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> There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter. There is such a thing (very approximately but good enough for this discussion): autorotation. It allows a hel

> There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter. There is such a thing (very approximately but good enough for this discussion): autorotation. It allows a helicopter to be flown when the engine cuts out, but it does still require a great deal of manual control (from what little I understand of it). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autorotation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autorotation

edoceo 7y ago
That requires many other parts of the vehicle to still operate. It's a rare scenario where, when things are going wrong, it's so limited. Like, once the engine is out, many other pumps and dynamos and electrics also break.
- mmhsieh 7y ago
  the bimodal outcomes of a chopper ride give me pause.
angry_octet 7y ago
It's really not that hard to autorotate, you do it at hour 8 in training. The problem with helicopters is that people fly them close to the ground and other obstacles. CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) is a leading cause of crashes, as is flying VFR rated in IMC due to poor weather understanding and processes. Mechanical failures are max 25% of accidents, and 75% of those are due to engine failure alone, and hence autorotation is an option -- if you are high enough and have planned your route well. You can autorotate at fairly low altitude, but it depends on your forward airspeed, rotor inertia, etc, which is situation and model specific. http://www.copters.com/pilot/hvcurve.html http://www.copters.com/pilot/hvcurve.html
- aeternum 7y ago
  > It's really not that hard to autorotate, you do it at hour 8 in training. Few students do full down autorotations, and no one does engine-off autorotations. Instructors also don't just roll the power off when students are not expecting it, as that would be far too dangerous. Successful autorotation in a real emergency means the pilot has to execute a difficult maneuver in conditions they've never before experienced.
  - angry_octet 7y ago
    This is a pointless hair splitting. Like all truly dire emergencies, it can be trained for but not actually done. They do it in simulation under a number of stressful conditions, such as during a complicated maneuver or another failure.

edoceo 7y ago

That requires many other parts of the vehicle to still operate. It's a rare scenario where, when things are going wrong, it's so limited. Like, once the engine is out, many other pumps and dynamos and electrics also break.

mmhsieh 7y ago
the bimodal outcomes of a chopper ride give me pause.

angry_octet 7y ago

It's really not that hard to autorotate, you do it at hour 8 in training. The problem with helicopters is that people fly them close to the ground and other obstacles. CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) is a leading cause of crashes, as is flying VFR rated in IMC due to poor weather understanding and processes. Mechanical failures are max 25% of accidents, and 75% of those are due to engine failure alone, and hence autorotation is an option -- if you are high enough and have planned your route well. You can autorotate at fairly low altitude, but it depends on your forward airspeed, rotor inertia, etc, which is situation and model specific. http://www.copters.com/pilot/hvcurve.html http://www.copters.com/pilot/hvcurve.html

aeternum 7y ago
> It's really not that hard to autorotate, you do it at hour 8 in training. Few students do full down autorotations, and no one does engine-off autorotations. Instructors also don't just roll the power off when students are not expecting it, as that would be far too dangerous. Successful autorotation in a real emergency means the pilot has to execute a difficult maneuver in conditions they've never before experienced.
- angry_octet 7y ago
  This is a pointless hair splitting. Like all truly dire emergencies, it can be trained for but not actually done. They do it in simulation under a number of stressful conditions, such as during a complicated maneuver or another failure.