Join me on my 6th lesson in a Robinson R44 Raven 2! Today we’ll be practicing 4 different types of emergencies and learn how to manipulate the controls in these situations. As my instructor Bjorn says, this might be the most fun part of learning how to fly a helicopter.
1:55 Hydraulic failure= Most helicopters use hydraulics to reduce the force needed to move the controls. When you loose hydraulic pressure, you’ll have to fly the aircraft using much more force to move the controls. This makes handling more difficult.
6:32 (electrical) Governor failure= A governor is a device or system which controls engine power output such that the main rotor maintains a constant RPM. When the pilot raises collective, putting more pitch on the blades, and thus increasing the power required, the governor system would add more fuel to the engine such that the extra power required is exactly balanced by extra power output. The result is that even though power required goes up and down, the rotor RPM remains constant. During a governor failure you have to control the RPM’s yourself, which becomes quite difficult when you need to land.
11:15 Stuck pedal= when you are unable to move the pedals and manipulate the tail rotor. This means manipulation around the vertical axis must be done with power (torque).
14:32 Autorotaion= simulated engine failure. A condition of helicopter flight during which the main rotor of a helicopter is driven only by aerodynamic forces with no power from the engine. It is a manoeuvre where the engine is disengaged from the main rotor system and the rotor blades are driven solely by the upward flow of air through the rotor.