The Bent Page

If you remember a few blog posts back I had the pleasure of a ride and some basic training in the Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter. Well, today, I was fortunate enough to enjoy lesson Number 2. What a blast! We took off, headed south, and focused on maintaining course. Then came some climbs and descents, a bit of practice turning while remaining on station, and then a few laps around the pattern. I’m starting to get the feel for the cyclic, which is a fine touch indeed. At any rate, here’s a shot looking straight ahead as we roll in to Runway 9 on final approach.

If your computer is like mine, you can click on that photo and enlarge it. Either way, we rolled a little the other way to line up and it looked like this:

The airspeed indicator shows about 52 knots. I usually come in on final in the Cessna 172 at 65 knots, so this felt a little slow. If I keep going for rides like this, I’ll be hooked on this helicopter flying thing. It’s even more addictive than airplanes. Remember: Always do your checklist!