Welcome!

I have over three years of experience and around 180 hours flying these helicopters, including Robinson R-22s, R-44s, and a Bell 206B2 JetRanger. This experience has been gained flying over 13 different aircraft over half a dozen cities in two continents.

This briefing is to help you relax and be aware of what to expect.

Ehud's Helicopter Passenger Briefing 101 - THE BASICS

The Purpose of our Flight

The Quick Summary

• We're going to have fun. Prepare to relax and enjoy scenery very few people enjoy.
• There are only three simple rules:
1. Do not ever touch the controls.
2. Do not unbuckle your seat belt until I say those exact words.
3. Do not open your door until I say those exact words.
• There's limited under-seat storage and no glove compartment. Expect to have camera in hand and nothing else :)

What to Bring

• Closed-toe shoes. In the unlikely event we set down somewhere, we don't want cactus in your feet.
• A camera if you want to take pictures
• A (frozen?) bottle of water to keep you cool before and after the flight (stowed during flight)
• Sunglasses and a cap to shield your eyes from the glare.

The rest of the stuff

You do not need to read this unless you're interested

I will repeat the important parts of this during preflight and prestartup procedures.

Safety and Enjoyment

• Safety is paramount. Please do not unbuckle your seatbelt or open the door until I say so in those words.
• Your enjoyment is the goal of our flight. Talk to me. I'm human. I speak English. Tell me the SECOND you feel unwell.
• The aircraft is safe and fun. Don't worry about equipment/engine failures, because in the unlikely event we'll just find a spot to set down, keep the rotor spun up, and have a great landing. That's called an "Autorotation."
• If either door is off... remember, the tail-rotor likes to eat loose objects. Don't have any loose objects :)
• Always feel free to ask questions. It's better to ask and know than stay silent and not.
• We do not expect an engine failure, but we fly at 500 feet above ground level (AGL) for two reasons. First, so that IF we have such an event we have plenty of time to react. Second, at 500AGL we avoid most antennas or towers. For that reason we don't "hover" in a spot above something... but rather orbit around it. If you want to hover over something let me know ahead of time and I'll do so at 1000ft above that point (temperature and weight depending... if it's hot and we're heavy... that might not be an option).

The Goal - Expanded

Our helicopter is more cramped than the car we took to the airport, but usually people are more comfortable and do not get sick. Even people who get carsick fly fine in a helicopter.

Helicopters are MY hobby but not yours. That means if YOU are not having a good time we need to get you safely to the ground... and I will fly later :) Okay? If you are not comfortable either flying OR saying "I'm not having fun" you need to rethink if you want to try and fly. Being a passenger on a luxury airliner is one thing (you have to do it) but in a private helicopter you have a choice :) Exercise it :)

If you are not having fun then it is a great idea to tell the pilot (me) and let's call an end to it. I'm not into torturing my passengers, and you're not into being tortured. If you are we can discuss that on the ground.

Personal story: A friend I gave a ride to was uncomfortable and did not fess up. He only told someone else after the flight. If he ever asks to ride again we will have one of those "daddy lectures". Seriously. If something is NOT 100% COMFORTABLE then tell me then. I CAN do something to fix it, change the situation, help acclimate, or return to base.

The R-22 vs the R-44

When an R-44 becomes available, it's a four-seater, and the passenger weight limitation with me in it is around 340lbs. Usually then an instructor comes along for insurance reasons.

In the R-22 I'll be in the right-hand seat and you'll be in the left-hand seat. When you want to see something I'll orbit it so you can see it best. In the R-44 the instructor and I will be in the front and you'll have a wonderful side view out of either the left or right side.

Right now (Feburary 2012) I have been checked out to rent 3 R-22s from two different flight outfits in Tucson and Las Vegas, and 1 R-44 in Las Vegas. Depending on our flight there will be different ways to get there. These are summarized below.

What to wear

• Closed-toe shoes. If we have to set down somewhere and walk to the nearest road, shoes help :)
• Comfortable clothing. If it's hot, shorts and a T-shirt. If it's cold, a sweatshirt. You'll want to take it off and stow under the seat before flight though, as the plexiglass bubble cabin gets comfortable quickly. So far this theory has tested well to 44F (7C).

What to bring

• Sunglasses. In a car we have a roof and tinting to keep direct sunlight out of our eyes. In the helicopter we have neither because we do want unobstructed vision. Finally there won't be a horizon or mountains to protect your eyes from direct sunlight.
• Water if you want to drink. In summertime I recommend freezing a bottle of water the night before (take some water out as the ice will expand and burst the bottle otherwise.)
  
• If you must drink during flight bring a "camel bag" you can hang on your front.
• Camera.
• Cap if you want to keep your eyes shaded so you can enjoy the view!

What to expect

• AT ALL TIMES you can ask questions!!!
• We will go out to the helicopter. Be excited -- you're out on the tarmac where the US TSA has heart attacks about civillians :) Your job at this point is to relax...
• I will do the preflight check. Your job at this point is to enjoy the scenery, breathe in the cool air, and relax.
• After preflight it could be a time for stress but it's not. Instead it's a time to relax, and sit down in your assigned seat, and buckle yourself in with the 1970s seatbelt buckle... and... you guessed it... relax!
• If we're in sight of other helicopters I may "go crazy" and want to take pictures. If the helicopter is taking off... I may point out things I find interesting... try and bear with me :)

The Intercom

With one exception (below under "EXCEPTION:") do not ever interrupt other people talking, even if it's Air-traffic-control. Just pretend someone hit the "PAUSE" button on our conversation. Resume after the interruption.

What this means is if ANYONE ELSE is talking then STOP IMMEDIATELY and wait... and when there's no talking... wait another second or two to make sure I don't want to respond to something someone said... and then resume :)

If I hold up a finger it likely means "STOP TALKING NOW, PLEASE."

The startup and stuff

• In the two-seater R-22 I will give a preflight briefing. It will include such things as "don't touch the controls" and "don't use the fire extinguisher!" :) If you aren't sure what to do it's because there's nothing you need to do :) I will take care of things! Please DO NOTHING!!!!
• In the four-seater R-44 I will give you a preflight briefing. The gist of it is that you should tell me if you're getting sick or uncomfortable. Don't be a hero. I'd rather land a short flight and not clean the helicopter than do a long flight and clean it up...
• You will put on the headset... and we will make sure that communication works, and then will start up the engine and the main-rotor. Please relax... just don't exit the aircraft until I say to do so :)
• EXCEPTION: When flying, if you see another aircraft or a bird about to hit us... please tell me. Here's that exception to interrupting: If you see a bird or an aircraft PLEASE interrupt and say "bird at 11 O'clock" or "plane at 9 O'clock" or whatever it is. 12 O'clock is where 12 is on the watch dial (right in front of us), 6 O'clock is behind us, etc.
• RELAX and ENJOY yourself. You're getting a rare treat and the best way to enjoy it is to look outside, and savor the view. If you are height-sensitive (I'm afraid of heights!) then look horizontaly, not close by or straight down.

More STUFF YOU DO ***NOT*** NEED TO KNOW -- The startup tests

• Magneto test. The magnetos are devices which make the spark plugs spark. Magnetos are cool because they create spark in the spark plugs from the moving engine so they do NOT need the alternator or battery or coil to work. In other words if the alternator dies and the battery discharges, the engine keeps on going, unlike a car. We only need one, as it fires plugs in all the cylinders. That's why we have two. In the test, what we do is switch from having both fire, to first just the right magneto, and watch for no more than 7% RPM decline in 2 seconds... then back. Then we switch to just the left magneto and watch for the same. This tells us that we could safely fly if we lost either magneto.
• Carb Heat test. If the difference between the temperature and the dewpoint is fairly close (11C) and there is visible moisture (clouds) then we want to make sure that the carburator venturi doesn't ice up. This can happen even at 80F (27C)... because the air speeding up into the venturi makes it get really cold. We allow exhaust-heated air in, instead of ambient air, and prevent this problem. That's carb-heat. The test is switching to it and seeing the carb inlet temp go up.
• Sprague Clutch test. This is where we see if we can roll off throttle but have the main-rotor RPM stay up. The two normally display the same RPM but we want to ensure an engine failure won't cause the rotor to stop. The "sprague clutch" is a one-way clutch, so that the engine can spin the rotor... but the rotor can spin freely by itself. It's also called a "free-wheeling clutch". The gist of it is that this is what allows us to do the "auto-rotation".
• Low rotor-RPM warning system. We have a warning horn and light that should come on when the main-rotor RPM starts to decay. We want to make sure that happens. We'll raise throttle above 80%, let the computer ("governor") take it to the green band, and then raise a bit of collective and roll off throttle to get the horn at 97% main-rotor RPM.

That's it!

Special Requests

In simple words PLEASE TALK TO ME!!! Tell me what you want. If you're happy say so. If you're not, say so. If I ask you why, please tell me so I can correct it!!!

We also may have specific goals for this one flight, but diverting here or there won't hurt anything or anyone. This means if you want us to go two miles north and overfly your house JUST ASK!!! Nobody will be hurt. Worst case we'll either not be able to do it, or Air Traffic Control won't let us. BEST case we WILL do it :) So ask!

Safety Repeated or Danger! Danger! Rotors Spinning!

• Once you are seated then please buckle your seat belt.
• DO NOT UNBUCKLE IT until I tell you.
• DO NOT GET OUT OF YOUR SEAT until I tell you.
• MAKE SURE all your objects (cameras, sunglasses) are not going to jump out the window and hit our tail-rotor making it a much more miserable day.

What if there is a problem?

If there is a problem it will be taken care of.

The worst case -- which is not bad at all -- is an autorotation. That does not mean spinning :) It just means having the air rotate the rotor as we make our descent to a touchdown. It's not dangerous, and we practice it more often than regular landings! Do not be afraid nor freaked out nor worried. Your job is to relax, enjoy the scenery, take pictures, and above all else... relax :)

Where to go?

IF WE'RE FLYING OUT OF ARIZONA AEROTECH/DOUBLE EAGLE this applies: Arizona Aerotech flies out of the Double Eagle Aviation stables. Take Valencia West to Old Nogales Highway South. Take Apron road (across from Circle K) and then wend your way north and east to Double Eagle Aviation.

IF WE'RE FLYING OUT OF THE EXECUTIVE TERMINAL this applies:

You want to park at the base of the Tucson International Airport Tower. This is at the end of Plummer Avenue. Here is a two minute video showing exactly how to get there from when you're approaching the airport on Tucson Boulevard.

Once you've parked, make your way to the cushy sofa lounge in the Executive Terminal. Here's a one-minute video showing exactly how to get there.

Final comment about pictures

That's all folks!

E

P.S. Here are some helicopter pictures I took...

Helicopter Passenger Orientation by Ehud Gavron is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

_