Many people know little about helicopters, but have ideas and assumptions concerning them. Some of these are mistaken, so this article will consider these so-called Helicopter Myths.
Myth No.1 – Helicopters are Really Difficult to Fly.
No, actually, they’re not. Most people can learn to fly a helicopter. Anyone who can drive a car, or ride a bike, or do anything else requiring a fair degree of co-ordination, could probably learn to fly a rotary aircraft. It is true that some helicopter manoeuvres are quite difficult. Hovering takes many students quite a while to master, and this often means students cannot move on until they have managed it. And navigation is difficult in a small helicopter as you need to keep your hands on the controls all the time. On the other hand, the helicopter’s ability to slow down as much as the pilot wants it to without stalling means that one can always reduce the speed to allow thinking time, or to decide what to do. Some helicopter pilots would like everyone to think that they are ‘supermen and women’, quite unlike the rest of the human race - but that’s not really the case.
Myth No.2 – Helicopters are Incredibly Expensive.
It is indeed true that the training costs are about double that for fixed-wing flying, and the same is true of self-fly hire charges once you’ve got a PPL (H). Also, buying a helicopter is far more expensive than buying aeroplanes at the cheaper end of the scale. But this is by no means the whole story. In a helicopter, a lot less time is wasted. The pilot can start up, take off into wind, and go to his destination and land, without spending expensive time in a queue for the departure runway. Also, if the pilot has a specific destination that is off-airfield, a helicopter can act as door-to-door transport, since it doesn’t need a runway. This can save on taxi fares and, of course, is far more convenient. So yes, it’s more expensive to fly helicopters. But once everything is taken into account, the difference is not as great as it might first appear.
Myth No 3 - Small Helicopters are Fragile and Can’t Cope with Strong Winds
Well, helicopters do vibrate quite a lot anyway, it’s true. But they cope with weather conditions at least as well as, and often better than, fixed-wing aircraft of an equivalent size. And when it comes to passenger comfort, small helicopters actually ride the wind surprisingly well. Also, when it comes to pilot handling, in many respects helicopters are easier to manage in windy conditions. There is no equivalent to the fixed-wing crosswind landing, in terms of difficulty for the pilot. In a helicopter, you simply land into wind, or if absolutely compelled to use a runway, you turn into wind at the last moment as you come to a hover. Hovering in a strong wind may be quite challenging, but again, you can turn into wind and hover-taxi sideways if conditions warrant it.
Myth No.4 – Helicopters are Extremely Dangerous.
Actually, a look at the accident reports will show that very few helicopter accidents are caused by engine failure, other mechanical failure, or anything else to do with the actual machine. The primary reasons for accidents are the same as for fixed-wing aircraft. Controlled flight into terrain generally tops the list, wire strikes figure quite frequently, and most other causes are associated with human error rather than anything else. Engine failures, engine fires, electrical fires, unexplained vibrations, etc are very rare. And when they do happen, the helicopter pilot has one big advantage in that he can simply make a precautionary landing on any flat area available, and it doesn’t need to be very big.
Myth No 5….But it’s True!
So hopefully it’s now clear that flying helicopters is relatively easy, not outrageously expensive, and fairly comfortable and safe. In fact, piloting a helicopter is probably within the reach of most people, if they want to try it. However, there is a fifth helicopter myth – that rotary flying is hopelessly addictive, and that having a go just once is never enough. In this case, however, the ‘myth’ is true. Once anyone has tried flying a helicopter, they probably won’t be able to stop; they will want to do more. It’s happened to many people...this is a warning!
Further Reading
Learning to Fly Helicopters - R. Randall Padfield, TAB Books, 1992
The Art and Science of Flying Helicopters - Shawn Coyle, Iowa State University Press, 1996
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