Tilt Rotor Incoming

The V-22 Osprey is an impressive hybrid machine. It’s part helicopter, part airplane. I had the good fortune to see one come in for a landing at my local airport as photographed here.

It truly is an amazing machine. Surprisingly, it’s not as noisy as a helicopter, but the downdraft is wicked. The pilot brought it in along the runway then set down in the field beyond the trees seen above. It must take a steady hand on the controls because the craft is floating in the air and susceptible to any breeze or disturbance. That’s why pilot training, and continued training, is critical. I only wish the same was done for people who drive cars. More and better training would lower the number of collisions and generally improve road safety.

Published in: on October 2, 2010 at 9:56 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Rolling In!

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!

Published in: on May 21, 2010 at 9:24 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , , , ,