Steve,

Indicated airspeed is just a measure of how many little molecules are
banging against the
pressure transducer. The higher you go, the fewer of these little guys there
are per unit
volume of air. Since the chopper has to bang the same number of molecules
to produce
lift and thrust up high as it does down low, the only thing that really
changes is volume
of air that is being traversed (read TAS increase). If you think about it,
you'll find that
most of the things that hold true in airplanes also hold true in helicopters
with regard to the
lift and thrust vector math that go into the TAS.

Even if I didnt know the junk that went into this, I can see the effect
directly by watching
my GS increase on my EFIS/GPS. The chopper maintains about 110kts indicated,
but the TAS
is around 120. Meanwhile my burn goes from about 26.5GPH down to about 24.5.
Of course the increased winds aloft can kick the snot out of this benefit if
theyre not beneficial.
But one day I got the biggest kick out of doing 165-170 knots on my way down
the
florida keys. Approach actually called me and asked what kind of helicopter
I was in.

Bart




"Steve R." wrote in message
...


Ok, I'm a bit confused here. So Bart, or Kevin, or anyone who cares to
put in their 2 cents worth, have at it. :-)

My issue is with Bart's statement that there's a free TAS increase in his
helicopter with altitude.