Quote:
Originally posted by rockhopper
Steve was flying an R44.
I've done a few hours in an R22 and based on what i have learnt about them since i dont think i'll be doing any more! If you look at the AAIB site there are two or three incidents involving R22's each month.
Lets just say that they have some very "interesting" handling characteristics. Loss of engine power is one issue. In certain circumstances you've got two seconds to lower the collective before the rotor speed decays to a dangerous level.
Its was great fun at the time though! |
I know what you're saying Rockhopper but most of the R22's reputation for mechanical failure comes from it's early days of development. Apparently these days only 7% of crashes come from mechanical failure and the Lycoming 0-320 engine is regarded by most pilots as pretty bullet proof.
Most of the R22's reputation as a crasher comes from the fact that it makes flying training relatively affordable, so it's used as a training machine which by definition is going to have more incidents caused by rookie pilots.
Mind you...we did have one incident just before I took control. The instructor said "oops..we've got a small visitor" and there was a bee crawling up the inside of the canopy. The instructor handed me a heavy flight log book and told me "just kill it". So I swatted it and it fell into the footwell. I knew it was dead because a lot of it was smeared onto the perspex but the instructor did seem concerned about where it had gone. When we landed he told me he was allergic to bee stings.
Jeez....I thought! That's all you need...first time up in a helicopter and the prospect of having your pilot go into anaphalactic shock. Could it have been an amazing story of how a first time pilot landed safely with a comatose instructor? No...I think we'd have died!