Today I demonstrate an Auto rotation which is the procedure used in the event of an engine failure in a helicopter. Contrary to popular belief helicopters can indeed glide although great care must be taken!
I am a big fan of your AV-8B videos. And I so happen to fly Airforce UH-1Ds and UH-1Ns (Greece) and I so happen to know a few things about autorotations. Slowest descent speed is 65knots. That is the minimum descent rate so that you have the most possible time available to choose a landing spot. But you can increase speed up to 95 knots or unofficially up to maximum permissible (110knots) in order to extend glide path in expense of higher descend rate. Less than 65 knots gives both higher descent rate and short glide path. However. You never, ever EVER pull collective while in the flare. N E V E R. Because you can cause vortex ring state. You flare. You level yourself. You pull collective. 3 separate moves.
Shoot, I though this was going to be a real video. Back in the Be All You Be Army, we practiced real auto rotations. The real autorotations were gradually phased out due to hard landings wrecking airframes-or at the least, serious phase maintenance and the increase of "good enough" simulators.
Must have been quite the ride to do this for real. I don't think I would have the nerve to cut the fuel like I do here IRL. I would simply roll back to idle which I think is the real world procedure.
Minamitsu Murasa Thanks, I had a bit of side slip on landing but I made the choice not to correct it as I worried that to correct it would use up too much rotor energy during the flare. I now realise however that on most helicopters it is recommended to apply right torque pedal most of the way down to counter that. I'm learning all the time!
Nice. It won't matter in an auto. You will always want to keep your nose straight on touchdown no matter what. Right pedal will give you more rotor rpm, as you are decreasing the pitch & drag of the tail rotor which is connected to the transmission. (when engine is running that is)
