(no subject)
Another hiatus gone by the wayside...
On February 29th of 2020 I did my last flight before my Biennial Flight Review (BFR) expired. While I was planning to have a new BFR in March of 2020, COVID-19 exploded and no vaccinations were available. So I delayed. In mid-March 2021 I got my first of two shots but before I could schedule that flight review, I was in an accident and ended up out of commission for two months... then PT and weaning off meds for another 6 months.
So today I went down to Ryan Airfield, and met up with Volare Helicopters, who are now sporting a newish R44II that has a lot of cool toys like an Aspen primary flight display (PFD which is also called part of a "glass cockpit" because it's an electronic display with lots of useful information than the old analog ("steam") gages. It also has a working radar altimer, which I've missed since I sold N4204X. There are some other neat things like a pilot's console with a Garmin GTN650, a touch-screen modern navigation GPS, traffic information system ("TIS") data, and lots more.
We did a bit of catching up in the office, and headed out to the aircraft to perform the preflight check. As I'm not yet fully walking right, Tyler climbed up to check the main rotor hub, and we went through the rest of the checklist together. Most I remembered, the rest came back to me.
We then got into the aircraft, did the pre-startup checklist, and got it started on the first try. (Virtually new aircraft piston engines with few hours are MUCH less finicky than ones with a lot of maintenance cycles and use!!)
My expectations of my abilities were not very high. It's been almost 20 months since I last flew, and I would definitely be rusty. Muscle memory could be affected by lack of repetition or medical factors. Fortunately this was not an issue.
First pickup to a hover: looks great on video! I would have given it a B for wandering a bit to the side.
Radio calls were mostly good but I forgot to add I had the ATIS information on the initial call. It's also really hard to say Eight Tango Yankee quickly - it's a tongue-twister - try it. We got out clearance to depart to the southwest, so after an easterly lift over powerlines and into the wind we turned southwest and went to do some straight and level flying, banks, orbit, an off-airport pinnacle landing at some flat rocky point atop a hill (I can't find on Google Maps). When we approached to land, what had appeared to be greyish sand were actually medium-size rocks, and I asked Tyler to do the setdown. He's also the guy that taught me that as I'm bringing the power down, see if the cyclic can rock the aircraft to ensure the skids are stable on the ground. They were.
Then a pickup to a hover, a maximum performance climb, and then establish a course back to Ryan. Maximum performance climb means bring it to maximum power and shoot up into the sky to get far from the pinnacle, so when we cross its edge on the exit we don't get sucked down.
Enroute Ryan we called the tower and asked to join the pattern for runway 6 left. We were told to call in at 2 miles from the airport... which we did and were cleared to land.
First straight-in approach to a runway in a long time I was about 10 feet short, but otherwise a controlled descent, no chance of vortex ring state ("VRS"), sometimes confused with settling with power but the differences are academic and don't help so we avoid both.
First setdown on a runway in years - great. Then pickup to a hover, ask for a takeoff and left pattern, got authorization, and went for it. Second approach more controlled. Setdown better.
Then we asked to take Taxiway D[elta] to the compass rose https://tinyurl.com/3etfp9ny, an easy way for pilots who are not flying with a compass to know the directions. Note: US Federal Air Regulations § 91.205(b)(3) requires a compass for helicopters and fixed wing planes in VFR flight.
Hover-taxi over there, which I made more like air-taxi (faster), and a decent setdown. Then a hover, hover clearing turn (turn 360° to ensure there is nothing there and the tail is clear), then another setdown.
After that Tyler offered to demonstrate an autorotation, and with Tower's clearance we re-entered the pattern, and Tyler demonstrated a perfect calm controlled autorotation to a hover. At that point I made the decision not to push into the overdo/fatigue zone... so with Tower's OK took off, and did a right pattern for almost 360° to come into "The Restaurant Ramp". That's the ramp outside "Ritchie's Cafe" (formerly Todd's Restaurant) also known as "The Fuel Ramp." https://tinyurl.com/srckubkx
There was an Airbus [formerly Eurocopter] helicopter on the ground, a fixed-wing Cessna, and we threaded the needle not to overfly aircraft on the ground or the buildings. Once we set down, we did the checklist to cool the engine, turn off stuff, and got out. No overheated components or leaks were found so we headed back inside.
My SO took a video too cool not to share with the world:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19IKQ_qNJ3uWLaFOJm4B1iqvDHjDFPFbT/view?usp=sharing
Yup, a month of rehab and seven of physical therapy paid off!!! Now to schedule with Tyler for more flights and that eventual BFR. :)