I hope that full touchdown auto's would become a requirement for any
license. I know the insurance companies do not want to hear this, but
the training that comes out of it is what everyone should have.

I never did a full touchdown for any of my training, until I started
working at the current place I fly for. We do nothing but full
touchdown auto's (unless it doesn't look like it will work). I guess
that I have done several hundred or so now. If my engine quits, I know
what to expect all the way to the ground. There is a measured
difference on how the helicopter reacts during that last several feet.
And it is loads of fun to boot....


On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 19:04:25 -0800, The OTHER Kevin in San Diego
skiddz "AT" adelphia "DOT" net wrote:

On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 14:26:01 GMT, "Steve R."
wrote:


I've heard the same thing about PPH students. Are they "changing" the rules
for commercial pilots? If so, I think that's a good thing.

Like I said, I'm not entirely sure. I'll need to poke around in the
AIM and the PTS books behind me and see what I can dig up. I'll also
be asking Q when I go fly tomorrow (Should be interesting since I've
not flown in over a week now)

I agree that "full downs" should be taught from day one. I've never liked
the idea of my first full down auto being the one that's "for real!" I've
always kept an eye out for anything related to helicopters in the news and
I've seen, as I'm sure we all have, "many" news reports of helicopter
crashes through the years. The thing the worries me about modern training
is that, in the past 20 to 25 years, virtually all the autorotative landing
they've shown on TV have resulted in the loss of the aircraft. Most times,
the pilots/passengers walked away from it but the aircraft, as you say, was
a write off, and these were supposedly relatively high time commercial
pilots and not students or low time private pilots either. The "one" ship I
remember seeing that was still on the skids was an MD500 (don't remember the
exact model) and it was still missing the tail boom.

The only full down autos I've see with no damage to craft or occupants
was on Discovery Wings and it was an instructional flight in a Gazelle
where the engine was literally shut down and the student had no other
option than a full down (He made it look SOOOOO easy)

I guess my point is that, while I've heard all the rhetoric from helicopter
pilots about how they can put it down in someone's back yard if they have to
or only touch down at 5 to 10 mph with no problems, most of them don't seem
to be able to do it. Now, it's very likely that the news folks aren't
bothering to tell the stories of the helicopter pilot that safely landed his
aircraft after the engine failed. If it's not all bent up, it's not worth
reporting. Still, I can't help but get the impression that most folks could
use "a lot" more training in this area.

I've got a magazine around here somewhere that had an article in it
about some advanced helo school in the Southwest (I want to say Las
Vegas) where all sorts of advanced maneuvers were taught. For autos,
students were required to hit a specific square in a grid painted on
the ground, regardless of the position of the ship when the throttle
was chopped. If you've got the skills to to that, THEN you can use
the "I can put it down in someone's back yard" rhetoric. I hope to be
that good some day. Right now, I'll settle for a balled up ship and
having to call someone to come pick me and the "carcass" up.