At 18:12 25 June 2007, Flying_Monkey wrote:
Well, a few years back, I had the opportunity to take
a couple of
lessons in an R-22. I'm a power and glider pilot of
no great
accomplishment, but that made me feel that not more
than 20% of what I
know about flying applied to helicopters. After 2
hours, I was just
barely getting the ability to hover. I could handle
it OK in the air,
but not very well near the ground. It seems like learning
to ride a
bicycle: When you can't do it, you don't see how you
can learn to do
it. When you can do it, you don't see what's the big
deal. And you
can't tell anybody how you do it. After that 2 hours,
I was just on
the edge of feeling that I was about to get it.

But, it's as much fun as anything I've ever done with
my clothes on,
being equaled (but not surpassed) only by flying a
glider.

Ed

I have heard from heli guys (everything from online
discussions to talking with Apache pilots), that the
R-22 is one of the most difficult and touchy choppers
to fly, analogous to the old 'riding a unicycle on
a basketball' saying. Perhaps the Bell 47 would be
a more satisfying beginner experience, allowing an
average pilot to feel like they could actually fly
helis.

Paul Hanson
"Do the usual, unusually well"--Len Niemi