How to Fly a Helicopter?

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First things, first! Let's begin with a recall that the pilotage of a helicopter est a very delicate thing as a helicopter is intrinsically instable and that it is much more sensitive to the pilot's input through the commands than most of the planes. The art of the helicoptere pilotage thus is both to keep the aircraft balanced between all the flight's variable, anticipation of the input to make through the commands, and coordination of those inputs! To pilot a helicopter needs gestures of a feeble amplitude and which are progressive. Ample, or abrupt inputs will swiftly result into increasing oscillations which will potentially lead to a complete loss of control of the aircraft! A other good image, as far as hovering a helicopter is concerned, is that the maneuver is like rubbing your belly in one direction and your head in the opposite at the same time, and too much/little of any at any given time can mean disaster. Any input upon the commands, in a helicopter, has to be made through small, progressive pressures upon the command. Like Microsoft goes, the simple fact to think to where you want to steer the helicopter is often enough to have the helicopter to react and steer, or that a simple pressure through your finger will be enough to act upon the cylclical. The pilot, in a helicopter, on the other hand, has to always keeps his hand on the cyclical, as soon as the main rotor is working. Every input through the commands of the helicopter -the gas included when those are commanded by the pilot aboard some helicopters- has to be coordinated. A input upon one of the three main controls of the helicopter (the collective, the cyclical, and the rudder) needs a matching input upon one of the other two, or both. Like a pilot of a helicopter, you will have to anticipate the effect yielded by a control input, and needing a coordination, and not to react to that effect only! From a technical point of view, the rudder inputs are allowing for the variation and control of the tail rotor's lateral push. And, at last, don't forget that the pilot, in a helicopter is seated to the right of the flight deck, at the opposite of in a plane, where the pilot is seating left

a helicopter parked (non-clickable illustration)

Helicopter's Flight Basics

Remember that basic coordination!

• more collective, left rudder and some cyclical forwards
• less collective, right rudder and some cyclical backwards

Let's see, now, how you can fly a helicopter from the takeoff to landing!

• taxiing: the helicopter either uses its wheels, when it features some. Or the takeoff occurs immediately, when none. You may, like a pilot, however, ask for to move the helicopter for a short distance, as it flies inside what is called the 'ground effet'. In that case, you'll not be allowed to fly at more than 25 ft AGL. You may too ask for a fly for some larger distance, at a low altitude. In that case, the flight is not allowed below 100 ft AGL. When you fly a helicopter at such low altitudes, never exceed the speed of a man walking. The helipcoter, for those flies, is controlled through the cyclical and the rudder, as the collective allows for the control of the altitude
• takeoff: the helicopter is raised from the ground with some 60-70 percent with the collective! The nose is to shift right and to be corrected with the cyclical and the rudder. A visual clue is to be taken at a distance of about 50-70 feet from the aircraft. Those actions have the helicopter to get into a stationary at 3ft above the takeoff point, as the collective at that moment has passed into a torque of 70-75 percent. Any correction, when needed, for any wind -a head wind included- had to be performed. Such a correction is made through the cyclical only, and into the wind! THEN, the helicopter is brought into a moving flight, through an action of the cyclical -the stick- forwards! The helicopter keeps taking off. As one pushes the cyclical forwards and one increases the colletive, the nose will tend to shift leftwards first, which is corrected, with the cyclical forwards. Then a shift occurs rightwards, which is corrected with the cyclical leftwards and with the rudder rightwards! The speed, that way, is reaching about 10 to 15 kts. The collective is not used anymore at that phase! The helicopter just is climbing now, and accelerating! Through the collective with a torque of 80-85 percent, on stabilizes the climb at a speed of 60 kts as a good climb rate is obtained at that speed. When increasing the collective, just slightly push the cyclical forwards. During the climb, you will have to increase the torque by 3 percent for each 1,000 ft of altitude, as the engine is producing less power as far at the aircraft is climbing. You may follow a modified circuit pattern when departing an airfield or airport. In that case, juste climb straight ahead to 300 ft AGL, turn into the crosswind leg and keep climbing to 500 ft through increasing the collective as you eventually leave the circuit pattern for your navigation. In case you will take off in a cramped environment, with, for exemple tall obstacles close to the takeoff, you'll have to fly what is called a 'climb hover'. Just allow the helicopter for more speed (20 kts, for example) as it will allow you to skip the obstacles. Or, in case you'll have no room to accelerate, just push the collective to a power of 85 percent. That will allow you to climb swiftly and skip the obstacles (in that later case, there is a risk in case of an engine failure or of a dangerous wing). Once you'll have cleared the cramped environment, just use the rudder to place the helicopter headwind and, through the cyclical -the stick- just incline it at the effect of having it starting to move. When a steep turn is needed few after a takeoff, just increase the collective as the slip in the turn is augmented in that case. After takeoff, you can fly a circuit pattern. Just fly straight ahead, with a speed of 60 kts, until reaching 300 ft AGL, with the helicopter being horizontal. Just make a 90-degree turn left (as usual with a normal, left-handed circuit pattern). You're in the headwind leg, and just keep climbing to 500 ft and keeping your speed at 60 kts. When you're leaving the circuit pattern for your navigation, just accelerate (through an action upon the collective) and keep a climb pitch (which is done using the cyclical)
• climb: a climb, in a helicopter, is controlled through the collective, aiming to that the speed is keeping to be 60 kts. To exit from a climb, just decrease the collective and set it to 80 percent. The desired cruise speed is checked with the cyclical! A standard climb rate, in a helicopter, is of 1300 ft per minute as the optimal ascenscional speed is of 52 kts. One usually fly however at 60 kts. This is allowing for the autorotation in case of a engine failure. Climbs and descents above accidented reliefs need speeds which are slower, with higher climb rates. You'll have to keep a minimal speed of 20 kts, in that case, and to never exceed, with the collective, the yellow line of the power, which points to the 'max continuous power'
• cruise: as not every helicopter have a trim for the climb and descent maneuvers, any change in altitude has the helicopter not naturally back to the attitude preceding the change. When you pass from a climb, or a descent, to level, just act oppositely upon the collective, as some action could be needed to stabilize the helicopter in a level flight. During a cruise, generally, the speed of the FS Dell helicopter is of about 105 kts, with between 25 and 28 gallons used per hour. Any shift due to the wind is to be counteracted through the rudder onlyat the effect of placing the helicopter's nose into the wind
• turns: a turn is engaged through an action upon the cyclical only -with no any action upon the rudder. The cyclical is brought back to neutral once the helicopter has begun to turn. The altitude -or inclination of the helicopter- then is checked through an action upon the collective only. Like for a plane, a helicopter, in a turn, is tending to loose some altitude; adding some collective, thus, allows to keep the altitude constant during a turn. The rudder, once the turn engaged, may be used; the rudder, during a turn, is used to check the turn coordinator! In a helicopter, when you don't coordinate a turn, the helicopter is yielding much drag and a strong loss of altitude. This is important too, for example, in the case of a takeoff with a cramped environment. Back to a straight flight is made with an action upon the cyclical, and by reducing the collective
• descent: to begin one's descent towards one's destination, one just pull slightly the cyclical back. Then, the descent rate is controlled through the collective, as the speed is through the cyclical. With the descent, the engine is gaining power back. The collective has thus to be decreased, by intervals as that gain is of 3 percent pro 1,000 ft. The standard descent rate, in a helicopter, is of 500 ft per minute. One stops the descent through the collective, as the speed is controlled through the cyclical. Just be cautious about turns performed during a descent, especially the steep ones!
• landing: as far as at what point the beginning of the final has to be, you will take like a reference a GA plane standard airport traffic pattern. The traffic pattern, for a helicopter is about one third smaller than the one of a GA plane as it has to be performed by 500 ft above the ground. When descending from the cruise level to reach the downwind leg, just apply 60 percent of torque, with about 85 kts. On the downwind leg, have 60 percent of torque and about 85-100 kts. Once you will have turned into the base leg, apply 42 percent of torque and 60 kts to reach a 300 ft above the ground by the end of the leg. Thus, by the beginning of the finale, you are still with those settings: a torque of 42 percent, a speed of 60 kts and a altitude of 300ft above the ground! From there, you should see the landing area under a angle of 10-12 degrees. To get to there, the principle is that, during the first half of the descent, you will be reducing slightly and progressively the collective which, to keep moving to the landing area will have you have some cyclical backwards which, in turn, is slowing the ground speed to about the speed of a man's walk. Should you maintain such settings, that would bring to landing before the landin area. One thus gives some collective back, regularly, which is maintaining some ground speed through that the helicopter keeps its altitude and through some cyclical forwards. Both actions combined -more collective, more cyclical- is bringing you to less speed, which eventually pass under 10-15 kts and, eventually to a stationary flight 3 ft above the landing point -with the collective lever eventually raised then to its maximum. The last speed reduction to under 10-15 kts may bring through some cyclical backwards to the helicopter gaining some altitude. This is compensated then with some collective in less. From the stationary flight, then, you just land, as you look far ahead, to the horizon, through a regular and light action into decreasing the collective (and with some rudder right to counter the torque). Any shift in translation is corrected with the cyclical. When the helicopter's skids are reaching ground, you will just keep to slowly lower the collective lever to have the weight of the aircraft transfered to the skids as you'll possibly slightly correct with the cyclical to prevent any shift. Lower then totally the collective and move the rudder either side to check whether the helicopter is now resting firmly on the ground! Another essential point, during a landing, is to check the environment of the landing site, with the possible obstables there, as during the final step, you'll have to always keep to have the landing point visually! When landing outside an airfield or an airport -which may have some dedicated landing spots for a helicopter- in a countryside landscape, for example, your landing procedure may bring you to have to avoir obstacles. Some other indications about using a landing circuit pattern are to get 70 kts and 300 ft (a speed of 70 kts is obtained through 61 percent of collective and the helicopter horizontal) as, entering the final keeps at 70 kts and then the helicopter's speed decreased decreased to 60 kts, and then to 52 kts during the final! Just check for the obstacle and keep the landing point in sight, visually

Additional Remarks About Your Flights

a helicopter flying over the Grand Canyon (non-clickable illustration)

Some additional remarks can be added to what precedes!

• once a desired speed obtained, one just keep it at that value trough the collective. This is fundamental for the takeoffs and landings!
• actions upon the controls -like already said- have to be smooth and gradual! The action upon the stick, for example, is just done through the pressure of one finger only!
• a helicopter is remaining well maneuverable at low speeds, of them, a stationnary flight! The actions on the controls have there too to be smooth!
• be cautious with decreasing the collective! A entire reduction will, eventually, cut any power to the helicopter. It just is then gliding. A helicopter however is ill-gliding!
• be cautious with any strong side wind during a flight, or during a landing! As far as your first trainings for takeoffs or landings are concerned, always perform them, when possible, with a headwind!
• the traffic pattern, with a helicopter, is performed at a altitude of 500 ft either when departing or when arriving. By the end of the base leg, one will have reached 300 ft and begin the final from there! Such values make that, generally, for a given airfield, the helicopter's traffic pattern est seemingly located inside the GA planes traffic pattern. That may be seen, for example, on the VFR, circuit charts for a terrain, with the traffic pattern for the helicopter hinted to trought the image of a helicopter. On the other hand, a traffic pattern, in a helicopter, like for the GA planes is left-handed by default

Les checklists du Bell 206B JetRanger III

Here are the checklists for the Bell 206B JetRanger III, in the FS2002 format. They may usefully be complemented and checked with real world checlists or one concerning another type of helicopter

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PREFLIGHT CHECKLIST

a preflight inspection of a helicopter is akin to the one practised about any aircraft. It consists into to check that the helicopter is fit for the flight! Like for a plane, the preflight tour of the helicopter is beginning at the nose, and proceding through the left side first

[ ] from the inside the flight deck, with triggering the battery (don't forget to have it off!): FUEL QUANTITY OK
[ ] Windshield, Windows Useful to the Pilot: CHECKED CLEAN
[ ] Landing Light: VISUALLY CHECKED OK
[ ] Pitot Tube: CLEAR
[ ] Left Side Skids: VISUALLY CHECKED OK
[ ] Static Air Probe: CLEAR
[ ] Main Rotor Transmission Actuators: VISUALLY CHECKED OK
[ ] Blade Accessible From the Left Side: attach to the rotor, leading edge, trailing edge VISUALLY CHECKED OK
[ ] Turbine's Left Intake: CLEAR
[ ] Fuel Tank Caps (Left and Below Left): CLOSED
[ ] Left Payload Bay Door: CLOSED-SECURED
[ ] Left Horizontal Stabilizer: VISUALLY CHECKED OK
[ ] Left Navigation Lights: VISUALLY CHECKED OK
[ ] Vertical Stabilizer: VISUALLY CHECKED OK
[ ] Tail Rotor: rotor's axis, each blade's leading and trailing edges: VISUALLY CHECKED OK
[ ] Tail Cross: VISUALLY CHECKED OK
[ ] Right Horizontal Stabilizer: VISUALLY CHECKED OK
[ ] Main VHF Antenna: OK
[ ] Right Payload Bay Door: CLOSED-SECURED
[ ] Fuel Tank Caps (Left and Below Left): CLOSED
[ ] Turbine's Right Intake: CLEAR
[ ] Blade Accessible From the Right Side: attach to the rotor, leading edge, trailing edge VISUALLY CHECKED OK
[ ] Right Side Skids: VISUALLY CHECKED OK
[ ] Front Antennas: OK
[ ] Engine's Oil Level, Transmission Oil Level: VERIFIES
[ ] General Visual Aspect of the Helicopter as Seen From the Front Right: OK
[ ] General Visual Aspect of the Helicopter as Seen From the Front Left: OK

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BEFORE ENGINE START CHECKLIST

[ ] Passengers Boarding: DONE, PASSENGERS DOORS CLOSED-SECURED
[ ] Pilot(s)'s Doors: CLOSED-SECURED
[ ] Pilot(s)'s Seatbelt, Harness: CHECKED FASTENED
[ ] Passengers Briefing (of Which Seatbelts): DONE
[ ] Fire Extinguisher: ONBOARD
[ ] Breakers (Upper Console): CHECKED
[ ] Flight Controls: WORKING, CORRECT AND FREE
[ ] Rudder: PEDALS ADJUSTED AND CENTERED
[ ] Cyclical: CENTERED
[ ] Collective: LOW
[ ] Gas Throttle: CLOSED
[ ] Battery: OFF
[ ] Alternateur: OFF
[ ] Electrical System Main Switch: OFF
[ ] Avionics Main Switch: OFF
[ ] Fuel Valve: OFF

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ENGINE START CHECKLIST

note: as FS2002 does not modelize a starter, the engine is starting when the battery and the fuel valve are set ON; to match reality that has to be modulated
 
[ ] Main Battery: ON
[ ] Beacon: ON
[ ] Fuel Valve: ON (to simulate, if wanted)
[ ] Collective: LOW
[ ] Rotors: FREE AND DETACHED
[ ] Caution Lights: ON
[ ] Rotors' area: CHECKED FREE
[ ] Gas Throttle: ON
[ ] Starter: ENGAGED
[ ] Gas Throttle: IDLE WHEN N1 REACHING 12-14 PERCENT
[ ] Starter: OFF WHEN N1 REACHING 58 PERCENT (in FS, the fuel valve may now be set on and triggering the engine start)
[ ] Gas Throttle: LET STABILIZE N1 DURING 1 MN, THEN CLOSED AND THE GAS THROTTLE INTO AUTO (ndfs)
[ ] Alternator: RESET then ON
[ ] Strobe: ON
[ ] N2 and Rotor Rpm: BOTH CHARGING TO THEIR NOMINAL VALUES
[ ] Hydraulic System Switch: ON
[ ] Nav Lights (when needed): ON
[ ] Electrical System Main Switch: ON
[ ] Gyroscope and Attitude Indicator Switch: ON
[ ] Altimeter Settings: DONE
[ ] Avionics Main Switch: ON
[ ] Radios Main Switch: ON
[ ] Radios: SET
[ ] Radionav Aids (when needed): SET

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BEFORE TAKEOFF, OR BEFORE GROUND EFFECT TRANSLATION, OR BEFORE TAXI CHECKLIST

[ ] N2 and Rotor: BOTH NOMINAL
[ ] N1: NOMINAL
[ ] Gas Throttle: CHECKED AUTO
[ ] Fuel Quantity: CHECKED
[ ] Alternator: CHARGING
[ ] Transmission Oil Pressure and Temperature: OK
[ ] Engine Oil Pressure and Temperature: OK
[ ] Fuel Flow: OK
[ ] Flight Instruments (airspeed, horizon, alt, compass, variometer, turn coord-turn-and-slip ind): OK
[ ] Pitot Heat: ON
[ ] Anti-Icing (when needed): ON
[ ] Radios: CHECKED SET
[ ] Radionav Aids (when needed): CHECKED SET
[ ] Flight Controls: WORKING, CORRECT AND FREE
[ ] Radio Communications, Clearances: DONE

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TAKEOFF CHECKLIST

[ ] Gas Throttle: CHECKED AUTO
[ ] Landing Lights: ON
GETTING THE HELICOPTER INTO A STATIONARY FLIGHT
[ ] Engine Gauges: CHECKED
[ ] Cyclical and Rudder: WORKING NOMINAL
TAKEOFF
[ ] Landing Light: OFF WHEN THE REGULATORY ALTITUDE REACHED
[ ] Altimeter: REGULATORY SET

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CRUISE CHECKLIST

[ ] Collective, Cyclical, Rudder: SET FOR A LEVEL FLIGHT
[ ] Rotor Rpm: 100 PERCENT
[ ] Engine Gauges: OK
[ ] Strobe: OFF
[ ] Fuel Quantity: OK
[ ] Pitot Heat: OFF or ON WHEN DEW VISIBLE BELOW 4.4 DEGREE C
[ ] Anti-Icing (when needed): CHECKED ON

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DESCENT, APPROACH AND LANDING CHECKLIST

[ ] Radio Communications (clearances, ATIS, etc.): DONE
[ ] Approach Briefing: DONE
[ ] Rotor Rpm: 100 PERCENT
[ ] Pitot Heat: OFF or ON WHEN DEW VISIBLE BELOW 4.4 DEGREE C
[ ] Anti-Icing (when needed): CHECKED ON
[ ] Strobe: ON
[ ] Fuel Quantity: OK
[ ] during the descent: ALTIMETER SET REGULATORY
[ ] Landing Lights: ON AT THE REGULATORY ALTITUDE
after landing (when needed for some items): landing lights OFF, strobe OFF, caution lights ON, pitot heat OFF, de-icing OFF

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ENGINE CUTOFF CHECKLIST

[ ] Engine: STABILIZED IDLE DURING 2 MN
[ ] Nav Lights: OFF
[ ] Gyroscope and Attitude Indicator Switch: OFF
[ ] Radios: LEAVING THE FREQUENCY, OFF
[ ] Avionics Main Switch: OFF
[ ] Collective: LOW
[ ] Cyclical: CENTERED
[ ] Rudder: CENTERED
[ ] Gas Throtlle: CHECKED AUTO
[ ] Electrical System Main Switch: OFF
[ ] Hydraulic System Switch: OFF
[ ] Gas Throttle: SHUT (ndfs; in the real world that action cuts the engine off)
[ ] Fuel Valve: OFF (that action cuts the engine off in FS)
[ ] Alternator: OFF
[ ] Battery: OFF
[ ] Blades: COME TO A STOP
[ ] Caution Lights: OFF
[ ] Beacon: OFF

the pilot then performs a external check of the helicopter: left skids, transmission actuators, blades' attaches to the rotor, horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizer, tail rotor, right skids, general visual aspect of the aircraft from the front-right/front-left

Check Those Fundamental Collective and Speed Values for A Flight!

a helicopter on the approach to land in lower Manhattan (non-clickable illustration)

• about 60-70 percent of torque / the helicopter rises up over the ground
• with a 70-75 percent of torque / the helicopter settles into a stationary flight
• about 80-85 percent of torque and 60 kts / for the climb (the collective being adjusted of 3 percent pro 1,000 ft of altitude)
• 80 percent of torque, as the speed is controlled through the cyclical, for a cruise
• 60 percent and about 85 kts for a descent from the cruise level (the collective being adjusted of 3 percent per a loss of 1,000 ft of altitude)
• 42 percent and 60 kts for an approach at a descent rate of 500 ft per minute, with a descent angle of 10-12 degrees

How the Flight Controls of a Helicopter are Working in FS2002?

In FS, the F1-F4 keys generally are used to control the collective. A joystick is figuring the cyclical (as a joystick of the form of a stick is preferable as it allows for the better simulation of a cyclical). No specific settings are required in both cases. In the case of that the helicopter you fly would have a throttle control, it's then acted usually through CTRL+F1-F4 and the power of the engine is then a percentage of the rotation speed of the turbine, which is indicated through a gauge

Some authors still add some tricks and hints to allow for an easier flight with helicopters! Thus, it would be better not to used the 'force feedback' function of a joystick as it's not useful with a helicopter. A helicopter doesn't yield the pressure it does on the stick in a plane. Thus deactivating the function brings a better realism! Rudder pedals are useful for controlling the tail rotor, or to set some easier keys than the default settings in FS for the rudder, as deactivating the automatic control of the rudder, allows for a better control of your flight. When using keys instead, just use the default-attributed keys

An action too, which however seems less necessary, is to set all commands' axes to full sensitive and all neutral zones to zero (CHECK to be able to return do defaults). When the independent tuning of a rudder is allowed, that sensitiveness is to be set to 95 percent, with the neutral zone to zero