Category Archives: Flying

Stories about flying — for pleasure or for hire — and the things I’ve learned.

Autorotation is Controlled Flight

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Clearing up something that might not be apparent to non-pilots.

Yesterday, I got the following tweet in my notifications from someone who had never tweeted at me before:

This was mind boggling to me. I replied:

His response came later in the day:

He was referring to one of my YouTube videos, R44 Helicopter Autorotation Practice. That video records my practice session with CFI Trevor Hale at Wenatchee Pangborn Memorial Airport early one July 2019 morning. What I’d hoped to accomplish with the video is to take some of the mystery out of autorotations for non-pilots and to take some of the fear of practicing and dealing with engine failures for helicopter pilots. The video shows the two of us sitting in the cockpit while I simulate one engine failure after another by cutting the throttle and disengaging the drive system from the rotor system. The only thing keeping the blades spinning is me doing what I’ve been trained and tested to do for the past 20 years: full (or almost full) down collective to reduce drag and pitch to maintain optimum airspeed and rotor RPM while flying to a suitable landing spot.

What I guess a lot of people still don’t get is that when a pilot performs an autorotation, she has full control of the helicopter and is flying the helicopter. The pilot does not become a passenger, as she would if she lost control. She can move the helicopter in any direction except up, steering it as necessary to make the spot.

Now let’s say a helicopter has a ballistic parachute system at the top of the rotor mast as this person on Twitter suggests. Can someone explain to me why a pilot might deploy this parachute, thus giving up control of the aircraft, in the event of an engine failure when autorotation makes it possible to stay in control all the way to the ground? I’m not seeing it.

Some of you might know that Cirrus airplanes have this a ballistic parachute system built in. It’s not designed for engine failures, however. It’s designed for situations when the pilot cannot control the plane to a safe landing. All pilots, regardless of what they fly, are trained to deal with engine failures during various stages of flight. If there’s nothing physically wrong with the aircraft’s flight controls or surfaces, there’s really no reason to rely on a parachute to get you to the ground safely. Start the appropriate emergency procedure and fly the aircraft to the ground.

And let’s be honest now: how often do engines fail? Bored one afternoon? Go to the NTSB’s web site and read a bunch of accident reports for airplanes and helicopters. It’s all there. How many of them were caused by engine failures? How many of them were caused by mechanical issues at all? And how many were caused by pilot error?

It isn’t engine failures that pilots should be fearing. It’s their own stupidity. (And yes, I’m a poster child for that.)

So I posted my response, challenging him to explain what I was apparently missing:

I hope I educated him and any others who don’t quite understand what happens if a helicopter engine quits and the pilot does what she’s trained to do.

Drones and Helicopters

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A short, engaging video from the UK CAA for drone pilots.

This morning, one of my Twitter pilot friends in the UK shared a one-minute video from the UK CAA that quickly and effectively told drone pilots to be look and listen for helicopters that might be flying at their altitude. Remember drone pilots are supposed to stay under 400 feet altitude (in both the UK and the US) and helicopters have no minimum altitude (at least not in the US). That means we share that space. Of course, if drones illegally (or with a waiver) fly higher, that’s even more space that we share.

I watched the video. It was excellent. A link in the tweet pointed to the “full version” and I clicked it. It’s only 3 minutes long and has the same basic message but includes some interesting B-roll footage of an EMS helicopter and operations. Something to keep watchers engaged while the message is shared. Here it is:

Again, I know this is a UK CAA production, but it applies in the US, too. And likely many other countries that have drone/UAV regulations.

When I retweeted this with a mention the FAA’s Twitter account, the FAA — to my surprise — immediately responded to a link to their YouTube playlist:

I took a look. What I found didn’t surprise me at all. It was the same dull FAA content I’ve been looking at for the past 20 years. Short slideshows that look like they were produced with PowerPoint 95, narrated with a boring authoritative voice. Screen captures of 30+ minute long webinars featuring a tiny talking head and the same dull slide shows. This is the FAA’s idea of continuing education: producing content that no one wants to watch.

See for yourself. Watch the video I embedded above. Then try to watch a few that the FAA linked to. Do you see the difference? I do.

When I critiqued the FAA on Twitter, they responded with this:

I looked at a few of these videos. Some of them are indeed better. One or two are actually pretty good.

Of course, leave it to the FAA to try to enlist me as a volunteer to help them. They have a lot of nerve. Their often absurd rules cost me money that lines the pockets of other businesses without increasing safety. The requirement for VFR-only aircraft to spend $10K to $20K to install a completely useless radar altimeter is one example. The requirement to have a mechanic remove and reinstall my doors when I need them off is another. But now I’m getting way off topic. And angry.

My point is, the UK CAA put together a short, interesting, and informative video (embedded above). We need more of that and we need the FAA — with or without industry partners — to step up to the plate and provide it.

Helicopter Flight: A Friend’s House in Wenatchee WA to Base

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A cockpit POV video from the FlyingMAir YouTube channel.

COME FLY WITH ME from my landing zone on a friend’s driveway back to my summer base near my home. The flight includes a pinnacle departure, the overflight of a cherry drying base with two Hueys — including the one I flew two weeks later and shared here — and my usual flyby of my home before the sharp descending turn to my base. This video is short and, at the end, it explains a little why I don’t think it’s so weird to run errands in a helicopter.

This is the third of three videos I shot and shared that day; I’ll hope you’ll check out the other ones:
Helicopter Flight: Malaga to Ellensburg WA https://youtu.be/HaPHzKBa8bc
Helicopter Flight: Ellensburg WA to a Friend’s House https://youtu.be/ktoUs_mIrRo

About Me and the Helicopter

  • I have been flying for about 20 years. My nearly 4,000 hours of flight time is in Robinson R44, Robinson R22, and Bell 206L (Long Ranger) helicopters.
  • The helicopter is a 2005 Robinson R44 Raven II — the same one that appears in the photo at the beginning of the video. You can learn more about them here: https://robinsonheli.com/r44-specifications/ I own this helicopter. It is the third helicopter I’ve owned since 2000.
  • My helicopter has ADS-B Out and is picked up by radar facilities. You can see my track for recent flights on Flightradar24: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n7534D This is a great site for tracking any almost any flight, including the airlines.

About the Video

  • The video was recorded with a pair of GoPro cameras, one of which is connected to the helicopter’s intercom system. (You can learn more about the video setup in this video here: https://youtu.be/0sLhvk2nIFI) Both cameras record audio, but I dialed down the helicopter sound to about 25% of normal volume so it wouldn’t be annoying. Unfortunately, because the air conditioning was on during this flight and it blows towards the camera, the sound of the air conditioning is quite noticeable in this video. (Sorry about that.)
  • The video was edited on a Macintosh using Screenflow software. Learn more about it here: https://www.telestream.net/screenflow/overview.htm
  • The intro music is by Bob Levitus, famed “Dr. Mac.” You can find him here: http://www.boblevitus.com/

I try to drop cockpit POV videos every Sunday morning and “extras” with more info about owning and operating a helicopter midweek. (Some channel members get early access to some of these videos.) I also host occasional livestreams with Q&A chats. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything new! And tell your friends. The more subscribers I have, the more motivated I am to keep producing videos like this one.

Any Amazon links on my channel are affiliate links. If you click one of them and buy something, Amazon sends me a few pennies. Enough pennies make a dollar. Enough dollars buy new equipment. It doesn’t cost you anything so I hope you’ll shop with one of those links. Thanks.

Still reading? Thanks! Maybe you’ll consider buying something from my Etsy store to help support this channel? Start here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FlyingMAir

Or better yet, to support this channel on an ongoing basis, consider becoming a member. This link will get you started: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLGD_GbGsS6YKK_Ekx0QMqQ/join

Maria Flies a Huey Helicopter

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A cockpit POV video from the FlyingMAir YouTube Channel.

COME FLY WITH ME and Stan as I take a Huey helicopter for a spin around Malaga, WA.

The backstory
I was doing some late season cherry drying and listening in on the frequency used by the few other pilots left on contract. Two of them were flying Hueys and we’d chatter back and forth a bit. At one point, I told them I’d bring pizza to their base, which I flew over occasionally: a pair of ponds on Stemilt Hill. Sure enough, right on schedule, I turned up with the pizza. That’s when I met the two pilots: Stan and Pete. Pete offered to let me try flying the Huey he had on contract, which belongs to his son’s company. I’m not a complete idiot — I said sure! This is the video I shot during that flight. It covers seatbelts on to seatbelts off, including engine startup and shutdown.

The video has a problem: the front facing camera, which was connected to the intercom system, was not configured properly so none of the intercom audio was recorded. This isn’t a big deal at the beginning, when the helicopter was quiet, but when the engine cranked up, it became impossible to hear us talk. I filled in the gaps when editing by explaining various things that were going on. The behind-the-scenes footage I recorded while setting up and turning on the cameras tells you how important it was for me to get it right and I still managed to screw up.

The helicopter is a B model Huey. Lots of folks think it’s a C model, but checking its N-number with the FAA clearly identifies it as a B model. Stan alludes to this at the end of the video. This particular helicopter was built in 1962 and saw action in Vietnam and Nicaragua. It has patched bullet holes in the back floor. It is now used for agricultural and lift jobs.

Stan is a part-time pilot who works when needed and travels the rest of the year with his significant other. He’s a really nice guy who addressed me as “ma’am” more times than I could count.

Later that day, I helped him get the helicopter on a trailer by repositioning the trailer with my truck, which happens to have the needed gooseneck hitch. I think I still owe him for the ride.

About the Video

About me
I have been flying for about 20 years. My nearly 4,000 hours of flight time is in Robinson R44, Robinson R22, and Bell 206L (Long Ranger) helicopters. This was my first time flying a Huey.

I try to drop cockpit POV videos every Sunday morning and drop “extras” with more info about owning and operating a helicopter midweek. I also host occasional livestreams with Q&A chats. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything new! And tell your friends. The more subscribers I have, the more motivated I am to keep producing videos like this one.

Any Amazon links on my channel are affiliate links. If you click one of them and buy something, Amazon sends me a few pennies. Enough pennies make a dollar. Enough dollars buy new equipment. It doesn’t cost you anything so I hope you’ll shop with one of those links. Thanks.

Still reading? Thanks! Maybe you’ll consider buying something from my Etsy store to help support this channel? Start here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FlyingMAir

Or better yet, to support this channel on an ongoing basis, consider becoming a member. This link will get you started: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLGD_GbGsS6YKK_Ekx0QMqQ/join

Helicopter Flight to the Gorge Amphitheater

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A cockpit POV video from the FlyingMAir YouTube channel.

COME FLY WITH ME as I take my helicopter from Wenatchee Pangborn Memorial Airport to Cave B Inn and Resort to pick up some passengers for tours. Along the way, I give you a special VIP “backstage tour” of the Gorge Amphitheater on the last morning of the Watershed event there.

Throughout this video, I mention making a video of the return flight and I did — or I THOUGHT I did. One of my cameras crapped out on me a few minutes into that return flight so I only have footage from one camera — sadly, the one facing me. The trouble with recording video while flying a helicopter is that I really can’t pay ANY attention to the cameras. They say pilots need to handle workload in this order: Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. Monitoring video cameras is not on that list so unless the camera stops working literally before my eyes — as it did in my recent Ellensburg to a Friend’s House video (https://youtu.be/ktoUs_mIrRo) — I’m probably not going to be able to see or fix it. Lately, this has been happening entirely too much, making about 20% of my flights unusable for sharing on YouTube. Ouch. I’m trying to figure out what’s going wrong so I can fix it on the ground and get you more content without me spending a lot more of my money on flight time.

About Me and the Helicopter

  • I have been flying for about 20 years. My nearly 4,000 hours of flight time is in Robinson R44, Robinson R22, and Bell 206L (Long Ranger) helicopters.
  • The helicopter is a 2005 Robinson R44 Raven II — the same one that appears in the photo at the beginning of the video. You can learn more about them here: https://robinsonheli.com/r44-specifications/ I own this helicopter. It is the third helicopter I’ve owned since 2000.
  • My helicopter has ADS-B Out and is picked up by radar facilities. You can see my track for recent flights on Flightradar24: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n7534D This is a great site for tracking any almost any flight, including the airlines.

About the Video

  • The video was recorded with a pair of GoPro cameras, one of which is connected to the helicopter’s intercom system. Both cameras record audio, but I dialed down the helicopter sound to about 25% of normal volume so it wouldn’t be annoying. Some viewers say they want to hear it so there it is.
  • The video was edited on a Macintosh using Screenflow software. Learn more about it here: https://www.telestream.net/screenflow/overview.htm
  • The intro music is by Bob Levitus, famed “Dr. Mac.” You can find him here: http://www.boblevitus.com/

I try to drop cockpit POV videos every Sunday morning and drop “extras” with more info about owning and operating a helicopter midweek. I also host occasional livestreams with Q&A chats. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything new! And tell your friends. The more subscribers I have, the more motivated I am to keep producing videos like this one.

Any Amazon links on my channel are affiliate links. If you click one of them and buy something, Amazon sends me a few pennies. Enough pennies make a dollar. Enough dollars buy new equipment. It doesn’t cost you anything so I hope you’ll shop with one of those links. Thanks.

Still reading? Thanks! Maybe you’ll consider buying something from my Etsy store to help support this channel? Start here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FlyingMAir