Two of the pilots in this video are no longer alive. One did die while flying (over 10 years ago--this is an old video), but on a simple training flight with no bold maneuvers attempted, a rare case of unexplained mechanical fault as opposed to the usual operator error. The other, my dad, died of a heart attack in his sleep, at the young age of 68, back in 2009. I guarantee you that he would have been doing this into his 80's had his heart not given up on him. He was very safe, and bold. :)
Technically, if you successfully enter and auto, yes it is safer at that point, but you have about 1.5 seconds to completely lower the collective depending on where it is or your RPM will drop below 80% and you'll get rotor stall. Flying helicopters is awesome, i'm a student. Go for it. It's not 100% safer in general though, there are many more things to worry about.
Also, keep in mind weather and how many choppers are available, blade swaps, engine overhauls, damage from other students can delay your training unless you are at a school with multiple whirlybirds. I recommend a video from Sporty's Pilot Shop entitled "So You Want To Fly Helicopters" it will give you a through overview of what to expect. If you are looking to it as a career, let me say this...Whitehouse passes moratoriums on Oil drilling the helo jobs left! To get in to EMS you will need
The one I fly has 114 HP. But honestly, it flies beautifully. My only complaint is how long it takes the motor to spin up the rotors, provided you don't want to dump the belt clutch at power... which I don't recommend ever doing. The one I fly NOW has 160 hp.
***** I'm assuming you are talking about settling with power. You need: power, greater than 300fps decent, and less than ETL airspeed. He is in autorotation so no power is being used, therefore no settling with power. Hope that clears it up for ya.
@bucknaked466f having piloted this aircraft and aircraft from the bell and sikorsky models i am entitled to an opinion and other than the rpm governor im not the robinsons biggest fan the death trap statement was sarcasim no aircraft (other than the v22) approved is really a death trap man so kindly pump your brakes and stop being so sensitive Ralph Tresvant
nope, just stating the obvious. If anyone did their research on the Robinson, that opinion would be void. Stating that the R22 is a death trap just proves to everyone that your don't know anything. Good luck with your flying career.
a minimum of 1500 turbine time (jet powered helicopter hours) and about 500 of that night time. A Jet Ranger on a good day will run you $1000/hour w/ an instructor so you do the math. If for a hobby then you're looking at $250/hour sometimes cheaper if you buy in 10 hour blocks. Hope I've shed some light since no one answered you.
Outstanding Pilots . Great Skills. unfortunately for many of us bigger guys, we can't fly in the R22. Max weight per seat of 109kgs. The R44 however is 144kg per seat. It is also more expensive in every aspect to operate. Thanks for Sharing
I fly one of these, I wouldn't mind attempting some of these stunts but saftey comes first. In a way I wish I had an airfield all to myself with no other aircraft so I could really practice and learn to handle the r22. I can fly reasonablely but got plenty more hours to go. Since i've been learning to fly, I really respect these guys much more than someone that hasn't tried to fly.
The R22 can barely do all of this. It definitely isn't something I'd attempt in a flapping rotor, piston aircraft. There's a reason most people who get into real helicopters refuse to fly in a Robinson.
I would call this show an aerobatic routine. I'm both a veteran helicopter pilot and fixed wing pilot. I've done "real" aerobatics in both and while these in the video are limited to positive G maneuvers it remains a great aerobatic show. Most people use the FAR 91.307 definition for aerobatics which is out of context. This FAR is for the use of parachutes and defines flight attitudes of pitch and bank in excess of 30 and 60 degrees. Look at FAR 91.303 instead states abrupt changes in attitude
@rapidcolt You're completely correct, and the R22 is a responsive, challenging and fun thing to fly. My criticisms are based largely and perhaps unfairly on the basis that it looks so utterly gay. Not that a 300 is exactly Airwolf, but it feels more like what I had in my head in the 30 years of dreaming that one day I'd learn to fly helicopters. I take your point that if you can fly an R22 you can fly anything, though. I'm demented to progress to an MD500 so for me, the 300 makes more sense.
Umm... great guys and a nice display. A lot of skill on display. I'm not a big fan of the R22, though - too light, flimsy, fidgety and it looks like it was built in a shed out of a kit. It is the least impressive looking flying machine after a hang-glider. For training, I insisted on a Schweizer 300 as I felt like I was in a chopper rather than a large R/C kit. That said, I know it's fun to fly and the guys in this clip did a great job.
I suspect you have a little negative on your collective. It didn't seem like you needed much forward air speed to spin up the blades. Do you have special modifications? Rc heli's have full negative collective, so we can auto straight down in a pinch. I know real heli's aren't designed to take stresses like the hobby counterparts, so it seems negative pitch is to be avoided.
trexinvert no you havent any negative on the collective. The only Helo i know is the Eurocopter Tiger, But the only Reason it have it, is to push it on the ground on a ship. Search in UA-cam about a Zero Speed Autorotation...
I have flown the Robinson quite a bit and yes it is expensive. It can be less expensive if you study your materials, are ready for your ground school by being ready 4 that lesson, and make sure safety is #1 in your instruction. There are special rules for the Robinson Helicopter as seen above vs. say a Schweitzer helicopter. If you already have your fixed wing license transition may be quicker and easier for you as you will know many of flight rules, systems, as well as the flight gauges.
I'm a new chopper pilot with only about 80 hours. For anyone that doesn't know, these guys are really pushing these R22's to the edge of their performance envelope, and doing it oh so well. What an awesome video to watch. I start my commercial training in a few hours, and we certainly won't be doing any of these maneuvers lol!
@rapidcolt WOW 170 hours, Thats a lot of flying, I've done about 14 so far in a r22. I'll soon be going solo, practised loads of different exercises, Slope landings, Engine off auto to power recovery. Lots of emergencys. I seemed to be able to hover from day 1 so its a good advantage. I enjoy flying it, although I hated it one time when I had about 30-35 knott winds and downwind and crosswind were such a handful with the tail rotor effectiveness.
Nice one! I will ask my instructor to let me try some of these maneuvers hehehe specially that when reading the helicopter's manual it states that any Acrobatic Flight is prohibited hahahah
Ye[p (was joke. I know that real helicopter rotor assemblies cannot take negative g force and don't have negative pitch. Heck, the R22/44's suffer from boom strikes as a result of low g pushovers.)
If the engine fails, and an autorotation landing needs to be performed, why not immediately pull the collective up to full pitch of the blades and flare with the cyclic near the ground?..Would that work?.....thanks
Gary Vale Pulling the collective up increases the pitch of the blades which puts drag on them, slowing them down. Eventually they will stop turning and you'll have no lift. By dropping the collective you are putting as little drag on the blades as possible and keeping them rotating for longer, the still turning rotor disk then acts as a sort of parachute and the air being forced through the rotor disk by the forward flight is keeping it turning. You then trade the last remaining energy in the rotor disk for lift at the flare just before touchdown to give you a softer controlled landing.
+Gary Vale Pulling up the collective immediately would cause a catastrophic blade stall, the whole mess (with you in it) assumes the aerodynamic qualities of a brick. The low RPM horn in the Robinson comes on at 97% RPM, I think they said at the course that below 82% the rotor decay becomes exponential and you are doomed. Robinson's have a low inertia rotor system, so getting the collective down immediately is ingrained from the first few hours of training. That, and what 98abaile said :) Also the centripetal forces on the blades make them rigid, once you break that laminar airflow over them and they stall they will "tulip", which means just like it sounds. They fold up from the blade root and look like a tulip.
Too bad indeed. :( Jim (my dad) participated in the Vertical challenge many times, and I wish he was still alive to share his love of flying with the world!
saulsebrook If you're talking about when he enters the auto rotation, you can only enter VRS if you're in powered flight. During an autorotation you have no downwash so you can't get into VRS.
I had no idea an R-22 was so .... uhm, dynamic, I guess? Crazy flying. That was awesome!
It is crazy but look up helicopter mustering in Australia
Two of the pilots in this video are no longer alive. One did die while flying (over 10 years ago--this is an old video), but on a simple training flight with no bold maneuvers attempted, a rare case of unexplained mechanical fault as opposed to the usual operator error. The other, my dad, died of a heart attack in his sleep, at the young age of 68, back in 2009. I guarantee you that he would have been doing this into his 80's had his heart not given up on him. He was very safe, and bold. :)
Sorry to hear about your dad Amy, I just started helicopter training and this video is a hell of an inspiration.
To all you fellow pilots: Remember that piloting is basically a glorified desk job. Gotta exercise if you want to fly into your 80s.
Im sorry about your dad. Do you know anyone in the US that can fly like that and willing to teach it?
These guys are awesome!
I am surprised that these fragile dragonflies perform so graceful figures !
Et bravo the pilots!
Technically, if you successfully enter and auto, yes it is safer at that point, but you have about 1.5 seconds to completely lower the collective depending on where it is or your RPM will drop below 80% and you'll get rotor stall. Flying helicopters is awesome, i'm a student. Go for it. It's not 100% safer in general though, there are many more things to worry about.
Also, keep in mind weather and how many choppers are available, blade swaps, engine overhauls, damage from other students can delay your training unless you are at a school with multiple whirlybirds. I recommend a video from Sporty's Pilot Shop entitled "So You Want To Fly Helicopters" it will give you a through overview of what to expect. If you are looking to it as a career, let me say this...Whitehouse passes moratoriums on Oil drilling the helo jobs left! To get in to EMS you will need
Too bad we couldn't get you guys out to KSQL for Vertical Challenge 2012 to put on a display!!
this should be the first page anyone hits after searching 'fun' on google
Nice
Lol, "The Screw Up" -- best maneuver name ever
do they make r-22's with the control between the legs or are they all like that?
amazing machine.
Dear Santa....
The one I fly has 114 HP. But honestly, it flies beautifully. My only complaint is how long it takes the motor to spin up the rotors, provided you don't want to dump the belt clutch at power... which I don't recommend ever doing.
The one I fly NOW has 160 hp.
Thats just awsome amount of flying done. I would love to have a ride in the heli to learn exactly what it can really do with jim at the contorls.
@michaelking42 it was his heart, not cancer.
Are these r22s standard models or modified?
Standard.
They are very safe, until you have a low rpm failure.
That’s why you don’t get into low RPM, and why you train and train your emergency procedures! , reduce collective and maintain attitude.
***** I'm assuming you are talking about settling with power. You need: power, greater than 300fps decent, and less than ETL airspeed. He is in autorotation so no power is being used, therefore no settling with power. Hope that clears it up for ya.
very good to watch but imagine CBi 300 ahhh wat a spectical go CBi300 hmmm impartial much?
@bucknaked466f having piloted this aircraft and aircraft from the bell and sikorsky models i am entitled to an opinion and other than the rpm governor im not the robinsons biggest fan the death trap statement was sarcasim no aircraft (other than the v22) approved is really a death trap man so kindly pump your brakes and stop being so sensitive Ralph Tresvant
Just no 0G
nope, just stating the obvious. If anyone did their research on the Robinson, that opinion would be void. Stating that the R22 is a death trap just proves to everyone that your don't know anything. Good luck with your flying career.
Curious why someone would give this less than 5 stars?
Phenomenal flying, shame he's no longer with us.
Nice skills. I immediately thought, he has to be an Army Vietnam pilot.
a minimum of 1500 turbine time (jet powered helicopter hours) and about 500 of that night time. A Jet Ranger on a good day will run you $1000/hour w/ an instructor so you do the math. If for a hobby then you're looking at $250/hour sometimes cheaper if you buy in 10 hour blocks. Hope I've shed some light since no one answered you.
You want a lot of hours? The main pilot in this video, Jim Cheatham, had over 20,000 hours of flight time. :)
Man I would be afraid to do stunts in a R22 it's not the strongest of birds
Outstanding Pilots . Great Skills. unfortunately for many of us bigger guys, we can't fly in the R22. Max weight per seat of 109kgs. The R44 however is 144kg per seat. It is also more expensive in every aspect to operate. Thanks for Sharing
That's sooooo cool!!! Im learning in the r22, i had no idea it could do all those maneuvers!!?
Ok if you have a million hours they can do that. I fly the r-22 no way could I do that.
@bucknaked466f oh no another internet tough guy...well you threw a nice keyboard insult do you feel better about yourself now
must be close to mast bumping in some those negative G manoeuvres, I thought the R22 had a semi-rigid rotor system? anyone?
Still can't do a low-G pushover. Unload that rotor disc and you're in trouble.
😂😂
I fly one of these, I wouldn't mind attempting some of these stunts but saftey comes first. In a way I wish I had an airfield all to myself with no other aircraft so I could really practice and learn to handle the r22. I can fly reasonablely but got plenty more hours to go. Since i've been learning to fly, I really respect these guys much more than someone that hasn't tried to fly.
I’m interested in becoming a helicopter pilot, how many hours does it take to get a helicopter private pilot license? Thanks
tell robinson to fix that crazy control stick
I'm a student pilot and I fly R22. I never thought R22 can do this. Just wow!
Just don't do that.
The R22 can barely do all of this. It definitely isn't something I'd attempt in a flapping rotor, piston aircraft. There's a reason most people who get into real helicopters refuse to fly in a Robinson.
Don't try this at home.
I still like watching these old videos and i was on the team for 4 years!
Could you flip a R22 like an old Hughes 269 or Schweizer like a saw.
everything in life is a death trap .. WTF stay inside thats still a death trap .. life is a death trap .. shut up and fly
awesome vid BTW
@elchinalex its not acrobatic or aerobatic. In that case all ag helicopter would be breaking the law and POH at every ag turn.
@cmnesnah
Dear cmnesnah the problem would rise should you ... wouldn't be scared! There's where real danger bears.
I would call this show an aerobatic routine. I'm both a veteran helicopter pilot and fixed wing pilot. I've done "real" aerobatics in both and while these in the video are limited to positive G maneuvers it remains a great aerobatic show. Most people use the FAR 91.307 definition for aerobatics which is out of context. This FAR is for the use of parachutes and defines flight attitudes of pitch and bank in excess of 30 and 60 degrees. Look at FAR 91.303 instead states abrupt changes in attitude
@rapidcolt You're completely correct, and the R22 is a responsive, challenging and fun thing to fly. My criticisms are based largely and perhaps unfairly on the basis that it looks so utterly gay. Not that a 300 is exactly Airwolf, but it feels more like what I had in my head in the 30 years of dreaming that one day I'd learn to fly helicopters. I take your point that if you can fly an R22 you can fly anything, though. I'm demented to progress to an MD500 so for me, the 300 makes more sense.
Umm... great guys and a nice display. A lot of skill on display. I'm not a big fan of the R22, though - too light, flimsy, fidgety and it looks like it was built in a shed out of a kit. It is the least impressive looking flying machine after a hang-glider. For training, I insisted on a Schweizer 300 as I felt like I was in a chopper rather than a large R/C kit. That said, I know it's fun to fly and the guys in this clip did a great job.
tjtg i hope you don't got put 144kg on a R44 seat.... i think maybe you should re read the flight manual.
I suspect you have a little negative on your collective. It didn't seem like you needed much forward air speed to spin up the blades. Do you have special modifications? Rc heli's have full negative collective, so we can auto straight down in a pinch. I know real heli's aren't designed to take stresses like the hobby counterparts, so it seems negative pitch is to be avoided.
trexinvert no you havent any negative on the collective. The only Helo i know is the Eurocopter Tiger, But the only Reason it have it, is to push it on the ground on a ship.
Search in UA-cam about a Zero Speed Autorotation...
I have flown the Robinson quite a bit and yes it is expensive. It can be less expensive if you study your materials, are ready for your ground school by being ready 4 that lesson, and make sure safety is #1 in your instruction. There are special rules for the Robinson Helicopter as seen above vs. say a Schweitzer helicopter. If you already have your fixed wing license transition may be quicker and easier for you as you will know many of flight rules, systems, as well as the flight gauges.
@drpeppero3 no they are all like that. But dont let it deter you, you wont notice it when your flying the R22
I'm a new chopper pilot with only about 80 hours. For anyone that doesn't know, these guys are really pushing these R22's to the edge of their performance envelope, and doing it oh so well. What an awesome video to watch. I start my commercial training in a few hours, and we certainly won't be doing any of these maneuvers lol!
The only real killer if low rotor rpm and negative G pushovers, those to things will get you killed fast.
Yes it is a semi rigid rotor system... And remember you only get mast bumping if you try correcting for the roll with lateral cyclic vs AFT cyclic.
@rapidcolt WOW 170 hours, Thats a lot of flying, I've done about 14 so far in a r22. I'll soon be going solo, practised loads of different exercises, Slope landings, Engine off auto to power recovery. Lots of emergencys. I seemed to be able to hover from day 1 so its a good advantage. I enjoy flying it, although I hated it one time when I had about 30-35 knott winds and downwind and crosswind were such a handful with the tail rotor effectiveness.
Wish you could perform in Oregon Airshows getting tired of those stiff wing pilots
ÓTIMA APRESENTAÇÃO, SHOW.
@drpeppero3 there is nothing wrong with how the R22 has it's controls set up, it is just more comfortable.
Awesome flying........Need this at Oshkosh :-)
That was Jim Cheatham. He passed due to a heart condition.
Wondering if they ever screw up the "screw up" :D
Very cool stuff, hope to do this some day!
Way cool!! My favorite Valkyrie music too!!! Good you don't have to sit on your helmet though.
Nice one! I will ask my instructor to let me try some of these maneuvers hehehe specially that when reading the helicopter's manual it states that any Acrobatic Flight is prohibited hahahah
It’s not considered aerobatics.
i flew this death trap today man i miss the s 300
My favorites are "Main Rotor Separation," and also "Loss of Tail Rotor Authority."
China Sailor 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Sheer skill, with a lot of fun added in. Thanks guys.
Question is, can they do a tick toc? :p
Ye[p (was joke. I know that real helicopter rotor assemblies cannot take negative g force and don't have negative pitch. Heck, the R22/44's suffer from boom strikes as a result of low g pushovers.)
No they can't 😉😉😉😉😉
What happened to him?
wooooow...
what aerobatics
i want to do that
@unclesara how so?
that is sweet
Nice Flying
impress good vid xD
If the engine fails, and an autorotation landing needs to be performed, why not immediately pull the collective up to full pitch of the blades and flare with the cyclic near the ground?..Would that work?.....thanks
Gary Vale Pulling the collective up increases the pitch of the blades which puts drag on them, slowing them down. Eventually they will stop turning and you'll have no lift. By dropping the collective you are putting as little drag on the blades as possible and keeping them rotating for longer, the still turning rotor disk then acts as a sort of parachute and the air being forced through the rotor disk by the forward flight is keeping it turning. You then trade the last remaining energy in the rotor disk for lift at the flare just before touchdown to give you a softer controlled landing.
thanks ..now I understand...
+Gary Vale Pulling up the collective immediately would cause a catastrophic blade stall, the whole mess (with you in it) assumes the aerodynamic qualities of a brick. The low RPM horn in the Robinson comes on at 97% RPM, I think they said at the course that below 82% the rotor decay becomes exponential and you are doomed. Robinson's have a low inertia rotor system, so getting the collective down immediately is ingrained from the first few hours of training. That, and what 98abaile said :) Also the centripetal forces on the blades make them rigid, once you break that laminar airflow over them and they stall they will "tulip", which means just like it sounds. They fold up from the blade root and look like a tulip.
you'll just slam like a rock from the sky
Too bad indeed. :( Jim (my dad) participated in the Vertical challenge many times, and I wish he was still alive to share his love of flying with the world!
How does he descend vertically so fast without getting into VRS
saulsebrook If you're talking about when he enters the auto rotation, you can only enter VRS if you're in powered flight. During an autorotation you have no downwash so you can't get into VRS.
hi what do you think of the H300
I take it you don't know how hard helicopters are to fly.
There are "old pilots" and there are "bold pilots"..but there are no "old bold pilots".....watching these guys it is just a matter of time.
most amazing heli flying i've ever seen and 3 of them flying in formation.
wow, that takes a lot of skill !!
Glad you enjoy it, its called autorotation
Very awesome show.. does anyone know are there any rotor shows like this any more ?
WOW. One of the pilots looked like the AG guy in Day in the Life of helicopters video. Amazing pilots.
"I flew this death trap today" may be hard to interpret as a joke.