| Having spent over 20 years as a commercial | | | | reciting a whole litany of the traits both common to the |
| helicopter pilot the author has the following | | | | helicopter and my instructor as well as some |
| observations to make: | | | | comments about their habits and ancestry. Meanwhile |
| The first time I ever flew a helicopter I thought to God I | | | | the instructor was sitting in his seat with howling |
| was trying to stir a cake. | | | | laughter. |
| The second time I flew a helicopter I was convinced I | | | | After flying all over the sky for about an hour I finally |
| was stirring a cake. The helicopter seemed to have a | | | | managed to get the helicopter to fly on the straight |
| mind of its own because no matter what you did on | | | | and level. I probably learned more about flying a |
| the controls it took a helicopter about a second and a | | | | helicopter in that one hour then I learned in all the rest |
| quarter to make up its mind that your command on the | | | | of my training flights. |
| controls is what you really wanted. This is called a time | | | | As we approached our destination the instructor took |
| the lag common to all helicopters. You don't know how | | | | over the controls again and landed the helicopter. Then |
| long a second and quarter is until you've flown a | | | | he finally told me why he would not take the controls |
| helicopter. | | | | back form me; because he wanted me to gain my |
| We were at about 1000 feet and my instructor turned | | | | own confidence of the helicopter. He felt that had he |
| to me and said, "Here you take the controls I'm sick of | | | | taken the controls back I would never fly a helicopter |
| flying." I quickly grabbed the controls as the nose of the | | | | again. He was right! |
| helicopter was heading toward the ground, so I pulled | | | | Flying a helicopter is a much different proposition than |
| back on the cyclic stick; nothing happened, so then I | | | | flying an airplane. With an airplane you can set up the |
| pulled even further back on the stick. All of a sudden | | | | trim tabs and the airplane will pretty much fly itself. A |
| the helicopter having a mind of its own decided I really | | | | helicopter on the other hand will fly the pilot. It is much |
| wanted the nose to go up, so the nose went up until | | | | more difficult to fly a helicopter than an airplane |
| the helicopter was almost pointing straight up into the | | | | because it takes an entirely different set of skills. The |
| heavens. At this point I pushed forward on the cyclic | | | | only way you can learn these skills is by experience. |
| stick. This is the stick used to steer a helicopter. The | | | | The helicopter has more controls than an airplane. The |
| nose kept going up into the wild blue yonder, I panicked | | | | collective stick you hold in your left hand, and use it to |
| as the nose kept going up, and shoved the cyclic stick | | | | make a helicopter to go up and down by pulling up or |
| even further away from me to make the nose go | | | | pushing down on the stick. This actually changes the |
| down. All of a sudden down went the nose straight | | | | pitch of the main rotor blades by changing the amount |
| toward the ground, with that I pulled back on the stick. | | | | of bight they have on the air. The same stick also |
| The nose kept going toward the ground. I pulled back | | | | controls the throttle that is like a motorcycle throttle |
| on the stick, and the nose continued going toward the | | | | that you operate by twisting. The starter button is |
| ground, so I pulled the stick even further. All of a | | | | often on the very tip of the stick and engages the |
| sudden the nose started rising again toward the | | | | starter when you push it down. The cyclic stick |
| heavens. | | | | controls the attitude of the helicopter; or more |
| Meanwhile my fellow passenger who was supposed | | | | specifically the attitude of the main rotor. The final |
| to be my instructor was sitting over in his seat laughing | | | | control that you use is the rudders. They control the |
| his head off. He wouldn't tell me what was wrong all | | | | direction in which the helicopter flies. These controls |
| he did was to keep laughing, and laughing. His laughter | | | | are on the floor towards the front of the cabin, and |
| made me mad, so I decided that I'd have to dope the | | | | they are operated by your feet. They actually operate |
| thing out all by myself. The instructor was just sitting in | | | | the pitch of the propeller that is at the rear of the |
| his seat convulsed with laughter. For the next 60 miles | | | | helicopter; this is actually called the tail rotor. |
| by working with the rudder pedals I was able to keep | | | | Now we have explained what happened when I first |
| the course of the helicopter reasonably straight, but I | | | | started flying a helicopter, and the controls that you |
| continued flying like a porpoise, up-and-down while | | | | have to use to fly a one. |