(Simon) wrote in
om:

Hi, I am interested in helicopter flying and may book a lesson, etc.
I have a serious question that perhaps is slightly comical.
I have read lots of info, and it seems to me that a sneeze could be
fatal.
I mean, it's dodgy in a car - more dangerous than adjusting the stereo
perhaps.
To the experienced pilots: if you are flying a helicopter on your own,
how do you handle a sneeze without jolting the sensitive cyclic
control of which you must never let go (or so says some info I read on
the R-22).

It's not as dangerous as you think. Sneezing is no more dangerous in a
helicopter than in a car, & actually less so. In a car, you're always
inches away from a collision. In an aircraft, you have room on all 6
sides. I learned to fly in a TH55 (Hughes 269) that is as twitchy as any
helicopter you'll ever see, & I very quickly learned to light a cigarette
using book matches while flying. (Uncle Sam had thoughtfully provided free
cigarettes in C rations, & got me hooked on them.) You can't let go for a
long time, but a couple of seconds isn't a problem. A sneeze might cause a
slight bump because you move parts of your body, but it isn't a real
problem.

--
Regards,

Stan