Hi! My name is Devin, My goal is to help YOU understand helicopters through education, entertaining content and in-depth breakdowns. With my knowledge gained as a helicopter flight school graduate, and working as a commercial pilot and flight instructor in the industry. My goal is to promote safe practices and share the fun and exciting world of aviation. New content posted every Friday.
I'm at about 10 hours right now in the R22 going for my commercial and I didn't find hovering terribly difficult but holding my approach angle and not losing ETL when coming in to land is what I'm working on right now
They are following Tesla, Lucid, etc in doing full vertical integration and this is what will cut their costs. I don't know if they can turn a profit at 750K. At a million it would still be a bargain. Fun to see startups like this go for it.
Great video Devin, as always. I agree with your summary thoughts about Hill and the product they aspire to produce. Very exiting and ingeinious and ambitious, however such an ambitious product to manufacture, especially mostly all in-house makes me alittle nervous....especiallyat that forcasted price point. I definitaly wish them the fullest success, but remain cautious without time tested and proven performace.
I mean for a flight ssubsciption it's not to bad but for it's feature set it kinda is... Myradar give you aircraft charts, real time weather and MOTARs for $25 a year and Germin FLTplan go is free which the same info a Forflight with out the addons. So yeah Foreflight byy no means is a monopoly which if it was it would be trust busted. Edit: Okj so FLTplan is separate from Garmin and garim has it's own $110 a year thing that some pilots preferover Fore flight for it's UI and garmin connectivity... Oh and all of these but My radar connect to the boxs.
Very common, just more stupid pilot tricks.😊 Sounds like the aircraft was started up with the blades engaged. Taking off in a tight area like this happens all day everyday. This pilot needs to have his certificate revoked, he doesn't know what foreign object damage (FOD) is? And he doesn't know how dangerous it is to take off right next to cars and trucks? This is the reason we have ambulances, fire departments, nurses, doctors, EMS, cemeteries and the FAA.
I have an R66 and R44, really like 505... hard to compare the two. Bell is hands down beefier, faster, more aggressive... r66 is very nice, a smooth executive feel, but the 505, you get that stronger military vibe. Oh, a million more, there's that... 🤙
I've thought about making a turbine engine and it's actually pretty simple. Keep in mind they did these in the 1960s as routine and today you can just order manufacturing online. You could genuinely have a jet engine factory that just assembles ordered parts. A turbine engine uses inconel alloy for the hot parts which is commercially available as a standard, both machining and even 3D print. The rest is either steel, alu or titanium, also available. Even the ball bearings aren't exotic materials, pretty much off the shelf you can order. You have simulation software that can give you direction on sizing, it's actually very doable today. 1 man home office without getting his hands dirty could do it. And the reason it is smart to do rather than buy a P&W is that the scumbag industry is very comfortable in grotesque overpricing. Hill is trying to sell an entire helicopter for 750k. P&W wants more than that just for one engine. And when the engine needs service they want 600k for that. A turbine engine is actually engineering wise similar to a car turbo which retails for 300$. Same materials, same temperatures, same durability and actually turbos spin much faster than larger turbine engines. A jet engine just looks convoluted and a turboprop has a gearbox as well but it's really quite crude technology. Frank Whittle invented it in the 1930s and it could have been built 40 years prior. That's more than 100 years ago. It's an absolute disgrace that the douche turbine world can only think in 7 figures when the truth is, it's an angry space heater that you should pick up in a hardware store next to lawn tractors. Speaking in Elon terms the idiot index on a small jet engine is huge. The factor between material cost and the final product cost. PW610f is the smallest turbojet engine in production that the Eclipse 550 twin jet uses. It weighs 145kg, in refined metals that's about 3000$. The 2023 price for one engine was 920k$. Probably just about 1 million now. Per engine. So because of those scumbags, just OEM engine cost is 2million for a small jet plane that they wanted to sell for 500k total retail originally. A lot of people are the problem in aviation. The engine makers are definitely a problem. So it's smart to make their own. And when you are confident that it's something you can do, it's generally because it is something you can do. I'd guesstimate that they can produce that engine for less than 20k$. Possibly a lot less.
Thank you for your enthousiastic, complete and fair video! I've done my things in avation (accountable manager of a flying school and CEO of a small fleet), but all just fixed wing. Alas. Helis, however, have allways been pulling & tickling. Here in Europe (The Netherlands) flying is very expensive and heli flying almost unaffordable. Regulations (ICAO JAR-FCL) are extremely strict. To me in the USA flying is almost free, regulations (FAA) less strict and lots of space there in the circuits too. I understand (theoretically) how a heli works, but apart from from just holding the stick of a Bell Jet Ranger for 30 minutes during an overland my experience is really zero. I am orientating a bit for some lessons at R22 vs R44 vs Cabri2. Just to try & taste the fun. Here the Cabri hourly is priced equal or lower than the R22 (I will choose for the best future, not the cheapest). I understand why the hourly price is low despite the high selling price. The hourly cost of the heli is set, apart from maintenance & variable cost, for a big part by the TBO (so too the remaining value at the balance at the end, when selling the heli). The Cabri can fly completely and theoretically on condition, the R22 (engine and airframe) can be thrown away after 12 years/2200 hrs. John Simpson below explains this very well. I'm used to these calculations having been fleet owner. Maybe interesting: we (the first in the country I am proud to say) bought 3 Diamond DA40 (2 x VFR, 1 x IFR, night-VFR isn't allowed here) and one twin DA42 to replace some Pipers and Cessnas. Those DA40's and DA42 are diesel (and JetA1) airplanes and proved to be much more reliable, safe and economic to operate than the old Lycoming stuff. You can compare it very well I suppose with the Cabri vs the R22. Apart from the lycoming. No bringing in the plane for small inspections, but just connect it via the internet directly to the factory for a remote diagnosis with running engine and reading out the logs of engine, gearbox and soms plane sensors. The diesel engine needs a gearbox anyway. Like a heli. I just mentioned this, because a diesel engine seems ideal for a heli. I think. It loves to rev at a low steady RPM (better gearbox ratio), has tons of torque, is light in weight (!) and uses very few cheap fuel. Maybe in the future? I know, certification is a lang and expensive proces. But, my question. I actually allready (in my mind) made my choice. But most USA choppers (as Robinson) turn counterclockwise, as European (and Russian) ones turn clockwise. For me that would mean (in a Cabri) adding right rudder when applying power (or torque), exactly as I am used to in most (if not all, single engine) fixed wing planes. That comes naturally. Another point is, there are less Cabris available than R22 or R44 (those schools first will have to burn their R's, so: how hard important is conversion from Counter- to Clockwise vv. I noticed, if I am right, that the first part of practical Heli training is spent learning the right coordination. And being sensiteve to the controls. For the latter, just maybe I'm lucky, I always fly with just two fingers. I learnes my lesson almost the very hard way, when flying a nasty french plane with a tendency to unexpectly spin (needing an exactly opposite and very fast pilot's reaction to recover). I almost fell back to my training habits and did the wrong thing (for this plane). Almost, otherwise I would have writting my reaction/question. But I then found out how deep one's first training kreeps into one's genes.
I'm the guy this video is for! Got 4 hours in a 22 and 1 in a 44. The one time I tried to hover the 22 it looked like the Yogi Bear cartoon where he's flying upside down. Then I got in a 44 and the instructor said, "nothing near the ground". However I was able to fly straight & level, making turns and changing altitude. I was even able to use the instruments - something I would never think of trying in a 22, it's too busy being squirrelly! Anyway your point of training in a 22 seems like a good one. I noticed immediately how much easier it was to fly the 44. But alas my heli career is probably over as I'm now hitting 67 and suffering from mephunzalo (my funds are low). Will still watch your videos though, they are so comprehensive and well thought out, a pleasure to view. Thanx much...
thanks for the video, after coming home from Nam I have hated/avoided flying, but I did go on a Helicopter tour in Branson, Mo (bucket list and impulse ride), pilot had 375 hours, that seems awful low for a tour helicopter pilot....was it? thanks..I also went on a Christmas light tour, was very safe, but I couldn't wait to get my feet back on the ground....i didnt like going real high, can the tour pilots fly lower at a level I feel comfortable at? if so I may do it again...GREAT VIEW from a heli (PS, i flew r/c helis for a while, very fun)
I hate to tell you something it’s easier in helicopter after engine out because helicopter pilots always practice autorotations if you know what autorotations mean. Being a fix wing Pilot you need a minimum of 1000 feet to land engine out not in a helicopter on the top of that you can fly a helicopter with zero airspeed try that in an airplane.
how many engine outs in a helicopter allow you autrotations ? what is the most common engine out in a helicopter? rotor damage is the most common cause of helicopter crashes ... usually caused by engine damages ... usually like broke shafts /couplings from sudden engine seizes
Thanks for a candid review on the pilot salaries and road to gaining experience. I'm considering getting my rotary wing rating. Just weighing my options
does the adsb in sentry device provide gps location? lets say I have a non cellular IPad because I know the cellular ones come with a gps reciever built in which forelight uses to give your location but if you have a non cellular ipad like me, would the foreflight sentry device provide gps location to my ipad as well as all the other features and properly work on the non cellular ipad?
Low hours guy here, 5 in Robinsons. I always just assumed I would never even consider a turbine, they're just too scary. But you took some of the scariness away. I'm still not going to do it, but at least it's a little less scary!
Most airline pilots I know (And I know many...) make between 100-150 K a year here in Europe flying A 320s or B 737s for cheap airlines like Ryanair and Eurowings. My rotor-dudes usually make the same and fly in either sling load/ cargo operations, EMS, fire fighting or Air Taxi Ops. But I agree: Getting into those positions takes 2000 hrs minimum and those are truly hard earned. We always said back in the days as a helicopter CFI that we work for a chocolate bar and a coffee.
French flag, I made it! Here's a point of view from the lowest hour guy there is. I only have about five hours, four in an R-22, and one in an R-44. Never been in a Cabri. But just looking at the videos I know I would prefer it to the 22 for the extra room, higher inertia rotor, a normal looking mast, normal cyclic and more comprehensive instruments. The 22 fuselage is suspended from a much higher point giving the aircraft an unnatural pendular feel. I noticed the difference immediately in the 44 which felt worlds better. It has the same mast but it seems to work better in that larger aircraft. On my very last lesson I was actually able to straight and level, change altitude and use the instruments, something I could not do in the 22. Maybe you could drop a quick note here with a thumbnail for comparing Cabri vs R-44 because I love that machine. Also I've been told R-22 is a good training heli precisely because it's small and squirrelly. Graduating to bigger & better machines becomes easier, I haven't experienced it that far ahead though. Looking for your thoughts. Great video, keep em coming!
I know many military rotary wing pilots that also got their fixed wing ratings and then flew for the airlines after their military service. So now they can do both.
Bad part is you sneeze and end up upside down or crashing. 😂 U have to constantly stay on the controls and make small tiny adjustments nonstop. It’s a blast flying them but also super scariest to fly.
EC145 does not have Arriel 2E engines. It either has 1E2 engines, or the P&W. The H145 D3 has the Arriel 2E (and the H145 D2 may also have the 2E but I’m not sure).
thanks for the ride. i just bought a new 20 23 407 gxi , took delivery last week, it is now at a service center in idaho getting put back together. my lessons start this next tuesday. been flying a 206 for 45 years. sold it last month. was worn out. basically sold it for parts. i love the fadec im sure it willtake me several hours of instruction to get used to it. i told bell i may have over17000 hours in the 206 but this is a new toy and i wont fly it till i feel safe. not you think im ready till i think i can kick you out over the mtns, cant wait.i saw them take it out of the container and that metalliac blue is sure pretty
I´d say fortunatley the US Army din`t choose the YOH 4 as their LOH, because that is why Bell made the 206 back then. And with the 505, yes, the seats are on rails. But they only lock in ONE position. They are only there for the back seat passengers to get in and out. I don`t think Bell did a good job with the 505. And it is ugly as f*ck, at least so if you compare it to the 206, which is a beauty.
