Comments on: Not Ready for Solo? http://www.aneclecticmind.com/2009/07/30/not-ready-for-solo/ Web site and blog for Maria Langer, freelance writer, commercial helicopter pilot, and serious amateur photographer. Thu, 24 May 2012 16:44:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Maria Langer http://www.aneclecticmind.com/2009/07/30/not-ready-for-solo/#comment-2697 Maria Langer Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:59:57 +0000 http://www.aneclecticmind.com/2009/07/30/not-ready-for-solo/#comment-2697 Donald: The odd thing about this is that all her helicopter time is in an R44! It's not as if she stepped up from a lower-powered helicopter and wasn't accustomed to the power. It should be interesting to see how the NTSB concludes this and how their "probable cause" is worded. I've been thinking hard on this one and can't figure out any way the crash could have been caused other than pilot error -- an error caused by ignorance in how the flight controls work. Donald: The odd thing about this is that all her helicopter time is in an R44! It’s not as if she stepped up from a lower-powered helicopter and wasn’t accustomed to the power.

It should be interesting to see how the NTSB concludes this and how their “probable cause” is worded. I’ve been thinking hard on this one and can’t figure out any way the crash could have been caused other than pilot error — an error caused by ignorance in how the flight controls work.

]]> By: Donald Perreault http://www.aneclecticmind.com/2009/07/30/not-ready-for-solo/#comment-2696 Donald Perreault Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:56:55 +0000 http://www.aneclecticmind.com/2009/07/30/not-ready-for-solo/#comment-2696 Exactly, what I thought as I was reading it, "why the hell is she raising the collective?" I've only flown an R44 once and I almost over shot my first landing spot in a cranberry bog. However, unlike the female pilot I pulled back cyclic to slow the R44 down our airspeed and had to reduced collective to hit my spot. I was amazed as to how much more power the R44 had compared to the R22. My problem was I had not had enough time in the R44 and was trained & licensed in R22. After a couple landing I got used to the huge difference in power. Exactly, what I thought as I was reading it, “why the hell is she raising the collective?” I’ve only flown an R44 once and I almost over shot my first landing spot in a cranberry bog. However, unlike the female pilot I pulled back cyclic to slow the R44 down our airspeed and had to reduced collective to hit my spot. I was amazed as to how much more power the R44 had compared to the R22. My problem was I had not had enough time in the R44 and was trained & licensed in R22. After a couple landing I got used to the huge difference in power.

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