Dan!
Member
- Messages
- 3,029
So I finally got around to doing my trial lesson that I bought myself last Christmas...
Started with a briefing and explanation of the controls and how they affect the aircraft and then after the relevant start up checks we were up, up and away. No sooner had we cleared the airfield and I was given control of the cyclic (joystick bit) and very sensitive it was too! You don't so much move it as merely think about what you might like it to do!
Once I'd got to grips with that (kind of) then I was given control of the collective (up and down lever) and shortly after that, the pedals too... at that point it was all me, I was flying a helicopter over the mansions of Sandbanks!
It was a bit weird to say the least. Trying to work out what was me and what was turbulence was tricky, but I soon learned that when you're a thousand feet up it doesn't matter too much if you move around a bit so best to relax (easier said than done!) and just do very small inputs and go with the flow. I then flew to Corfe Castle and then back down Bournemouth beach to the airfield. As we got to the airfield I handed back control.
We then found a coned off area for me to have a go at hovering. It was suggested that hovering is as easy as balancing a pen on its tip in the centre of your hand... no pressure then. However, it turned out that I took to it pretty much straight away as managed a 45 second relatively stable hover before my inputs got too heavy handed and needed rescuing. Strangely I found the best way was to not think about what I was doing and to just kind of feel what was happening whilst focussing on a fixed point about 200m away.
We then only had a few mins left of the 50 min session and so the instructor showed me what it could do. We piroeted around the nose and then around the tail, went sideways into backwards into sideways the other way into forwards in precision 90 degree rotations. And then we were done.
So, another box ticked and now the contemplation as to whether to "invest" the best part of £20k to get my license. I think for now it'll go on the back burner, but now I've had a taste there's a good chance that one day I'll go for it.
If you're stuck for a Christmas present for yourself I'd thoroughly recommend it!
Started with a briefing and explanation of the controls and how they affect the aircraft and then after the relevant start up checks we were up, up and away. No sooner had we cleared the airfield and I was given control of the cyclic (joystick bit) and very sensitive it was too! You don't so much move it as merely think about what you might like it to do!
Once I'd got to grips with that (kind of) then I was given control of the collective (up and down lever) and shortly after that, the pedals too... at that point it was all me, I was flying a helicopter over the mansions of Sandbanks!
It was a bit weird to say the least. Trying to work out what was me and what was turbulence was tricky, but I soon learned that when you're a thousand feet up it doesn't matter too much if you move around a bit so best to relax (easier said than done!) and just do very small inputs and go with the flow. I then flew to Corfe Castle and then back down Bournemouth beach to the airfield. As we got to the airfield I handed back control.
We then found a coned off area for me to have a go at hovering. It was suggested that hovering is as easy as balancing a pen on its tip in the centre of your hand... no pressure then. However, it turned out that I took to it pretty much straight away as managed a 45 second relatively stable hover before my inputs got too heavy handed and needed rescuing. Strangely I found the best way was to not think about what I was doing and to just kind of feel what was happening whilst focussing on a fixed point about 200m away.
We then only had a few mins left of the 50 min session and so the instructor showed me what it could do. We piroeted around the nose and then around the tail, went sideways into backwards into sideways the other way into forwards in precision 90 degree rotations. And then we were done.
So, another box ticked and now the contemplation as to whether to "invest" the best part of £20k to get my license. I think for now it'll go on the back burner, but now I've had a taste there's a good chance that one day I'll go for it.
If you're stuck for a Christmas present for yourself I'd thoroughly recommend it!
