Tag Archives: helicopters

Helicopter Flight: Autumn at Mission Ridge & Wenatchee

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Two videos from the Flying M Air YouTube channel.

COME FLY WITH ME as I take a flight in the Wenatchee area to show off the autumn colors. There are two versions of this video, as I explain in both videos:

The cockpit POV version of my Autumn at Mission Ridge & Wenatchee flight enables you to reference the instruments as I talk about them:

If you check out this video at 7 AM PT on Sunday, November 3, 2019, you’ll be able to participate in a “Premiere,” which includes live chat as I watch the video with multiple viewers. (It’s fun!)

The nosecam version of my Autumn at Mission Ridge & Wenatchee flight gives you a complete, unobstructed view from the nose of the helicopter

Some notes about this video (one of which applies to the cockpit POV version only):

Start to 4:20 – Yes, the carbon monoxide detector light is on during the beginning of this flight. I had been idling on the ramp for a while before the flight and when the wind blows just the right (or wrong?) way, it blows enough exhaust into the cockpit to trigger that very sensitive detector. I had opened the main (front) vent prior to starting the video and later, at 3:20, opened the vent on my side door. The light went off at around 4:20 and I closed that side vent. It really was cold!

9:50 – Hear the difference in the sound of the helicopter? I’ve reduced power and slowed down and what you’re hearing is called “blade slap.” It goes away when I pick up speed beyond around 80 knots as I start my descent.

12:40 – I’m descending at 1700 feet per minute! That’s about the same as an autorotation.

14:30 – The top end of Pitcher Canyon is on my right.

15:08 – Sorry about the throat clearing sound. I thought I edited them all out.

19:30 – There is no control tower at Wenatchee. Pilots use the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) to report location and intentions in flight. This is NOT required but is highly advisable. (Technically, a radio is not required at all for Part 91 operations at Wenatchee.)

20:15 – Yes, I can make what’s called a “quick stop” or turn very sharply away from the runway to avoid traffic there. I always look both ways and make a call before crossing the runway. If a plane is landing or taking off, I’ll usually alter my course to pass behind it.

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 Hero 7 cameras (https://amzn.to/2Lxyzwl). The cockpit POV view comes from a camera mounted on the bar between the two front seats, which is part of the helicopter’s frame, using a MyPilotPro (https://mypilotpro.com/shop/?wpam_id=13) Helicopter Mount (https://mypilotpro.com/product/helicopter-gopro-mount/?wpam_id=13) in conjunction with a few customized RAM mount components. (I’ll do a show and tell about my camera mounts in another video.) The nosecam view comes from a camera mounted on the nose of the helicopter. That camera contributed ambient sound to both versions of this video, which includes wind, engine, and rotor noise, from the camera’s built-in speaker and has been incorporated into this video at 25% normal volume.
  • Narration was done using a Røde Podcaster microphone (https://amzn.to/2IFnbNr) connected to a Macintosh. I recorded the narration while I was watching the video in the editing software because the in-flight audio feed did not work.
  • 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.

Some links on my channel are affiliate links, including all links to Amazon (https://amzn.to/32PLHTD). If you click one of them and buy something, I get a small referral reward. It doesn’t cost you anything so I hope you’ll shop with one of those links. Thanks.

Want to see YOUR name on the member list? I do, too! Becoming a member financially supports this channel and gets you a handful of benefits — including discounts on merchandise in my Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/FlyingMAir) — on an ongoing basis. The Join button or this link will get you started: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLGD_GbGsS6YKK_Ekx0QMqQ/join

Helicopter Flight Controls: The Collective

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Another video from FlyingMAir’s YouTube Channel.

This is the second in my Helicopter Flight Control series covering the four flight controls in a helicopter. In this video, I show you the collective and how it controls main rotor blade pitch. Then I take you for a flight and demonstrate two landings and a takeoff, as well as how I can reduce/increase speed without descending/climbing. Although I don’t provide details about the cyclic, it does play a part in this video; hold your cyclic questions for that video, okay?

One thing I failed to make clear in this video: the collective controls the manifold pressure in a Robinson. It does this because the collective is tied to the throttle through the use of a correlator and electronic governor. So when I “pull pitch” — lift the collective — the throttle automatically increases to compensate for the additional drag of the blades at a higher pitch setting. When the throttle increases, the manifold pressure increases. Because of this, it’s common to use the manifold pressure setting to indicate the collective pitch setting even though manifold pressure is an engine indicator and not a main rotor blade indicator. I hope that makes sense to you; it should when you watch this entire video and listen to my manifold pressure references.

BIG DISCLAIMER: I am not nor have I ever been a flight instructor. The purpose of this video is not to teach you how to fly a helicopter. It’s simply to explain, mostly to non-pilots or fixed wing pilots, what the collective control does. If you want more information, I strongly urge you to consult the Helicopter Flying Handbook, which is FREE on the FAA Website: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/helicopter_flying_handbook/ You’ll find Chapter 3 especially informative.

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 Hero 7 cameras (https://amzn.to/2Lxyzwl), one of which is connected to the helicopter’s intercom system with an NFlightCam audio cable (https://amzn.to/31syLTm). Both cameras record audio, but I dialed down the helicopter sound to about 25% of normal volume so it wouldn’t be annoying.
  • The camera mounts are MyPilotPro Spider Mounts (https://amzn.to/2BnbcQv” target=”_blank”>https://amzn.to/2BnbcQv and https://amzn.to/2Muou3N) which are made specifically for aircraft operations. Utilizing three suction cups, they make it possible to mount cameras on rounded surfaces. You can see one of the mounts in the video near my vertical compass. For more information about camera mounting options for aircraft, visit https://mypilotpro.com/; I will be reviewing these mounts in an upcoming video.
  • The video was edited on a Macintosh using Screenflow software. Learn more about it here: https://www.telestream.net/screenflow/overview.htm
  • Additional audio in this video was recorded in Screeflow using a Røde Podcaster microphone (https://amzn.to/2IFnbNr).
  • 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 and turn on the notification bell so you don’t miss anything new! And tell your friends. I’m trying hard to deliver good videos and grow my subscriber base.

Any Amazon links on my channel are affiliate links (https://amzn.to/32PLHTD). 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.

If you’re not a subscriber, please subscribe and click to turn the notification bell on. Then share the videos you really like with your friends and family so they can enjoy them, too.

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: Autumn at Rock Island Creek

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A cockpit POV video from the FlyingMAir YouTube channel.

COME FLY WITH ME as I take my Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter (Mr Bleu) and Penny the Tiny Dog for a flight over the fall colors at Rock Island Creek, north of Wenatchee. This is a narrated cockpit point of view video that starts and ends at Wenatchee airport. Along the way, I’ll be cruising at about 100 knots and flying close to treetops in a deserted canyon.

This video was shot after recording some footage for other videos about helicopter flight controls, so I’ve already got the engine running as I’m sitting on the taxiway at the beginning of this video. Although audio was recorded using the camera facing me, that camera also cut off the top of my head — I think it shifted during my final adjustment — and you don’t need to see me anyway, so I didn’t include much of that video. (Except at the end, for those who watch the whole thing.) Instead, I use all footage from a single camera mounted over the passenger seat with a new camera mount. I had a little trouble with the cameras before the start of the flight so they’re not aimed quite the way I like them to be. Sorry.

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 Hero 7 cameras (https://amzn.to/2Lxyzwl), one of which is connected to the helicopter’s intercom system with an NFlightCam audio cable (https://amzn.to/31syLTm). Both cameras record audio, but I dialed down the helicopter sound to about 25% of normal volume so it wouldn’t be annoying.
  • The camera mounts are new in this video. They are MyPilotPro Spider Mounts (https://amzn.to/2BnbcQv and https://amzn.to/2Muou3N) which are made specifically for aircraft operations. Utilizing 3 suction cups, they make it possible to mount cameras on rounded surfaces. You can see one of the mounts in the video near my vertical compass. For more information about camera mounting options for aircraft, visit https://mypilotpro.com/; I will be reviewing these mounts in an upcoming video.
  • 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 and turn on the notification bell so you don’t miss anything new! And tell your friends. I’m trying hard to deliver good videos and grow my subscriber base.

Any Amazon links on my channel are affiliate links (https://amzn.to/32PLHTD). 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.

If you’re not a subscriber, please subscribe and click to turn the notification bell on. Then share the videos you really like with your friends and family so they can enjoy them, too.

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: Fog in the Cascade Mountains

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A cockpit POV video from the FlyingMAir YouTube channel.

Sit on the nose of my old helicopter as I fly over the Cascade Mountains and its fog-filled valleys. There’s some narration in the beginning; you can apply your own music.

This “Flashback Friday” video is an 11-minute clip from about 90 minutes of footage shot from takeoff in Wenatchee Heights (WA) to landing at Hillsboro (OR) Airport in July 2012. The flight was done on one of those very rare occasions when I could fly a direct, straight line route – normally, there are low clouds in the Cascades that force me to go around them to the south. You can find a montage of clips from the entire flight in a video I released back then, “Helicopter Flight from Wenatchee to Hillsboro” at https://youtu.be/hnIbY2y69Ug.

I remember this flight like it was yesterday. I had to take the helicopter to Hillsboro for a 100-hour inspection and needed to rush back to Wenatchee to finish cherry season. In this segment, I’m flying over the Cascade Mountains and the valleys below me are full of fog. I had taken off just after dawn and the mountain ridges cast long shadows ahead of me. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Back in July 2012, my divorce had just begun and it wasn’t in its crazy ugly stage yet. At this point in the flight, I recall thinking how much my future wasband would have enjoyed the flight and I was sad about that. (Now I can’t help thinking what an idiot he is and how much better off I am without him. Oh, well. Time does heal all wounds.)

I was also a little uneasy on this part of the flight. Flying VFR on top – which means flying in visual flight rules conditions over clouds – is not something I do very often. Helicopters normally fly quite low and I’m seldom above the clouds. I remember being surprised to see the fog and then nervous with the realization that if I had to make an emergency landing I wouldn’t be able to see my landing zone as I descended. But isn’t all that fog just wonderful to behold?

This was also memorable because it was Penny the Tiny Dog’s first helicopter flight. She was about 5 months old at the time and I had no idea how she would react. I put her in the front seat on a leash that would prevent her from getting into my controls. But after I started up, she just curled up in her bed on the seat and went to sleep. She slept until I began my descent at Hillsboro.

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. This was my first R44, which was lost in a crash back in 2018. You can learn more about R44s here: https://robinsonheli.com/r44-specifications/ I owned this helicopter and now own another one very much like it, but blue. I’ve owned a helicopter since 2000.

About the Video

  • This video was recorded in 2012 with a GoPro Hero 3 camera mounted on the nose of the helicopter. Audio comes from the camera’s built-in speaker and has been incorporated into this video at 20% normal volume.
  • The video was stabilized prior to editing in iMovie software. Although I don’t like to edit in iMovie, it does have decent stabilization. If you compare this video to more recent nosecam video (for example, “Helicopter Nosecam Flight: Dawn on the East Side of the Cascades #2” at https://youtu.be/HXBznbtc54U), however, you’ll see that a GoPro Hero 7 Black shoots much more stable video than a Hero3.
  • Narration was done using a Røde Podcaster microphone (https://amzn.to/2IFnbNr) connected to a Macintosh. I recorded the brief narration while I was watching the video in the editing software.
  • 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.

Any Amazon links on my channel are affiliate links (https://amzn.to/32PLHTD). 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: Up the Wenatchee River

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A cockpit POV video from the FlyingMAir YouTube Channel.

COME FLY WITH ME as I celebrate the launch of channel membership with a flight up the Wenatchee River to Leavenworth and beyond. You’ll see the Columbia and Wenatchee Rivers, Malaga, Wenatchee, East Wenatchee, Monitor, Cashmere, Dryden, Peshastin, Leavenworth, and Icicle Creek with a glimpse of a waterfall in the Icicle Gorge. I make a sharp turn you can’t do in an airplane before starting back.

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 Hero 7 cameras (https://amzn.to/2Lxyzwl), one of which is connected to the helicopter’s intercom system with an NFlightCam audio cable (https://amzn.to/31syLTm). Both cameras record audio, but I dialed down the helicopter sound to about 25% of normal volume so it wouldn’t be annoying. For this video, I also had a GoPro Hero 3 mounted on my Jeep to record my departure from the ground. The audio from that was dialed down to 25%, too.
  • 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 (https://amzn.to/32PLHTD). 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.

If you’re not a subscriber, please subscribe and click to turn the notification bell on. Then share the videos you really like with your friends and family so they can enjoy them, too.

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