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#1
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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 |
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Helicopter superstitions and "old wives" tales?
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) |
#3
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Helicopter superstitions and "old wives" tales?
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) |
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Helicopter superstitions and "old wives" tales?
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) |
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Helicopter superstitions and "old wives" tales?
"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 |
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Helicopter superstitions and "old wives" tales?
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) |
#8
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Helicopter superstitions and "old wives" tales?
"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 |
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Helicopter superstitions and "old wives" tales?
"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 |
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Helicopter superstitions and "old wives" tales?
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. |
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