Helicopter superstitions and "old wives" tales?

A few weeks ago on my last flight I kept having to put the collective lock
on and scratch my nose on the circuit approach. Could be nerves, but my
instructor noticed and commented "we'll have to get the tail rotor looked at
during the next service." When I queried that odd announcement, I was told
that an itchy nose is often a sign that the tail rotor is out of balance!
(Harmonic resonance I guess.)

Anyone else heard of that before, and are there any other similar odd things
in the heli biz? (Ok, I know the one about it being bad luck to jump whilst
underneath a spinning rotor!!)

Si

Simon Robbins wrote:

A few weeks ago on my last flight I kept having to put the collective lock
on and scratch my nose on the circuit approach. Could be nerves, but my
instructor noticed and commented "we'll have to get the tail rotor looked at
during the next service." When I queried that odd announcement, I was told
that an itchy nose is often a sign that the tail rotor is out of balance!
(Harmonic resonance I guess.)



Hi Si. I'm glad you are doing so good. A tail rotor out of balance
causes a high frequency vibration which you can feel as a buzzing. In
the aircraft I've flown you sometimes can feel it in the pedals and you
may feel like your feet are going to sleep. Other times you may feel it
in the door frame when you touch it with your hand. I don't know what
an R22 feels like though.


Anyone else heard of that before, and are there any other similar odd things
in the heli biz? (Ok, I know the one about it being bad luck to jump whilst
underneath a spinning rotor!!)

Si



1. Always take a pee break on the side opposite of the tail rotor.
Also, always verify the air flow direction prior to letting loose.

2. Never ever walk backwards on a flight line full of running helicopters.

3. Never grasp the tail rotor drive shaft to slow the main rotor blades
on shutdown.

I don't know of any more old wives tales. The above were actual events
taken from personal experience/observations

--

boB,
SAG 70

U.S. Army Aviation (retired)
Central Texas - 5NM West of Gray Army Airfield (KGRK)

The OTHER Kevin in San Diego wrote:


Never had the urge to scratch my nose while flying. Must have good
tailrotors on the ships I fly. Now I have had the urge to scratch my
"boys" while flying - I wonder what that might indicate.



lol ------ Must be time to come out of the field..
--

boB,
SAG 70

U.S. Army Aviation (retired)
Central Texas - 5NM West of Gray Army Airfield (KGRK)

John‰]
wrote:

I was going to mention the same thing.

If your feet are numb or asleep in flight it means that you need to
check the tail rotor, oil cooler fan or something else that operates at
high speed. Sometimes you can't feel the vibration itself but your
feet don't lie.

The other one is funny--In a previous life I was a UH-1 IP. I would
constantly tell my students "Trim...trim...trim...." One of them asked
me one day how I could tell we were out of trim when I was looking out
the window. I told him that when the wind starts blowing down the neck
of my flight suit, we're out of trim.g

John



I had a previous life like that. I often miss the traffic patterns, the
freezing cold cockpit in the winter, the endless nights flying NVG, the
....... well you know. Then I come to my senses.

--

boB,
SAG 70

U.S. Army Aviation (retired)
Central Texas - 5NM West of Gray Army Airfield (KGRK)

"boB" wrote in message
...
Hi Si. I'm glad you are doing so good. A tail rotor out of balance
causes a high frequency vibration which you can feel as a buzzing. In
the aircraft I've flown you sometimes can feel it in the pedals and you
may feel like your feet are going to sleep.

Actually, flying that ship for the previous couple of hour lessons I had
commented that I was getting pins & needles in my feet. I thought a lot of
that is just due to my student legs, but it was a rattly old bird so you
could be right.

Si

OK Bob you got me on one. Whats with never grabbing the tail rotor shaft to
slow down the main rotor on shut down? I don't have a rotor brake and have
used the hands on (no gloves) approach to speed up the slow down on the MR.

--
Stuart Fields
Experimental Helo magazine
P. O. Box 1585
Inyokern, CA 93527
(760) 377-4478
(760) 408-9747 general and layout cell
(760) 608-1299 technical and advertising cell

www.vkss.com
www.experimentalhelo.com


"boB" wrote in message
...
Simon Robbins wrote:

A few weeks ago on my last flight I kept having to put the collective
lock
on and scratch my nose on the circuit approach. Could be nerves, but my
instructor noticed and commented "we'll have to get the tail rotor
looked at
during the next service." When I queried that odd announcement, I was
told
that an itchy nose is often a sign that the tail rotor is out of
balance!
(Harmonic resonance I guess.)



Hi Si. I'm glad you are doing so good. A tail rotor out of balance
causes a high frequency vibration which you can feel as a buzzing. In
the aircraft I've flown you sometimes can feel it in the pedals and you
may feel like your feet are going to sleep. Other times you may feel it
in the door frame when you touch it with your hand. I don't know what
an R22 feels like though.


Anyone else heard of that before, and are there any other similar odd
things
in the heli biz? (Ok, I know the one about it being bad luck to jump
whilst
underneath a spinning rotor!!)

Si



1. Always take a pee break on the side opposite of the tail rotor.
Also, always verify the air flow direction prior to letting loose.

2. Never ever walk backwards on a flight line full of running
helicopters.

3. Never grasp the tail rotor drive shaft to slow the main rotor blades
on shutdown.

I don't know of any more old wives tales. The above were actual events
taken from personal experience/observations

--

boB,
SAG 70

U.S. Army Aviation (retired)
Central Texas - 5NM West of Gray Army Airfield (KGRK)

Stuart & Kathryn Fields wrote:
OK Bob you got me on one. Whats with never grabbing the tail rotor shaft to
slow down the main rotor on shut down? I don't have a rotor brake and have
used the hands on (no gloves) approach to speed up the slow down on the MR.


I should have said "with gloves". Sorry. The flight gloves have a bit
of leather which after a flight has a good grip. Grabbing the t/r drive
shaft with those on could ruin a persons day. We never had a rotor
brake and had to sit and wait for the blades to stop turning. On a
windy day it could take several minutes so I understand having to wait.

--

boB,
SAG 70

U.S. Army Aviation (retired)
Central Texas - 5NM West of Gray Army Airfield (KGRK)

"Simon Robbins" wrote in message
...

SNIP... I was told
that an itchy nose is often a sign that the tail rotor is out of balance!
(Harmonic resonance I guess.)

Not necessarily the T/R but it is a well known sign of a high frequency
vibration somewhere.
There are lots of things in helicopters that can give a HF vibration other
than the T/R. Drive shafts, fans, etc.
I flew in a Bo105 the other day that gave me an itchy nose due to M/R
needing balance.

Slatts

"The OTHER Kevin in San Diego" skiddz "AT" adelphia "DOT" net wrote in
message ...
Me too. That's how I stop the mains when I fly the C300... Learned
from my CFII when i asked "Does this thing have a rotor brake?" He
said, "Follow me." then hopped out and grabbed the shaft.. "This is
it right here.."

Yeah, but you must only ever do that from the starboard side of the
helicopter, as the shaft turns away from you. Do it the other way and it
could easily break your wrist.

Si

Right "boy" needs scrathing, in trim, left "boy" out of trim flight
condition. If both itch try eliminating starch or pressing. Use
"tumbled dry cycle". If all else fails, wax instead of shaving.



"The OTHER Kevin in San Diego" skiddz "AT" adelphia "DOT" net wrote in
message ...
On Sat, 26 Nov 2005 22:07:46 GMT, boB
wrote:


Hi Si. I'm glad you are doing so good. A tail rotor out of balance
causes a high frequency vibration which you can feel as a buzzing. In
the aircraft I've flown you sometimes can feel it in the pedals and
you
may feel like your feet are going to sleep. Other times you may feel
it
in the door frame when you touch it with your hand. I don't know what
an R22 feels like though.

Never had the urge to scratch my nose while flying. Must have good
tailrotors on the ships I fly. Now I have had the urge to scratch my
"boys" while flying - I wonder what that might indicate.