Adding Helicopter to my Commercial Gyro rating

Michael- Glad to hear you had your first lesson. Way to go! You sound like you will catch on fast. You seem to be a real calm type, and very detailed. I have no doubt you will become one of the better helicopter pilots someday. If the bug bites you, there is nothing like it. Congratulations, and I will look forward to your future posts. You are such a neat guy, and I am very happy for you. Stan
 
Congrats Michael. Keep the posts coming, I'm eager to follow along with you.

-- Chris.
 
Thanks for the good wishes. I hope to get up again soon. I don't want to wait long to get more practice. It is still strange and new to me but I am learning fast. As long as things continue like they did in the first lesson I should have good control of the bird after 5 to 7 lessons. Then we can focus on emergencies and prep for the test.
 
Hi Michael,

Can't wait to read that you passed your Commercial Add-on Checkride! As much as I enjoyed reading every week about Stan working towards his rating, I'm equally excited in reading about your progression!

Pleasure to meet and chat with you at Mentone!

Wayne
 
Another 1.3 hours in the R44 today. Total 3.8

I can now hover for as long as I want but it is not steady. I am also doing pedal turns during the hover. I had no problems in the taxi until a gust of wind caught me just prior to taking the runway. My approaches were much better and I was able to convert from forward motion into the hover.

I am feeling very good about my progress. The instructor says we will be going out to do more air work and to get an introduction to the emergencies soon. I don't know how to feel about that but am excited to continue the adventure.

I have the next lesson set for tomorrow afternoon.

One of the big differences I have found is control sensitivity. Particularly the pedals. It takes almost no force to move the cyclic or the pedals. I think this is one of the big sources of over control during my transition. The last thing to go will be my stiff legs. It takes so much force for me to move the pedals on the gyro that I am hard on the pedals. I am getting better but it will be the last thing to go.
 
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Michael- I enjoy reading your helicopter training experiences. You won't have any problem. A helicopter is very hard to fly at first, but its simply amazing how your brain starts hard wiring your reactions as you gain experience, and they turn out to be easier and easier to fly. It was and is the most fun I have ever had with a machine. I am forever ruined. Keep the progress coming, you will be an excellent helicopter pilot. Stan
 
Michael Burton Keep writing the way you are. People like to read and know about all the ups and downs , good and not so good when a man tries to fulfill his desire to fly a helicopter. It is never an easy road and most guys never tell the whole story. But most people want the whole story. Keep telling it. You remind me a bit of Stan's writing style. We are with you all the way , through the fun and the crap. A lot of crap gets in the way when men want to fly. Nevertheless sometimes a few of us get off the ground.
 
Micheal I don't mean to give you tips but reading your progress sounds as if you were right in line with the syllabus. Your progress seems like perfectly normal and you will become faster on the pedals as time goes by. Yes helis are way more sensitive and having powered rotor system exaggerates every little input you make on the controls. Try to roll your fingers for a looser grip and flex your calves a few times for loosening up for the foot work. You'll be just fine with having Air time experience already you can concentrate on the behavior of the machine. Fly safe and don't try to rush it :)
 
The helicopter was not available today so I took the gyro up and played around a bit. It was fun to do the vertical descents with slow spinning turns. I don't think I will ever loose the desire to fly the gyro. I do like the helicopter but see the gyro as the fun ride. Part of it is just how easy it is to fly and how it make me feel like I am flying and not just riding in the machine. I am sure the helicopter will be more like this as I gain experience but it just has more restrictions and takes more effort to fly.
 
Gyro mtg and BBQ was today. I flew Brian Birds gyro. We did about 5 introductory flight lessons and some fun flying.
 
link to more photos of my first lesson in the Helicopter
 
I got another .8 yesterday. We had some trouble getting into the hanger as the combo had changed and it took some of the time we would have flown. We did some Settling with power entries and recovery and the instructor demoed an autorotative glide. It was a bit different than I expected. We then went back to the airport for some approach to hover and hover practice.

I still have a hard time slowing down on approach. I was able to come to a hover at the planned position but the instructor did not like how fast I came in. Both the descent rate and the forward speed were higher than he liked. The second two approaches were much slower and made me a bit uncomfortable but the instructor was happy.

I would like to get more hours of practice in a week but things tend to get in the way. My plan is to get about 6 hours in a week for the rest of the training.
 
Mike- You are doing great. I love reliving my helicopter training through your experiences. Once you get the feel of the helicopter....I am sure once you acquire the feel for the helicopter....you will agree with me that there is nothing easier to land under power than a helicopter. You can tuck those machines in the most confined areas. You can come in with a steep approach...a shallow approach....come roaring in low...and do a quick stop....level the skids and land...etc. They are just the cats meow to fly in my opinion.

Your schedule of getting 6 hours a week will get the feel that much quicker. I drug my training out because I wasnt in a big hurry getting my rating. Once I got my rating,...I sure wasnt going to be shelling out $240 an hour for an R22....but instead just wait till mine was finished..

Stan
 
Wish I had a Helo of my own. That helicycle looks like the cats meow to me.
 
Finally got back up in the chopper. Yesterday I did my first pickups and set downs. That was fun and interesting. We also did pinnacle and restricted area operations. I am starting to get some comfort at the controls. Today the wind at the airport is 25kts g35kts. It is straight down the runway but it should be fun.
 
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Michael- I enjoy reading your progress. It brings me back to when I was taking lessons. I was amazed how one can not fly for many months and hop right back in, and you hardly notice it. Good luck with the rest of your experience while you obtain your helicopter rating. Its a good feeling having it! Stan
 
We decided it was a bit rough to start out at our airport this morning with the gusty winds. I let the instructor take it out of the hanger area and onto the runway. He then gave me control and we did a max performance take off. We were indicating 45kts and holding position over the runway. With the cold air we did not get anywhere close to max power. It climbed like a rocket. Next we went to Provo (PVU) and did some pattern work and stop and go / running landings. I hate to lower the nose like that at the end it just feels wrong. It also make a lot of noise as it slides to a stop.

I am up to 7.3 hours. The hover is starting to feel natural and easy. Pick ups are not a challenge but set downs require a bit more finesse. The set downs are ok but mine are rougher than the instructors so I need a bit if work to feel good.

All in all things are progressing well.
 
Took me a while to get hover auto's coordinated. But after a while it all comes together.

Running landings didn't bother me. Just the airport manager who didn't like all the skid marks on the taxiways.
 
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