ulterior motives. Autorotate is the bi-monthly publication of PHPA. It goes out to all PHPA members and is one of the benefits of membership. 4

Some helicopter pilots belong to unions. Most do not. PHPA has, among its members, both union and non-union pilots. I know many of them personally—both union and non-union. They are good men and women trying to do the best job they can—a very difficult and sometimes dangerous job. And, through membership in PHPA, they’re trying to insure that, in the future, helicopter pilots are recognized and appreciated for that

By Tony Fonze

fact. They are also trying to make the job safer. There is a third party involved in PHPA and that is an organization called OPEIU. OPEIU stands for Office and Professional Employees International Union. It is an umbrella organization to which a large number of local unions belong, among those the unions representing helicopter pilots at LSSI (Ft. Rucker), PHI, AirLog and AirMethods.

www.autorotate.com OPEIU believes and supports PHPA’s mission of representing all pilots, both union and non-union, and they clearly understand that most pilots are not union members. But they believe in helicopter pilots—period. I know, because I have met most of the OPEIU people. They too are good people trying to do the best job they can for their constituents. Most pilots feel strongly about unionization. Some are driven union supporters and when you stop and talk to them and understand why they feel the way they do you see that most of them have compelling arguments to defend their positions. Others are strongly opposed to unionization with equally compelling reasons. The great thing about unions is that the pilots working in an organization contemplating unionization are the ones to decide—no one else. We get to decide our own destiny with regards to union representation. So, the question is, what does all of this have to do with Autorotate? I’m getting to that.

Autorotate is, to my thinking, the only magazine being published that is written exclusively for helicopter pilots, reflecting their interests, concerns and issues. It is not an industry magazine, it is a pilot’s magazine. Pilots come in all flavors: private, professional, student, military, union and non-union. Autorotate, like PHPA, represents all of these pilots. Consequently, Autorotate will always gather and print information that is of interest to this broad group, regardless of race, religion or union affiliation. Unions are now a fact of helicopter life and we all should know what they are and how they affect those who belong to them. We will help keep you informed in this regard. We are probably the only publication that will. In fact, our March/April 2005 issue will focus on this subject. Now, just a comment on our objectivity. No individual is truly objective about too many things—helicopter pilots in particular. That includes me. But, as a journalist, I am capable of reasonable levels of objectivity when called upon to do so. That’s my job. Same thing with

PHPA and OPEIU. PHPA cannot do a good job of representing non-union pilots without a reasonable dose of objectivity. They demonstrate that, on a daily basis. OPEIU is not objective when it comes to unions. But, they are objective when it comes to Autorotate. I should know. I founded the publication and later sold it to PHPA and OPEIU. Autorotate is the Journal of the Professional Helicopter Pilot and it is the official publication of the Professional Helicopter Pilots’ Association. But, it is OPEIU that made that possible and it is OPEIU that covers the deficit every month for creating and sending Autorotate to your home. Without them, Autorotate would have ceased publication nearly three years ago. But, not one time in three years have they ever tried to influence the content, editorials, or direction of the publication. Not one time. Autorotate is not a union magazine, it is a pilot’s magazine. Objectivity? Well I’m doing the best I can, but I’m only human. [email protected]

END

More from the Norwegians The pilots at AirLog (Local 107) are deeply involved in contract renewal negotiations with their company. AirLog is owned by OLOG. OLOG is also part owner of Bristows, which is also part owner of the Norwegian operator, Norsk Helikopter. The trans-Atlantic connection between European and North American pilots is easy to see. Helicopter professionals worldwide have more in common than “commonly” meets the eye. The trend over the last 5 years has been to establish, strengthen and stabilize the lines of communication and cooperation. Here’s a letter of support, which was recently presented to Local 107, from the Pilot’s Association of CHC Helikopter Service in Norway, and copied to Autorotate. We publish this in the interest of expanding pilots’ knowledge of the inter-workings of pilots’ organizations and company structures

FROM: CHC Helikopter Service, AS Pilots Association—HSF CHC Pilots Association—CHCPA European Cockpit Association—ECA Intl. Federation of Airline Pilots Assoc.—IFALPA Norwegian Airline Pilots Association— NF TO: Air Logistics Pilots; Local 107 SUBJECT: Support Back in 1998 CHC Helikopter Service Pilots Association identified the need to normalize terms and conditions for helicopter pilots. This was a direct result of research, which clearly indicated that helicopter pilots were lagging farther and farther behind colleagues in comparable positions.

HSF established and still maintains the view that this trend can not be allowed to continue. Taking into consideration that operators need not only to recruit, but also retain the highly skilled professionals needed to carry out high-risk operations in a demanding work environment, the trend was unacceptable. Our view was, and is still shared by a number of unions organizing helicopter pilots in Europe. continued on page 19

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Cover story

A Different Kind of “Night” School

There’s N-O-E and then there’s N-O-E. In fact, the Army teaches three levels of Nap of the Earth flight. First, you’ve got your Low-Level Flight; defined as maintaining a selected altitude (low level) +- 100 feet. Then, you’ve got Contour Flight: “Maintain a safe obstacle clearance while generally conforming to the contours of the earth.” And then, there’s NOE Flight: “Fly as close to the earth’s surface as vegetation, obstacles, visibility, and ambient light will permit.” Civilian R22 students—only in your dreams. The kind I was doing right now could be called, “Look up to see the tops of the Saguaros—NOE.” Flying down the center of a deep wash, at about 10 ft. AGL, the cockpit of the OH-58A was just about at ground level with the surrounding desert terrain. For a moment, I was eyeball to eye-ball with a large spiny lizard staring intently at this giant dragon fly cruising down the middle of his territory. “Too big to eat,” he wisely concluded, and skittered off under a bush. “Keep your tail directly behind you,”

By Tony Fonze

guided CW4 Mike Spanier, my IP (instructor pilot) for this flight as I tried to keep the skids within 10 feet of the creosote bushes and cholla cactus that dotted the wash. “Make sure you look at the tip path plane of the main rotors as you weave left and right,” Mike instructed. “You don’t want to hit one of those Saguaros with the main rotors. There’s not a lot of give there,” he added for emphasis. None was required. As a civilian CFI, I’m used to telling my students to climb to 500 ft. AGL, following common safe flight practices, as we cruise over the desert, resisting their chronic urge to get ever lower on our frequent cross country flights. And now, I find myself with an instructor telling me to get lower still when I’m only 10 feet over the cactus spines as it is. “The closer we get to the enemy, the lower we want to get,” Mike added, as he instructed me to pull it into a hover behind a small hill.

of the aircraft to the expert. He then proceeded to play a game of hide and seek with the unseen enemy in a confined area about 1/2 mile ahead of us. Briefly “unmasking” the helicopter out the left side of the hill and then over the top, Mike demonstrated the art of seeing without being seen—the primary mission of the OH-58. “It seems like you spend a lot of time in LTE territory (loss of tail rotor effectiveness),” I said. “How do you train for that?” The answer I received was detailed and in-depth. These guys understand LTE—and with good reason. Quick Aside: LTE is the occurrence of an uncommanded and rapid right yaw rate which does not subside of its own accord and which, if not quickly reacted to, can result in loss of aircraft control.

maneuvers—pretty much any maneuver that has us at a lower airspeed and OGE. But, it’s a little more complicated than that,” he adds. “First, there’s the effect of low airspeed. At lower airspeeds the tail rotor is required to provide more directional control as the vertical fin becomes less effective. Also, at lower airspeeds, below ETL, we are typically using more power. Now throw in high gross weight. The OH-58 operates closer to its gross weight than any other aircraft in the Army’s inventory. As the weight increases, the torque increases, thereby requiring more left pedal to maintain heading control. High DA (density altitude) is also a factor. As density altitude increases, the aircraft begins to reach its max power capabilities and consequently its max torque. Because left pedal inputs increase torque and increased torque requires increased left pedal anyway, we have a limited amount of left pedal available to us.”

“Anytime you operate in an NOE environment, you are susceptible to LTE, but, of course, it can happen at any altitude,” Mike began. “We engage in a lot of operations that place us in or near the “I have all the controls,” “You have all “And, last, but not least, there’s power LTE envelope: NOE, NOE decelerations the controls,” “I have all the controls,” droop. Because of the governor and fuel (rapid decels), masking/unmasking, pinMike and I exchanged as I gave control control design, this aircraft experiences nacle/ridge line operations and OGE Photography: (l to r) OH-58s and Apaches lined up on the ramp; OH-58 cockpit (inset); CW4 Mike Spanier and SFC Tonya Fitzpatrick discuss what to do with a writer and photographer inside WAATS’ new hangar; the new hangar is open and ready for business; Aaron Reyes

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Usually it is not noticeable, around 2-3%. And, it is designed to tolerate a droop of as much as 5%. When that happens, main rotor rpm is decreased by about 18 (rpm) and the tail rotor decreases approximately 126 (rpm). These reductions in main rotor and tail rotor revolutions require the pilot to increase torque to keep from descending and a corresponding increase in tail rotor pitch (more left pedal) is required to maintain heading. You put all that together, add in a little wind from the wrong direction, and LTE is never too far away.” “So what do you do to train and prepare your students for it,” I ask. “First, we do a lot of ground instruction on the different forms of LTE and the wind directions and conditions that precede them,” Mike explains. “In flight, we try to always emphasize that it is essential to prevent a right yaw from building. Get that left pedal in there early, while the correction is still small. And finally, if in spite of all of this you find yourself in LTE, the procedure outlined in the operator’s manual is ‘simultaneous left pedal and forward cyclic, and as recovery is affected adjust pedals for normal flight.’ With sufficient altitude, a reduction of collective will reduce a right yaw and assist in the recovery. But, of course, at lower altitudes, a reduction of collective may increase the rate of descent to the point that the probability of a successful recovery is minimal, at best. Autorotation is addressed as a last resort and only if a crash is imminent.” 8

So, how is it that I have the opportunity to learn OH-58 tactics from an experienced IP on a beautiful Arizona day, only an hour’s drive from my home? I have WAATS to thank. What’s that you say? Say what? No, WAATS! (A little Abbott and Costello humor (for us older pilots)). What’s WAATS? (pronounced-watts or whats)

(snow birds) that flock to the state every winter in even greater numbers. Though Pinal is a public airport, and, indeed, you can land your airplane or helicopter on the runway there, try hover taxiing to a ramp area or try approaching by car, and you will be stopped by no-nonsense security personnel inquiring about your intentions. What’s going on there? My lips are sealed.

The Western Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (WAATS) is the center for all Guard and Reserve attack helicopter training in the United States. Located on the northwest corner of Pinal Air Park/Evergreen Air Center, it is about 1/2 hour west on I-10, out of Tucson. Officially known as the Silver Bell Army Heliport and occupying 162 acres, it contains three distinct units: AASF #2 (Army Aviation Support Facility #2), the 551st Attack Helicopter Battalion (The Arizona National Guard Apache Longbow unit), and WAATS. Still, it remains one of the area’s best kept secrets. But, it’s not entirely their fault.

Created in 1982, WAATS is a large and busy place. It is staffed by 134 active Guard and Reserve members and a complement of federal civil service employees. With immediate access to thousands of square miles of open desert and the nearby 2.5 million acre Gila Bend Air Force Gunnery Range, WAATS serves the 27 states and 1300 aviators in the Guard aviation community. In 2003 (2004 statistics are still being compiled) they graduated 574 students, executed 3788 simulation hours and 4449.2 flying hours. In 2004, the student load increased to more than 900.

Pinal airport is highly visible from the freeway on the drive between Tucson and Phoenix. Though they’re a mile away, the giant tail fins of countless Boeing 747s rise into the desert sky: silver, white, red and blue, looking somewhat like a flock of giant, colorful birds basking in the afternoon sun. Pinal is the resting place for numerous retired, or outof-use, civilian airliners looking for a warm place to keep dry. Arizona is renowned for a similar kind of bird

For the last three years WAATS has been under the command of Colonel Pamela J. Rodriguez. In addition to her more than 25 years of command experience gained in the Guard, Colonel Rodriguez is, herself, an accomplished aviator, qualified in the CH-54 A Skycrane, UH-1 Huey, OH-58 A/C, UH60 A Blackhawk and the AH-64 A Apache. She directs the WAATS training mission under the standards set by the United States Army Aviation Center (USAAVNC) at Ft. Rucker, Alabama,

Photography: (l to r) Apache in for repairs; classrooms feature modern workstations for instructors and students; detailed breakdown and repair can be performed in the new Guard hangar and maintenance facility; Aaron Reyes

www.autorotate.com ensuring a seamless standard of training conducted between WAATS and Ft. Rucker. 4449.2 Flight Hours “4449.2 ,” I can hear you thinking. That’s right, .2! “The costs of operating an AH-64 A are in the neighborhood of $3,300/hour,” Capt. Kevin Gaver, the unit’s acting S-3 (training officer) informed me. OK, let me get my calculator. Let’s see, that means that .2 hours of Apache time equates to $660.00. You’ve got to pay attention to the .2’s out here. A very youthful looking 37, Captain Gaver’s appearance belies his nearly 15 years of military experience. He proves to be a wealth of information. “Each Apache AQC (Aviation Qualification Course) student receives 43.6 hours in the aircraft and gets to shoot from both seats (front and rear) during both day and night operations. Forty 2.75” rockets and 440 30mm rounds are allocated to each student, for weapons proficiency.” Hey, everyone operates on a budget. WAATS supports a fleet of 20 AH-64 A Apaches and 16 OH-58 A/Cs and 4 RAID OH-58 As (more on that later). The facility also houses simulators for the AH-64 A and a building intended to house a new UH-60 simulator is currently under construction. Additionally, WAATS recently completed construction on a brand new 90,000 square foot hangar and training center; a bright, immaculate facility that any aviation operation would be proud to claim as their own.

tern and landed on the numbers of runway 30—feeling just a little diminutive in the middle of this 747-sized runway, noticeably patched with course webs of tar. “Make sure you wiggle the skids a little when we get light before picking it up,” Mike cautioned. “If you don’t, it’s easy to get one skid stuck on the runway and risk dynamic rollover.” For the next hour or so, while high altitude parachutists landed continuously just a few hundred feet south of the runway (there must have been a hose spitting them out up there at 15,000 feet) Mike and I flew around the pattern and the area exploring the military mission. After trying my hand at NOE, what else would be fun and instructive? I know, what about dodging enemy fire, while flying NOE? Under Mike’s direction, I began a series of irregular zig-zags, still just a few feet above the terrain, to avoid any small arms fire we may encounter out here, about 5 miles south of the interstate. “Do creosotes count as terrain,” I ask? “No, not exactly,” Mike says. “But trees and Saguaros do,” he quickly adds for clarity. “I knew that.” “Missile avoidance requires a different technique,” Mike tells me as he points out a row of telephone poles directly ahead about 200 feet. “The goal here is

to avoid missile-lock by the targeting radar. Fly straight-ahead for a few seconds and then put in a 90 degree turn. Repeat that pattern at frequent intervals.” I put in a steep turn to the right and then fly ahead for another three seconds before putting in a steep turn to the left— over the poles. I must have done a good job on my enemy fire avoidance techniques because we did not take a single small arms round nor did we get missile-lock the entire time we were flying. Let’s see, what’s another taboo flight behavior I can try out with Mike? How about brown-out! Mike points out the brown-out practice area, a large bowl, between two hills, and I head in that direction. The sand there is red, the color of rust, and there are just a few small bushes, rising only 6 inches or so out of the sun-baked earth. If I didn’t happen to know there was a Dairy Queen about 13 miles ‘that way’, I could easily believe we were somewhere in Iraq or Afghanistan. As we make our approach and Mike takes the controls, he explains the technique. “Choose a small bush or rock that you can land next to that will give you some visual reference even in severely restricted visibility. Make sure that it lies within the rotor disk and try to put the

Out of the ordinary It’s not every day that I have a chance to fly the OH-58, getting to do many of the things I teach my students to studiously avoid and CW4 Spanier helped me make the most of it. We flew a patPhotography: Apache simulator; Aaron Reyes

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toe of your right skid next to it. That way, even if we become engulfed, you’ll still have enough of a visual cue to touch down.” We find the bush. No. Bush is too ‘big’ a word for this poor, dried up little thing. Let’s try nub. “And we’re going to shoot this approach all the way to the ground, without a hover,” Mike concludes. “While I focus on the nub,” Mike begins again, “the copilot (I guess that’s me), should be calling off the position of the approaching dust cloud. Midway on the boom, just aft of the rear cabin, level with forward seats, etc.” (Brown outs and snow clouds too for that matter, typically engulf an aircraft from behind as the helicopter makes its final approach). As Mike brings it in the last 30 feet, I crane my neck to look back, waiting to begin calling the cloud, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Touchdown—no cloud. “No cloud?” Mike asked me, sounding a little disappointed. “Nope, but at least we won’t have to wash the ship when we get back,” I quipped. WAATS is serious business As we all know, flying helicopters can be both fun and dangerous. Flying helicopters in a military context can be even more fun, and even more dangerous. That was evident to me during my preflight briefing with CW4 Spanier. As we stood by the nose of the OH-58, the warm afternoon sun beating down, Mike painstakingly went down the briefing card line by line: Review the mission 10

Photography: Aaron Reyes

objectives; location and operation of the fire extinguisher; first aid kit; positive exchange of controls; use of the emergency radios; if the helicopter should suffer a hard landing we’ll meet at the 12:00 position if possible; if one of us is injured, but the helicopter is not in danger of fire, the other pilot will administer the A,B,C’s of first-aid (airway, breathing, circulation) and leave the injured pilot where they are while summoning help… Wait, I’m not done yet. “I have a survival knife located in ‘this’ pocket of my vest and a web cutter located ‘here’. You can use these if it becomes necessary to cut the seat belts to get either yourself or me out of the aircraft,” Mike said, still holding my full attention. On the next line item, Mike leaned in a little closer and looked me right in the eyes and said slowly and deliberately, “If we have a hard landing and this helicopter catches on fire, I will do everything in my power to get you out.” While I was seriously hoping we wouldn’t have to put Mike’s resolve to the test, at the same time, I was relieved to hear it and something in his voice and look gave me complete confidence that what he was telling me was the absolute truth. Without hesitation and with equal sincerity, I looked him in the eyes and said, “And I’ll do the same for you.” You have to take flying seriously, and at WAATS, they take the mission of training our nation’s National Guard units very seriously. One of the reasons this desert site was

selected for the training center was its similarity to the flying conditions found in much of the Middle East. WAATS instructors and personnel that have returned from Iraq have shared some very valuable “lessons-learned” that are even now being incorporated into the broad range of training programs offered. The instructor pilots at WAATS are among the most experienced anywhere in desert flying techniques and they pass those skills on to their students with the goal of saving lives and reducing accidents caused by flying in a hostile desert environment. This is a “RAID” In addition to the OH-58 A/C AQC and AH-64 A AQC training offered, WAATS hosts more than 30 other flying, maintenance and related courses for both officers and enlisted personnel. Scout and Apache piloting courses include Maintenance Pilot and Instructor Pilot courses for both aircraft and Night Vision Qualifying for the OH-58. Three pilot courses exist to support the RAID program as well: RAID AQC, RAID NVG and RAID IP. RAID stands for Reconnaissance and Interdiction Detachment. These are National Guard units that provide counter-drug support to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and to community-based organizations (CBOs) that request drug demand-reduction assistance. National Guard counter-drug programs only provide support to LEAs and CBOs that have a counter-drug nexus as

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their primary purpose. RAID aircraft are OH-58 As, modified with special mission equipment: enhanced radios to allow RAID aircraft to talk to law enforcement ground units; night suns, which provide 30M candle power to light up an objective; FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) and Charge Couple Device (CCD) camera systems that provide day and night reconnaissance for SAR, border ops, target/vehicle observation and disturbed earth syndrome. Disturbed earth relates to the ability to detect places where the earth has been moved (as in buried people or objects). It is also anticipated that RAID will play a significant role in Homeland Security.

and 14,994 dorm room days in 2003 alone. So now we’ve got a heliport, a large maintenance facility, a hotel, restaurant and medical clinic to be managed, and let’s not forget administrative requirements (getting paid is always important), facilities management, etc.

More than meets the eye

Now, I’ve got to go out and get one of those web-cutters.

As in most things in life, when you take a look under the covers, things are more complicated than they initially seem. You can’t teach people how to fly or maintain helicopters without providing all of the other things necessary to take care of their minds and bodies while they’re your “guests”. The WAATS classroom facilities include computer workstations for both the students and the instructor and the system is fully capable of a wide range of distance learning capabilities including connectivity with all major U.S. Army training installations.

Somehow, in the middle of all this, WAATS manages to be a good Southern Arizona community member too, supporting local charitable activities, Red Cross blood drives, federal law enforcement training, and local ROTC units. And, I’m happy to say, they now can add to that list. They’ve proven to be a good neighbor to the international community of fellow helicopter pilots.

Editor’s note: I have a short, but important list of people to thank for helping make this story possible. First, I’d like to thank, Chris Walker, the Arizona National Guard AH-64D IP, currently training pilots of the Singapore Air Force, who introduced me to Capt. Kevin Gaver. Capt. Gaver graciously supported me in the development of this article right up to the day of his reassignment to Kosovo (with only a few days notice). My thanks to Mark Briggs for his help and to SFC Tonya Fitzpatrick, our tour guide. Many thanks to Colonel Rodriguez for granting me access to her facility, aircraft and staff and for generously providing helicopter and IP time in the midst of a very busy period at WAATS. And special thanks to CW4 Spanier for graciously sharing his OH-58 with me and for being willing to cut me out of the aircraft in the event of a fire. Final comments—The Guard Gets it Done. And Mike, anytime you want to come out and do some settling with power recoveries (or anything else) in the R22 or R44, just let me know. [email protected] END

Any time you are going to conduct year-round training, in the boonies, for hundreds of students, you have to feed them, house them and give them medical care. In fact, we’re talking 18,465 meals Photography: Aaron Reyes

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We Fly the S-92 “Fast, sleek and smooth.” Anyone remember that beautiful piece of artwork put out by the Sikorsky marketing department back when the first S-76’s were being delivered? Back in the 80s, you could find framed copies hanging on the walls of every helicopter pilots’ lounge. I recently saw one on the wall of a Flight Safety International (FSI) instructor pilot’s office. Immediately below it was a picture of Sikorsky’s new S-92 with the caption, “Big, wide and jiggly.” I don’t know about the “jiggly” but I’ll certainly agree with big and wide. At 60’7” in length it’s only slightly shorter than the S-61N (62’), much wider (12’9” vs 7’8”) and a lot heavier. The current gross weight (internal load) is set at 26,150 lbs and expectations are that this will grow to 26,500 lbs by the end of this year and 28,000 lbs by the end of next year. Who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks? I was fortunate enough to be in the first group of PHI pilots to get checked out in the new aircraft. Since PHI used seniority as the primary selection criteria this became a “teach old dogs new tricks” process. It started at FSI’s state-of-theart training center in West Palm Beach, Florida. In between hurricanes, we spent a total of four weeks attending ground school and flying the simulator. The first day is spent in a discussion of the design philosophy and learning a new language. Pages of new acronyms must be committed to memory in order for the students to keep up with FSI’s fantastic instructors. The S-92 is the first helicopter to meet the new harmonized FAA and JAA Part 29 standards. I could go on for pages about what that means to the engineers, but what does that mean to us? Simplyput, it means that you make every system at least 100% redundant (many are triple 12

redundant and the SAS computers are quadruple redundant). And, if you can’t, then you make every component in that system so big and so strong that any flaw or damage to that component would be easily detectable long before it could fail. Then you monitor every system and every moving part on the helicopter with an MDC (maintenance data computer) and a HUMS (health and usage monitoring system). The data is collected each evening, downloaded by the maintenance staff and then sent directly to Sikorsky. Sikorsky can monitor trends across the fleet and adjust software, inspection schedules and TBOs accordingly. This is truly a bird for the 21st century. It has computers telling other computers what to do. Everything is digitized, computerized and integrated. Being an “Old Fart” (a term of endearment bestowed on me by First Officer Jayne Brodie: see AUTOROTATE, Vol. 4, Issue 1, Jan-Feb 2004) and a helicopter pilot for 40 years, I’ve always had a distrust for computers and other little black boxes with electrons running around inside. For 40 years I’ve watched these electronic gizmos fail time and time again and had to rely on good

old mechanical systems to get safely back to earth. As my good friend Roy Matthews (PHI seniority #1) once said, “I don’t have a problem with Fly-By-Wire so long as that wire runs through a control tube.” Well get ready Roy, it’s almost here. Plans are to eventually go to 100% fly-by-wire in the S-92 and save hundreds of pounds in empty weight. I will admit, the computers do a better job of flying this machine than I do. It seems that as soon as I put any pressure on the pedals the aircraft goes out of trim. The only way I can get it smoothly back in trim is to relax the pressure on the pedals and let the SAS system do it. No matter how well I fly an ILS the Flight Director does a better job. If you don’t interfere with it, the aircraft will fly through the DH, continue the descent to 50 ft (RA), decelerating to 60 kts, and fly down the centerline. I confess to occasionally getting confused as to how to enter holding. In this aircraft the FMS (Flight Management System) will advise you as to how it’s going to enter holding, and if it can be done correctly two different ways it will

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By Dana Raaz offer you the option. If you forget to turn on the pitot heat and you get into visible moisture at low temperatures the EICAS (Engine Indication and Crew Alert System) will politely instruct you to do so. Not just with an advisory on the EICAS display but a voice comes over the headsets and says: “Turn pitot heat on.” Are you getting the picture here? Have you heard the one about the next generation cockpit? It’s being designed for a pilot and a dog. The pilot’s job is to feed the dog. The dog’s job is to not let the pilot touch anything. Going for a ride The big day is finally here. Ship number 6 is sitting in front of PHI’s hangar at Boothville (ships 1 through 5 are pre-production ground and flight test aircraft). It’s a beautiful CAVU day and I’m chomping at the bit to get started. Sikorsky’s Chief S-92 pilot, Ron Doeppner, will be working with us until we’re comfortable in the aircraft and the customer’s flight time requirements are met. After running through the “before starting engines” checklist we got the APU fired up and turned on the air conditioner. All systems’ checks and the FMS setup are performed before the engines are started. Once the engines are on-line little time is wasted and we’re ready to pick up to a hover. Having never actually flown a real S-92 before, I was a bit apprehensive when Ron asked me to pick it up to a hover and back away from the hangar. But, once it started coming up I felt right at home. The aircraft is extremely stable and feels pretty much like the simulator. As Ron made the callouts I tried to follow the CAT A takeoff profile and we headed up to Houma. Using the CAT A procedures (10% over hover power, 10 deg nose down, 10 ft Photography: Jack Bowers

altitude until 55 kts, positive rotation to a climb attitude and accelerate to 70 kts) the S-92 at max gross weight can lose an engine, clear a 50 ft obstacle or reject and stop in 2500 ft. Enroute to Houma I hand-flew the aircraft for a while (A non-event—it flies just like any other helicopter) and then engaged the autopilot. The four-axis autopilot can be coupled to the flight director, which is programmed by the FMS. We asked for and received radar vectors for the ILS and sat back and watched. Heading changes and altitude changes were accomplished by turning knobs until we were established on an ILS intercept heading and then the Approach Mode was armed on the autopilot control panel. The “before landing checklist” was accomplished and the autopilot flew the approach down to 50 ft. Although we were using the VOR/ILS to fly the approach the FMS can do the same thing using only GPS information. Yes, it has Vertical Nav capability. The pilot can monitor the ILS display and the copilot can monitor the LNAV display and they both agree all the way down the glideslope. Once in the pattern we spent 45 minutes doing single engine work. Engine

failure after Decision Point (DP) on takeoff (CAT A). Engine failure before DP (CAT A). Engine failures before and after DP on CAT A approaches. Engine failures before and after DP during Class 2 operations (takeoffs and landings to offshore platforms). The engines are never actually brought back to idle during training. An engine failure is accomplished by flipping a switch on the pedestal, which directs the FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) to simulate an engine failure. It looks like an engine failure, it feels like an engine failure, but both engines remain on line. Throughout all of these maneuvers the helicopter was totally predictable and easy to fly. Ron had put the engines into training mode which directs the FADECs to bias up the TGT and the Torque 15% to compensate for the fact that we were operating at a low gross weight. In effect, this artificially adds 3,000 lbs to the weight of the aircraft. Even in the training mode we ran into a problem toward the end of the period because the engines are so powerful. Single engine procedures call for the pilot to droop the rotor 4 or 5% to make sure you are getting full FADEC-limited power out of the good engine. Unfortunately, if you droop

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the rotor at all on a simulated OEI (One Engine Inoperative) landing at low weight, you never get to the ground. The helicopter simply comes to a hover. As an example of the power margin available OEI, we were consistently climbing at 1,000 fpm using 30-minute power at BROC (Best Rate Of Climb: 70 to 80 kts). I was sold. I never want to fly anything else. Tea or coffee? On the second flight I rode in the back while Ron worked with Capt. Dick Sevin. This gave me the opportunity to rate the passenger comfort. As I expected, it’s a few steps above anything else out there. The 19 passenger seats are quite comfortable. Each seat has it’s own reading light and air vent. Each row of seats has two large windows, which can be pushed out for emergency egress. The ECS (Environmental Control System) keeps the cabin quite comfortable. The noise level is low enough to carry on a conversation without yelling. At 5’ 10” I could stand up and walk around the cabin without feeling a need to stoop over. The aircraft has Active Vibration Control (AVC) which consists of three pairs of force generators mounted under the cabin floor. Sensors pick up the frequency and amplitude of the airframe vibrations and spin up out-of-balance flywheels to the same frequency to counter the vibrations. With it turned off, the vibration level is low, but with it turned on it’s noticeably better. 14

Photography: Jack Bowers

A maximum of 1,000 lbs of baggage and cargo can be carried in the rear compartment, accessed through a hydraulically actuated rear ramp. The CG range is wide and difficult to exceed if you use a little common sense. With 1,000 lbs in the baggage compartment and a cockpit weight in excess of 370 lbs the aircraft is within CG. Keeping the cockpit weight over 370 lbs shouldn’t be a problem in our industry. Offshore helicopter pilots in Louisiana consume their share of gumbo, etouffee, red beans and rice, etc., etc. The only restriction beyond that is to load the passengers from the front to the rear. With 5,000 lbs of fuel on board, our S92 can carry 3,850 lbs of passengers and baggage, go out 200 nm and return to base without refueling. Fuel consumption is directly related to airspeed. Sikorsky says you can pull 86% torque at cruise but you are sucking up a lot of gas at that power setting. Our current procedure is to set the fuel flow at 1,300 to 1,400 lbs/hr and live with whatever airspeed that gives you. On a recent flight offshore (lightly loaded) 1,350 lbs/hr gave us 145 kts indicated at 2,000 ft and 70% torque. Sikorsky lists 137 kts for economy cruise. VNE is 165 kts. Is it a perfect helicopter? No, but the problem areas are minor. For as big a helicopter as it is, the cockpit is surprisingly small. Getting in and out of the cockpit is difficult for us old-timers. You have to enter from the main cabin through a narrow passage, bend down so

that you don’t bump all the switches on the overhead panel, grab the handholds above the windshield, climb over the pedestal, put your feet on the floor and then lower yourself into your seat. Our joints just don’t bend as easily as they used to. Once you’re settled in, there’s not enough room to store your Jepp kit, logbook, Ops manual, MEL, Electronic Flight Bag, charts, etc. PHI has fabricated a total of nine small compartments throughout the cockpit to store all the stuff we’re required to carry. The extra wide main cabin door may present a problem in the future. The step is limited to 325 lbs and it’s wide enough for two people to stand on at one time. I understand the Sikorsky flight test crews have already broken the hold-up cables twice by inadvertently having two people on the steps at one time. 36 years ago I was excited when PHI upgraded from Bell 47-G’s to the 47-J. We went from carrying 2 passengers at 65 mph to carrying 3 passengers at 80 mph; a quantum leap. We used a wet compass and a clock to find platforms 50 miles offshore and dreamed of someday having an ADF. But, even in my wildest dreams I could never have imagined what the future would eventually bring. The future of helicopter flying is here today; wrapped up in a beautiful package called the S-92. Dana Raaz may be contacted at [email protected] END

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Inadvertent IMC— Meets the FLYIT Simulator

By Mike Coligny

Alaska Several years ago we were contacted by Mr. Jim Wilson, the owner and president of Coastal Helicopters, about building an AS350B2 flight simulator for his tour operation. The simulator, to be located in Juneau, Alaska, was to be used to train his pilots on VFR tour routes to the local glaciers. More importantly, they would be able to train on how to avoid and recover from some unique meteorological conditions. As defined in meteorological terms, white-out occurs when a person becomes engulfed in a uniform white glow. The glow is a result of being surrounded by blowing snow, dust, sand, mud or water. There are no shadows, no horizon or clouds and all depth-of-field and orientation are lost. A white-out situation is severe—there are no visual references. Flat light is an optical illusion, also known as sector or partial white-out. It is not as severe as white-out but the condition causes pilots to lose their depth-offield and contrast in vision. Such conditions can occur anywhere in the world, primarily in snow covered areas. But, they can occur in dust, sand, mud flats, or on glassy water. Flat light can completely obscure features of the terrain, creating an inability to distinguish distances and closure rates. Pilots can get the illusion that they are ascending or descending when they may actually be flying level. Flat light conditions can lead to a whiteout environment quite rapidly, and both atmospheric conditions are insidious. They sneak up on you as your visual references slowly begin to disappear.

Photography: Mike Coligny

Self-induced white-out typically occurs when a helicopter takes off or lands on a snow-covered area. The rotor downwash picks up particles and re-circulates them through the rotor down wash. The effect can vary in intensity depending upon the amount of light on the surface. This can happen on the sunniest, brightest day with good contrast everywhere. However, when it happens, there can be a complete loss of visual clues. If the pilot has not prepared for this immediate loss of visibility, the results can be disastrous. Good planning does not prevent one from encountering flat light or white-out conditions. But, good training in a no-risk simulator environment can prepare the pilot to recognize their onset and properly recover to mitigate the chance of disaster. Together with Coastal Helicopters and later the Medallion Foundation, FLYIT Simulators designed a device that would replicate the AS350B2 and, more importantly, replicate these adverse meteorological conditions at an affordable price.

Further, the Medallion Foundation contracted with E/Terras Corporation to provide enhanced terrain data (visual out the window views down to 3 meters) that FLYIT Simulators integrated into the simulator. The result was a portable Helicopter Flight Simulator that can be used to train for the most adverse conditions Alaska has to offer. The program is quite successful and has been expanded by the Medallion Foundation to cover the entire state. Inadvertent IMC training is the main thrust of the program. Hawaii Now head south. With a referral from Mr. Wilson, Blue Hawaiian Helicopters contacted us about a very unique requirement of their operating environment. Blue Hawaiian also flies AS350B2 aircraft and also conducts tours throughout the islands. Instead of landing on glaciers, Blue Hawaiian provides tours of Hawaiian splendor including trips into valleys and canyons that have spectacular waterfalls, topography and natural beauty.

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Helicopter operations in Hawaii are, for the most part, straight-forward and docile. There is, however, a set of circumstances that can occur in a very short period of time that demands quick and correct action the first time by the pilot, with no room for error. Imagine flying into a valley to view one of the magnificent waterfalls, then turning around and finding that the valley is quickly filling up with fog resulting in instant IFR conditions. Training for IFR flight in helicopters is not that new, but couple that situation with a blind canyon/valley and escape is, at best, dependent upon quick guesswork by the pilot with no assurances of the outcome. Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents are the greatest threat to the air tour industry in Hawaii. The weather can change quickly in mountainous environments and Blue Hawaiian wanted the ability to recover from worst-case scenarios, such as inadvertent flight into IMC in a valley. To reduce the risk of CFIT, Blue Hawaiian Helicopter president, Mr. Dave Chevalier, searched for a system that might enhance the outcome of the situation. Their search led to Honeywell’s Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System. Honeywell engineers traveled to Hawaii and flew many hours testing the system with Blue Hawaiian. The primary problem was the loss of signal where it was needed most, deep in a valley. The internal GPS system proved inadequate for the task. Honeywell ended up working with Garmin to integrate their active antenna system which substantially solved the problem. To gain even greater reliability, Honeywell engineers redesigned the system to enable it to hold and predict a changing terrain map picture in the event of momentary satellite signal loss. After a number of additional trips to Hawaii, an affordable and reliable system had finally been attained. 16

Photography: Mike Coligny

www.autorotate.com Blue Hawaiian has this system installed on all ten of their EC130’s and is in the process of installing it on their eight AS350B2’s. A key aspect of training now involves a hood being placed on the pilot in those worst case scenarios; deep in a valley. The instructor ensures that the pilot is able to demonstrate his ability to use the system to navigate out of the valley—on instruments!

commitment to assure that his pilots were able to get the best training available. This innovative and unique approach to safety and emergency training can only result in improved safety for Blue Hawaiian and Hawaiian helicopter operations in general.

implementation of technology to improve aviation safety! Mike Coligny is CEO of FLYIT Simulators of Carlsbad, CA and a long time supporter of Autorotate and PHPA. Mike may be reached at [email protected] END

Our two newest and arguably most beautiful and unusual states have taken the lead in innovative and cost effective

The procedure is quite straight-forward. The depiction on the multi-purpose display is relative to the aircraft and color-coded. Green coloring is safe altitude, yellow coloring is still safe, but indicates the aircraft has the ability to climb out of it to green. And red is bad news. The procedure is to “fly to the green.” A typical scenario would be, once encountering the IFR condition, to maintain at least 40 knts of airspeed, bank 30 degrees and fly to the green which is the escape route. Blue Hawaiian has tested and demonstrated the concept successfully. The next step taken by Blue Hawaiian was to contact FLYIT to see if we could integrate the Honeywell systems into our flight simulation device. Working closely with Honeywell, we were able to integrate the system in a relatively short time. Most of our effort went into fabricating the necessary cabling including system I/O and power and then mounting the equipment to assure that everything functioned as it did in the aircraft. Finally, the simulator was flown in similar scenarios to the aircraft, testing to assure that it replicated the environment. The best way to learn emergency operating procedures is to train, train, train. And by using the simulator, situations can be programmed in and flown that would be difficult to accomplish and train for in the actual helicopter. The CFIT-IFR scenario is a perfect example—now, add in a hydraulic failure. Mr. Chevalier understood this and made the 17

Live & Learn

Oil Rigs that can Shoot It was a little after midnight when we got the call for help. A man on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico was seriously injured. We immediately put in a call to Acadiana Ambulance Service. The Bell 412 we were flying was already pre-flighted so all we had to do was top off the tanks. We were running and ready for takeoff when the two paramedics pulled up in their ambulance. They quickly loaded their gear and buckled in. We got off the deck and headed outbound within about 20 minutes of receiving the call. I had been flying nights out of PHI’s Amelia, LA heliport for the last 4 years. I was familiar with the area we were going to and the coordinates were punched into the GPS. It was about a half-moon night, not a problem. It took

about 50 minutes to arrive at the platform. The paramedics hopped out and disappeared down the stairs while my copilot and I cooled down the engines and shutdown. When we found our way down to the crew quarters and into the mess hall where they had brought the roustabout, we came to a sudden stop with our mouths open. The guy was covered in blood. They had made a make-shift bed on the floor and the sheet was also covered with blood. Here’s what happened, and I know most of our readers don’t know what a perforating gun is so I’ll tell you. When you drill an oil well the tubing is solid and there’s no way for the oil to flow into it. After determining where the pay sand is, a perforating gun is lowered to the

Ho, Ho, Ho Many years ago when I was flying a Hughes 300 for a living, I had to do a Santa drop. As I was preparing to go, the Santa arrived—all 300 pounds of him. No pillows under that suit. Santa was so large that the seatbelt would not go around him. We headed out anyway. First mistake. Santa was so big I was on the edge of my lateral CG. Second mistake, my approach to the parking lot, which held a thousand anxious kids and their parents, was up a concrete ditch that was lined on both sides with parking lot lights. I had to do a ninety degree left turn at the last moment between two poles and land in the only area they had roped off for me. Well, Santa was already a bit nervous riding without a seatbelt and no door, but 18

when we got to the bottom and I slowed the helicopter, we started rolling right with full left cyclic. When I yelled at him to get in my lap if possible, to shift the CG, he really panicked. But, I managed to get him close enough to me to shift the CG just enough and we did a very slow go around. Now I have Santa pushing me out my door, just to maintain CG. As we make a second attempt, mistake number three reared its head. I managed to get Santa on the ground in one piece, however, he was so rattled that he fell out of the helicopter flat on his face. So, to save face (so to speak), he jumped up, immediately raised both arms above his head, right under the rotor system, and started dancing around towards the rear of the helicopter.

Carl Neubig

correct depth. Normally a perforating gun is loaded with .45 cal rounds, but this one was loaded with .357 cal rounds. When ready, the operator fires the gun, which will punch holes in the tubing, allowing oil, which is in a pressure zone, to flow in and up to the surface. Only this time there was a miss-fire. They brought the gun up to the top of the well to fix the problem. Unfortunately, it decided to fire when it cleared the tube and the roustabout was right in the line of fire. He took a couple of slugs in the chest and shrapnel over the top of his body. The paramedics, talking to a doctor on the phone, got him stabilized and stuck a few IVs in him. We got him back to the Morgan City hospital and the last I heard he was going to survive, albeit with a lot of scars. END

Butch Grafton I am stuck inside, yelling at the top of my lungs for him to get away from the tailrotor and stop waving his arms. Fortunately, for me and for Santa, two security guards saw what was about to happen, and came running out of the crowd, grabbing Santa and escorting him to safety. On the flight home, I could see the next day’s headline, “Helicopter pilot kills Santa Claus in front of one thousand children.” There’s plenty of “lessons learned” here for everyone, without any further elaboration on my part. Fly safe and THINK before you act. END

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Help From Norway

Member Profile—John Taylor

continued from page 5

Thanks to a number of helicopter pilot associations cooperating and supporting each other, the gap has been closing over the last few years. Support for Local 107: HSF appreciates the good lines of communication and cooperation that have been steadily evolving across the Atlantic over the last few years. HSF has also taken notice of the hard work related to bench marking, carried out by pilots organized through OPEIU/PHPA, so far including colleagues of AirLog, PHI, Fort Rucker and Air Methods. The agenda of Local 107 presents itself as well founded, well documented and financially realistic both for owners, management and employees. Consequently, HSF has unanimously decided to offer financial support to colleagues of AirLog with an amount equal to $30 per HSF member. The total amount will be approximately $3,660.

I thought you might like to hear a little bit about Brandywine Airport—N99. We are a unique little airport located 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia. We are privately owned by the 135 based pilots. We have a fixed-wing flight school as well as a helicopter flight school, utilizing R22s, where I do some of the instruction. What also makes us unique is the American Helicopter Museum located here on the airfield. It is the only All Helicopter Museum in the world. I retired from the Army National Guard a few years ago as a helicopter pilot. I enjoy this new position as it gives me the opportunity to stay involved in aviation.

Please feel free to come up for a visit anytime. John Taylor Airport Manager Brandywine Airport [email protected]

Practical details related to the support will be worked out between Local 107, OPEIU and HSF. We wish you the best of luck in your ongoing endeavor to find a balanced solution for owners, management and pilots of AirLog. On behalf of colleagues in CHD Helikopter Service AS Olav Bastiansen Chairman HSF CHC Helikopter Service AS Pilots Association – HSF: Home page: www.hsf.no / E-mail: [email protected] / Chairman: [email protected] END

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NTSBS The following information was extracted from the NTSB files. It has been edited for available space and is subject to change as investigations continue. Reports were selected based on the importance of the information to the broader helicopter community.

dent pilot and told him to try to start the engine. The engine would not start, and the DPE realized that the field that they intended to land on was very wet and muddy. They attempted to land on a 10-foot-high dirt berm. During the flaring portion of the landing the tail rotor stinger and blades impacted the ground. As the helicopter was sliding to a stop it veered to the left and rolled over.

Hughes 369D; Zachary, LA December 09; 1 Serious Injury

Eurocopter AS-350-B3; Apache Junction, AZ December 14; 1 Fatal, 2 Serious Injuries

On December 9, 2004, approximately 1530 CST, a Hughes 369D, single-engine turbine powered helicopter sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain following a reported loss of engine power while hovering out of ground effect. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the helicopter, was seriously inured. According to an FAA inspector, who responded to the site of the accident, the pilot had been trimming trees near a pipe line using an external saw at an altitude of approximately 200 feet above ground level. The operator reported that the pilot stated the Allison 250-C20B turbine engine "quit," and the helicopter yawed to the left. Subsequently, the helicopter impacted terrain in a wooded area, and came to rest upright. The inspector added that the pilot had refueled the helicopter prior to departure. Examination of the helicopter by the FAA inspector revealed the tail boom was separated from the fuselage, and the fuel tank was breached by the landing skids. Robinson R22B; Los Angeles, CA December 11; No Injuries

On December 11, 2004, at 1013 PST, a Robinson R22B made a hard landing while attempting to execute an emergency autorotation onto the rooftop heliport on the Wells Fargo Bank Building, downtown Los Angeles, California. The private pilot and the one passenger were not injured; the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that while flying over downtown Los Angeles, about 1,200 feet mean sea level, he observed the low rotor speed warning light illuminate followed by the low rotor speed warning horn activating. He entered an autorotation and attempted to land on top of the Wells Fargo Bank Building, which is a 56-story office building. During the landing phase the helicopter overshot the landing pad, and the main rotor blades came in contact with window washing equipment. The helicopter missed the helipad, and came to rest below the helipad on the roof. Schweizer 269C; Ontario, CA December 11; No Injuries

On December 11, 2004, about 1250 PST, a Schweizer 269C made a hard landing and rolled over after a loss of engine power near Ontario, California. The student pilot, and the designated pilot examiner (DPE) were not injured; the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The DPE reported that while in cruise flight about 2,200 feet mean sea level, during a flight examination for a private pilot rating, he simulated a loss of engine power by retarding the throttle. The student pilot lowered the collective and was performing an autorotation to the ground. The DPE noticed the loss of engine noise. He got on the controls with the stu-

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On December 14, 2004, at 2237 MST, a Eurocopter AS-350-B3 operating under the call sign Air-Evac II, collided with terrain while attempting a landing at Apache Junction, Arizona. The commercial pilot and a medical crewmember both received serious injuries; a flight nurse received fatal injuries. The helicopter was destroyed. The air medical flight originated at a local base of operation and was positioning for a patient recovery to a hospital. The emergency landing zone was located in a store parking lot. The area for landing was secured by Apache Junction police and fire department personnel. The pilot was in communication with the services for possible landing obstructions. The pilot confirmed the final landing zone and light pole obstructions. Witnesses reported that the helicopter over flew the landing zone in right turns, then approached from the northeast. The observations of the final approach altitude were estimated at 100 to 300 feet above ground level. During the final approach the helicopter was observed to become unstable. It rolled right on the longitudinal axis about 30 degrees, then left about the same, then right about 45 degrees, pitched nose up to the left, and descended while rotating left. The helicopter impacted the parking lot nose down on the left side. The left skid was destroyed and the right skid was intact. Witnesses agreed on the sound of an air release similar to the release of air pressure from truck air brakes. The engine continued to run after impact and was subsequently stopped by the fire department spraying foam into the engine air inlet. Robinson R22; Provo UT December 15; 2 Minor Injuries

On December 15, 2004, at approximately 0840 MST, a Robinson R22 was substantially damaged when it impacted water during takeoff from Sandy Beach, located on the southeast edge of Utah Lake, Provo, Utah. According to a telephone conversation with the operator, the helicopter was practicing touch and go landings and had landed on the beach. The subsequent takeoff was toward the east, in the direction of the lake. The operator reported that the landing skid caught the water and the helicopter rolled over before coming to rest on its skid in approximately 2 feet of water, 250 feet off shore. The main rotor blades were bent and the cabin area was crushed. Bell 407; Ship Shoal 130 E, GM December 17; 1 Fatal, 3 Serious Injuries

On December 17, 2004, approximately 1215 CST,

a Bell 407 single-engine turbine-powered helicopter, was destroyed when it impacted water following an in-flight collision with an object while landing on the helideck of an offshore oil platform (Ship Shoal 130E) located in the Gulf of Mexico. The commercial pilot and two passengers were seriously injured. Another passenger was fatally injured. Company personnel stated that while the helicopter was landing on the platform, it collided with an object located on the surface of the helideck. Subsequently, the helicopter slid off the helideck and impacted water. Approximately 1330, a pilot flying in the area stated that he spotted a raft in the water with two people in it, and immediately notified the Patterson Operations Center. While searching toward the north (approximately 3-4 miles away), the pilot spotted two more people in the water, including wreckage of a helicopter floating nearby. A service vessel working in the area immediately diverted to assist with rescue services. About 1415, personnel on Ship Shoal 129 stated that the crew of the vessel had retrieved the four people. Robinson R22; Park City, UT December 19; No Injuries

On December 19, 2004, at approximately 1620 MST, a Robinson R22 was substantially damaged when it landed hard near Jordanelle Reservoir, Park City, Utah. According to the FAA inspector who traveled to the scene, the student pilot was performing off airport landings near Jordanelle Reservoir. The flight instructor stated that the main rotor was rotating too slow and he landed hard. The tail boom was wrinkled and fractured and both skids were bent. Enstrom 280C; Pedricktown, NJ December 30; 1 Minor Injury

On December 30, 2004, about 1200 EST, an Enstrom 280C was substantially damaged during a hard landing following an autorotation near Spitfire Aerodrome (7N7), Pedricktown, New Jersey. According to the pilot, he had received 4 hours of dual instruction in the accident helicopter on the 3 days prior to the accident, and had been "checked out" in the accident helicopter. On the morning of the accident, he departed for his first solo flight. The pilot flew for about 30 minutes in the airport traffic pattern and performed several takeoffs and landings. On a subsequent takeoff, he watched the engine and rotor rpm gauges as he made adjustments to the cyclic and collective controls. While preparing for a right turn to the crosswind leg of the traffic pattern, he decreased the throttle as he diverted his attention to outside to scan for traffic. When he looked back to the engine rpm, it had dropped below the "green zone" and the rotor rpm was following very quickly. The pilot immediately decreased the collective to the full down position and increased the throttle. About 400 feet above the ground, and in an autorotation, the pilot selected a field for a forced landing. The pilot stated that he did not perform a landing flare. The helicopter landed hard, bounced, and rolled onto its side. The pilot reported no mechanical abnormalities with the helicopter and stated that the accident was "a result of pilot error."

www.autorotate.com Eurocopter France AS350BA; Panamint Spring, CA December 30; 1 Fatal, 2 Serious Injuries

On December 30, 2004, about 1143 PST, a Eurocopter AS350BA collided with a mountainside while maneuvering during a low altitude aerial photography contract flight. The accident occurred about 1.8 nautical miles (nm) west of Panamint Springs, California, in the Death Valley National Park. The helicopter was destroyed and the airline transport certificated pilot was seriously injured. There were two passengers on board, a director and a cameraman. The director was seriously injured, and the cameraman was fatally injured. The film crew's director reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that during the flight she had requested the pilot maneuver his helicopter into a position which would allow the cameraman to film a specific automobile proceeding on the eastbound lane of the highway. Earlier during the flight the automobile had been filmed traveling on the westbound lane, which was farther away from the mountainside. The director stated that, at the time of the accident, the weather conditions were excellent, the ride was not bumpy, and the visibility was unrestricted. The film crew's producer reported to the Safety Board investigator that the car's driver did not observe the accident. However, he surmised that while the helicopter was attempting to film the car it impacted the mountainside in an area where the road curved. A letter dated December 29, 2004, from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was found in the wreckage. The letter was addressed to the accident pilot. In pertinent part, the letter stated that the "...motion picture plan of activities for the proposed operation scheduled for December 30, 2004, has been received, reviewed, and accepted...." Appended to the letter was a map with a circle around the Panamint Springs area where the automobile commercial was to be filmed. A camera containing videotape was also recovered from the wreckage. The camera's power switch was found in the "on" position, and the tape drive mechanism was in the record mode. The camera and tape have been sent to the Safety Board's Vehicle Recorder Division, Washington, D.C., for examination of the audio/video media. Aerospatiale AS350-D; Falkner, MS January 05; 1 Fatal Injury

On January 5, 2005, at 2303 CST, an Aerospatiale AS350-D collided with trees and the ground in the vicinity of Falkner, Mississippi, while maneuvering. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the crash site and a company flight plan was filed. The pilot did not call the Medical Program Communications Center to initiate flight following. The helicopter was destroyed. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. According to company personnel, the pilot was dispatched from North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, Mississippi, to an automobile accident located in the vicinity of County Road 564. The pilot called the Medical Program Communications Center by cell phone at 2100 and stated he had a problem with a damaged chin bubble. A company mechanic drove to

the accident scene. During the drive the mechanic encountered moderate rain and some gusty winds. Upon arrival at the accident site, the mechanic inspected, and made a temporary repair on the helicopter chin bubble. The mechanic stated, "the weather at this time appeared to be deteriorating with both ceiling and visibility limited. It was difficult to judge as there were no lights in the area." The mechanic mentioned to the pilot that he might have to leave the aircraft and return to get it the next day. The pilot informed the mechanic that he had been told the field the helicopter was parked in was prone to flood. The pilot stated he preferred to move the helicopter since it had been raining and more rain was forecast for the night. The Tippah County Sheriff stated he was at the automobile accident site with the helicopter pilot. A cold front had just passed through the area and the winds were strong and gusty with frequent downpours. The pilot was observed getting into the helicopter and started the engine and initiated a takeoff. The helicopter cleared the treetops and flew on a westerly heading towards Highway 15. The helicopter did not appear to gain much altitude as it was flying away. The helicopter lights disappeared from view about 1 mile after it departed. The Sheriff stated, "I thought maybe it was enveloped into the clouds of the low ceiling, but instinctively I felt this was not the case." Eurocopter Deutschland EC 135 P2; Oxon Hill, MD January 10; 2 Fatal, 1 Serious Injury

On January 10, 2005, at 2311 EST, a Eurocopter EC135 P2 was destroyed during an impact with the Potomac River near Oxon Hill, Maryland. The certificated commercial pilot and flight medic were fatally injured, and the flight nurse received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company flight plan had been filed for the flight. A Safety Board investigator interviewed the flight nurse in the hospital. According to the flight nurse, he was seated in the left front (copilot) seat, the pilot was in the right front (pilot) seat, and the flight medic was seated immediately behind the flight nurse, in the leftside, aft-facing seat. As the helicopter approached the Woodrow Wilson Bridge from the north, it passed abeam Washington National Airport at a "lower than normal altitude," but climbed 200 to 300 feet before reaching the Wilson Bridge. About 1 mile prior to the bridge, the helicopter appeared to be at the same, or higher altitude, than the marking lights on the cranes, which were positioned near the bridge. The flight nurse "called the lights," on both sides of the river, and the pilot acknowledged him. As the helicopter climbed, the flight nurse noticed an airplane descending towards Washington National Airport, and wondered if there would be a conflict, or a wake turbulence hazard. Additionally, he stated he was not sure what the relationship was between the helicopter and the airplane, as the airplane passed overhead. The flight continued along the river close to the Maryland shoreline; however, as the helicopter approached the bridge, the pilot maneuvered the helicopter to cross over the mid-span of the inner loop (westbound) bridge.

The flight nurse remembered being over the outer loop (eastbound) span of the bridge, and then being submerged in the water with his seatbelt on, and his helmet off. He stated, "I don't remember striking something, but my initial reaction was that we must have hit something." The flight nurse also stated that at no time did the Master Caution lights, or the panel segment lights illuminate. He also did not hear any audio alarms sound. The helicopter was neither high nor low, but "on altitude," relative to other flights which he had been on in the past. The pilot did not perform any evasive maneuvers, and did not communicate any difficulties either verbally or nonverbally in the vicinity of the bridge. The flight nurse did recall observing a large white bird fly up from the lower left towards the helicopter, but made no mention of striking it. When asked what he thought might have caused the accident to occur, the flight nurse stated, "We must have hit an unlit crane." The helicopter came to rest in the Potomac River about 0.5 miles south of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Weather reported at Washington National Airport, at 2251, included calm winds, 10 miles visibility, broken clouds at 13,000 feet, broken clouds at 20,000 feet, temperature 45 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 35 degrees Fahrenheit, and altimeter setting 30.25 inches of Hg. The helicopter was recovered from approximately 5 feet of water in the Potomac River. Debris from the helicopter was recovered along a wreckage path oriented on a southbound heading, consistent with the helicopter's flight path prior to the Wilson Bridge. Safety Board investigators examined sites along the Potomac River that matched the coordinates recorded by ATC radar data and the operator's flightfollowing GPS. The projected track along these locations toward the accident site was about 300 feet from the nearest crane, and no additional obstructions were observed along the track. Five of the closest cranes along the Potomac River, near the Wilson Bridge construction project (Maryland side) were examined, and no structural damage or aircraft strike indications were observed. A Maryland Department of Transportation traffic surveillance video was secured and sent to the Safety Board's Video Laboratory for examination. Preliminary examination revealed an aircraft flying, and then descending, over the bridge about the time of the accident. According to the video, the aircraft passed above and beyond the cranes prior to beginning its descent. Examination of additional ATC radar data revealed that a 70-passenger Canadair Regional Jet 700 (CRJ-7), passed over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge about 1 minute and 45 seconds before the accident helicopter passed over the bridge. The radar data indicated that the helicopter passed 900 feet directly beneath the flight path of the CRJ-7, while heading in the opposite direction. END

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(This month’s questions were derived from “The Principles of Helicopter Flight” by W.J. Wagtendonk)

C. Either an object’s speed or direction are altered 4. A state of zero acceleration could be defined as: A. An object moving at a constant speed, along a curve B. An object moving at a constant speed, regardless of its direction C. An object moving at constant speed along a straight line 5. In the formula for Lift, Lift = Cl 1/2ρ V2 S; Cl (the coefficient of lift) is the

5. A. Cl = Angle of attack, ρ = air density, V = Velocity, S = Surface area

B. All bodies at rest or in uniform motion along a straight line will continue in that state unless acted upon by an outside force C. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

C. Center of pressure 6. The center of pressure is to lift what the center of gravity is to— A. Thrust B. Weight C. Drag

Answers

A. Force is proportional to Mass x Acceleration

1. B. (Newton’s 1st law defines the principle of inertia)

B. Direction of relative wind

2. A. (Newton’s 2nd law applies to the force generated by the induced flow accelerating through the rotor system) Newton’s 3rd law is the one most familiar to us: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

2. Newton’s second law—

3. C. Velocity is defined as an object’s speed and direction. And acceleration is defined as the rate of change of an object’s velocity. Therefore, if either an object’s direction or speed are changed, its acceleration is changed.

A. Angle of attack

4. C. Since acceleration is defined as the rate of change of an object’s velocity (direction and speed), only answer C can be correct.

C. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

6. B.

B. All bodies at rest or in uniform motion along a straight line will continue in that state unless acted upon by an outside force

B. An object’s direction is altered

7. A.

A. Force is proportional to Mass x Acceleration

A. An object’s speed is altered

8. B. When the induced flow increases the angle of attack decreases and when induced flow decreases the angle of attack increases. This phenomena can be used to describe a number of helicopter aerodynamic observations: IGE, ETL, and Transverse Flow Effect

1. Newton’s first law—

3. Acceleration is effected when:

9. False. Airflow speed at the blade root is much less than that near the blade tip. As a result, the blade produces increasing amounts of lift from root to tip as the local V2 factor increases.

Editor’s Note: The physics of helicopter flight can get somewhat complicated, as we all know. I think the Wagtendonk book does the best job of any I’ve encountered of explaining these complicated phenomena in a way that most of us can still understand. I’ve read it twice and am still learning from it. I hope you’ll indulge me in the next few quizzes as we review some of the physical principles of helicopter flight.

10. C. Recirculation occurs when obstructed air flow is “recycled” back into the induced flow thereby further decreasing angle of attack (greater induced flow, less angle of attack) requiring increased collective and even more induced flow, etc. Eventually the aircraft will sink to the surface. Over-pitching is different from recirculation though it has similar symptoms. Over-pitching occurs when a decrease in rotor RPM (usually in a hover) causes the pilot to inappropriately increase collective which further decreases RPM, etc.

Test pilot

7. Which form of Drag is reduced as an aircraft’s speed increases? A. Induced B. Profile C. Parasite 8. For a given blade section and rotor RPM, angle of attack and induced flow are— A. Directly proportional B. Inversely proportional

Tell us who you are in Autorotate’s Member Profile Autorotate would like to profile YOU in one of our next issues. All we need is a good photograph of you and your helicopter; your name, e-mail address, and PHPA member ID; and a brief write up about you, your location, and your photo. Send the information via e-mail to Tony Fonze, the editor at [email protected].

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C. Unrelated 9. A rotor blade produces equal amounts of lift across the entire length of the blade. (T or F) A. True B. False 10. When approaching a confined area, the shortest possible hover should be executed in order to avoid A. Brown out B. Over-pitching C. Recirculation

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