General Autorotation questions

DAL2855

Banned
Yeah for sure! But once you actually perform a couple and get the hang of how to handle the controls, it's not too awfully scary unless you would have to do it for real because of an engine failure or something like that!
 
you notice it in the rc world, but so many more controls... Planes just seem so much easier to fly!! haha
Although as much as i've seen some plane pilots do wonderful things in their craft, what some of the chopper pilots have done, my goodness they are good!
 

Dirk

Member
Autos in a full size are scary at first, but you do get used to it. In the R22, it gets critical during the flare. You have to ensure that your rotor rpm is high enough (top of green on the rotor rpm gauge) because once you level out by pushing your cyclic forward to get the skids level, you have to start pulling collective to stop the descent. The problem is that the R22 is a low blade inertia heli and you run out of rotor rpm instantly. In the R44 or the Jet Ranger, there is more blade inertia which makes it a little more forgiving.

You eventually get used to doing autos. My instructor drilled it into my head. He used to cut the throttle at at various times during the flight. The actions become natural. After all, your life depends on you getting the auto right.
 
this is very true.
I love hearing the stories from pilots of things their instructors have done to them during tests.
Makes me wish i had the money to be able to do the flight training for helicopters now.
I will get my ultralights licence one day, but heli would be awesome
 

DAL2855

Banned
Here in the U.S. there is no ratings for an ultralight aircraft. But they do have alot of restrictions on what you can do and what you can't do. There is the Sport Pilot rating But that is taken usually in something like a Cessna 152 or 160. Experimental aircraft or Ultralights as most people call them don't require any kind of ratings at all.
 

Tony

Staff member
Yup, over here we can strap an engine to our butt with some kind of wing (as long as it's light enough) and fly just about anywhere. Maybe I should get me an ultralight to take to work... :scratchchin:
 

DAL2855

Banned
I have been looking at them Tony on ebay and for me they are all just too far away to go get and a little too expensive for my liking but yeah I was thinking about getting one seriously!
 
There are more regualations over here, and there is a bunch where you can and can't fly. You do need to have a license to fly them. I think the load on the heaviest ultra light is about 750kg fully loaded with fuel luggage and passengers.
I was going to build a corsair ultralight at some stage.... well hoping to. I think I've worked out that should be able to be done for under 20k.
I think you can buy an ultralight fairly cheap over here, or spend heaps as well.
 

DAL2855

Banned
Yeah for a cheap ultralight flying over here, you'd be looking at around 4500.00-20,000.00 depending on what kind you want. And these don't require a license, but do have alot of restrictions on what you can do and what you can't do with them!
 
I know here there is no aerobatics, can't fly over populated area, can only fly within your glide ratio over water and I think you're limited to 5000 feet if I remember correctly, unless a building mountain etc comes up that is larger than 5000 feet.
there are obviously a bunch of others as well like stall speeds etc but I can't think of them off the top of my head.
It would be cool though to have one.
One day maybe hopefully... It was part of the reason I got into rc, so I could practice build a few designs before I get one big enough to let me in and fly it myself...
corsair with a 13b in the front of it hehehe
 

DAL2855

Banned
Here you have to stay away from anything higher than Class C airspace, not sure of altitude restrictions, daylight only, and mode C xndr and can only fly in VFR weather clearing clouds by 2nm horizontally and 1k ft vertically, clear of buildings and structures as usual 2000 ft horizontally, 1000ft vertically. I am sure there are others these are just the ones I know right off the top of my head.
 
Yeah they sound similar to the ones we have here, but here you have to have the plane registered, and checked by an engineer as you're building it.
But yeah like you said, there are a bunch of other ones around that would take more research to find out. Which I would do when the time comes

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Yeah they sound similar to the ones we have here, but here you have to have the plane registered, and checked by an engineer as you're building it.
But yeah like you said, there are a bunch of other ones around that would take more research to find out. Which I would do when the time comes
 

DAL2855

Banned
Yeah definitely, but here they only have to be registered, but as far as I know, but I don't know for sure, they don't have to be checked at all by an engineer. But I could be wrong I dunno. Haven't looked that far into it!
 
Yeah.... It's been a while since 'I've looked into it, and i know some things have changed.
just want to get stuck into this hobby and get some consistent air time lol
 

DAL2855

Banned
Yeah me too! That's why I'm buying another bird next week and possibly a second new bird! I have the bid on it on ebay right now. An Align 550E DFC Pro kit minus the electronics. Hopefully I win the bid on it! I really wanna build something bigger than the 450!
 
I have a mate offering his 500 with all the bits minus rx align 500e with the flybarless head on it already, he wasn't $600 for it.
So I'll prob pull the trigger on that, then save the pennis for a 6HV and then a goblin 700.... well that's the heli wish list though...
Plane wish list is something different altogether
 

DAL2855

Banned
You wouldn't believe what I have the bid for right now on this 550E DFC Pro kit! I have it for 51.00 right now, I know I probably won't get it for that kind of price but hopefully I can get it for around 200.00-300.00!
 

DAL2855

Banned
Yeah I would love to get it for the current bid but I know better! There are way too many people out there looking for this bird! But yeah I would be rolling on the floor laughing if I get it for that kind of bid!
 
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