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    Flying Small Helicopters
    Flying Small Helicopters
    Flying Small Helicopters
    Ebook110 pages1 hour

    Flying Small Helicopters

    By Helen Krasner

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    About this ebook

    This is a collection of former flying instructor Helen Krasner's flight test articles, which were originally published in 'Today's Pilot' and some other aviation magazines. The first in a proposed series of four books, this one looks at the smaller helicopters on which most people learn to fly, such as the Robinson R22, R44, Schweizer 300CBi, and Bell 206 JetRanger. Each helicopter is described in detail, with an account of Helen's personal experiences of what it is like to fly it for the first time. It is thus much more than a theoretical textbook account. There is also a section on the history of each type, and detailed specifications. Where possible, a photo of each helicopter is included.

    This book is aimed at anyone interested in helicopter flying, whether they already fly helicopters, hope to in the future, fly models, or simply find rotary aircraft fascinating. It would also make an excellent gift for any rotary enthusiast. It contains a great deal of detail, and is over 27,000 words in length.

    Future books will cover flying 'Popular Helicopters', 'Historic Helicopters' and 'More Unusual Helicopters'.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHelen Krasner
    Release dateJul 25, 2013
    ISBN9781301071395
    Flying Small Helicopters
    Author

    Helen Krasner

    Helen Krasner worked as a helicopter instructor for several years, instructing for various flying schools on Robinson R22s and R44s. She has also flown a large number of other helicopter types, held a private pilot's licence for aeroplanes, and has had a go at flying microlights, gliders, and balloons. Helen has been writing professionally for many years and contributes regularly to a number of aviation publications. She was nominated for an Aerospace Journalist of the Year award in 2004, for an article about flying helicopters in Russia. She has also had several books published, both print and ebooks, mainly – though not exclusively – on aviation related topics. She is also a former Newsletter Editor for the BWPA (British Women Pilots' Association). You can find out more about Helen, including details of all of her books, on her website, helenkrasner.com.com.

    Read more from Helen Krasner

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      Book preview

      Flying Small Helicopters - Helen Krasner

      Flying Small Helicopters

      (Collected Rotary Flight Test Articles, 2004 – 2011, Vol I)

      By Helen Krasner

      Published by Helen Krasner at Smashwords

      Copyright Helen Krasner 2012

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

      Preface

      In 2004, Helen Krasner was invited by the Editor of the magazine Today’s Pilot to fly some different helicopter types and write some flight test articles for the magazine. The first – on the Schweizer 300CBi, and included in this book – was well received, and this was the beginning of a series of regular features on different helicopters over the next few years. Each described a different helicopter in some detail and explained what it was like to fly it, and the articles continued until 2011. At that time the magazine was incorporated into Pilot magazine, so Helen carried on writing for them, and still does so occasionally.)

      This means that to date she has flown and written about around 30 different types of helicopter, from small training machines to large corporate aircraft, from old civilian machines to modern military helicopters. This gives her an almost unique overview of the different types of rotary machine. She has now decided to publish these articles in book form, as a series of four.

      This first book looks at eight of the smaller helicopters, generally those on which most people learn to fly or which they might buy as a first helicopter after completing the PPL(H) course. Each type is described in detail (around 3,000 words); then Helen explains what it feels like to fly it for the first time. Finally there is a short history of most of the types, and detailed specifications. A photo of each helicopter is included wherever possible. The whole book is over 27,000 words in length.

      The three later books will cover ‘popular helicopters’, ‘historic helicopters’, and ‘more unusual helicopters’. It should be noted that these divisions are quite loose, even arbitrary, since some helicopters could fit easily into two or more categories. However, this seemed to be a reasonable way to split them up.

      Helen has been flying for many years, and until recently held a Commercial Helicopter Pilot's Licence and Instructor's Rating.  She also has a Private Pilot’s Licence for Aeroplanes, and well over 1000 hours flying time in total.  Until recently she worked as a freelance helicopter instructor, flying mainly R22s and R44s.

      Helen writes about helicopters and other aviation-related subjects for a number of publications and websites, and she is also a former Newsletter Editor for the BWPA (British Women Pilots’ Association). She was nominated for one of the Aerospace Journalist of the Year Awards in 2004, for an article about Flying Helicopters in Russia. She has published two print books about helicopter flying – The Helicopter Pilot’s Companion (Crowood Press 2008), and Flying Helicopters: A Companion to the PPL(H) (Crowood Press 2011). In addition she has compiled four other ebooks, comprised of her regular articles which have been published monthly since 2006 in Flight Training News. Finally, Helen has also written and published a book about a five thousand mile walk around Britain which she undertook some years ago (Midges, Maps, and Muesli). All of these books, both print and digital, are widely available.

      If you enjoy this book, take a look at Helen’s other books, look out for the others in this series, and feel free to contact Helen at helenkrasner2@gmail.com.

      Contents

      Chapter One: Robinson R22

      Chapter Two: Robinson R44

      Chapter Three: Bell 47G -3B-1

      Chapter Four: Schweizer 300CBi

      Chapter Five: Rotorway Exec 162F

      Chapter Six: Enstrom 280FX

      Chapter Seven: Bell 206B JetRanger III

      Chapter Eight: Hughes 500C

      Chapter One: Robinson R22

      Click to Return to Table of Contents

      In 1973 a young helicopter pilot and engineer called Frank Robinson founded the Robinson Helicopter Company (RHC), and changed the world of helicopter flying for ever. His aim was to develop, manufacture, and market a light two-seater helicopter which would be affordable for the private owner, and a mere two years later he had done it. The R22 first flew at Torrance Airport in 1975, and the first production model was delivered just over four years later, with the price for the basic model being a fairly reasonable $40,000.

      Suddenly, rather than being only for the mega-rich, helicopter flying was relatively affordable. Right from the start, the new little machine attracted a great deal of attention in the helicopter world. So it was hardly surprising that rotary flying schools, keen to reduce the cost of training and attract new students, began to take an interest in this new helicopter. Now, according to helicopter folklore 30 years after these events, Frank Robinson was initially absolutely horrified at the idea of his new little helicopter being used for ab-initio training. Apparently he had envisaged the R22 being used as personal aerial transport, but only by experienced helicopter pilots. He did not think that his twitchy, sensitive little R22 was suitable for new students to learn on, and he said so. But Frank had started something with his affordable rotary aircraft, and the flying schools weren’t about to let it go, just like that. They began to buy R22s, and people began to learn to fly them from scratch. The R22 grew in popularity; by 1981, 100 helicopters had been delivered, and by 1985 there were 500. The little helicopter’s role expanded into other areas - radio and television reporting, aerial photography, personal and business transport, and cattle mustering. And in January 2006 the 4000th R22 was sold, to Australian distributor Heliflite.

      Despite its growing popularity – or maybe because of it - in the early days the R22 developed something of a reputation for being unsafe. There were a worrying number of accidents, and although many people said that they were primarily due to the relatively large number of inexperienced pilots flying the new little machine, mud began to stick, and the R22 became controversial. Was it safe, people asked, especially as an ab-initio training machine? Possibly to counter these criticisms, Frank Robinson launched a number of initiatives designed to increase safety. RHC began to hold regular safety courses for R22 flight instructors, in the USA students were not permitted to go solo in the R22 without a certain number of hours, and restrictions were placed on low hours pilots buying an R22 from the factory and immediately flying it home. Either these measures worked, or people became used to flying the R22, or both. At any rate, the accident rate reduced, and the R22 lost its dubious reputation. Well…almost, anyway. People wanting to learn to fly helicopters still…wonder. Should they learn on the popular, easily available, and relatively inexpensive R22? Or should they go for something larger but more expensive? Would another helicopter type be more comfortable, easier to fly – and most importantly, safer?

      Like the majority of rotary pilots these days, I learned to fly on the R22, and most of my rotary flying hours are on this helicopter type. This means that to me the R22 is familiar and like an old friend. I like it, no matter what its foibles and limitations. So I have to confess to a certain amount of prejudice when discussing this particular helicopter type. Nevertheless, I well remember my first impressions, when being led out to an R22 for my trial lesson many years ago. In company with many people, I could not believe how small and fragile-looking the helicopter was. And I did find myself wondering…was this such a good idea after all?

      The pre-flight checks on the R22 help to reassure a nervous pilot, for they are quite simple and straightforward, and all the crucial components are easily visible. Unlike with many larger helicopters, everything is within easy reach without lugging round a step-ladder or doing something resembling a mountaineering act in order to reach the rotors. A cowl door on the pilot’s

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