Hélicoptères Guimbal
LETTRE SERVICE
CABRI G2
SL 12-001 A
Original issue
9 / 10
Note 1 :
Though it has been shown that an approach with right-hand wind
requires more awareness, it gives a small benefit in terms of hovering
performance. It may thus be preferred.
Note 2 :
The more aggressive the approach, the higher the pilot workload. This
is particularly true for :
- “quick-stops”,
- Power recovery into hover following an idled engine approach.
Prefer smooth transitions.
Spot-turn in ground effect
During a spot-turn close to the ground, the pilot will almost always react to any
unexpected issue, by raising the collective to increase the ground clearance.
This will result in a yawing acceleration to the left.
When the spot-turn is to the left, the instinctive reaction will increase the yawing
rate and could disorient the pilot.
When the spot-turn is to the right, this instinctive reaction will stop the yaw.
CCW-rotors and CW-rotors
Note that described scenarios are exactly the same with CW-rotating rotors and
CCW-rotating ones. Only the directions change, including the critical wind,
which is from the left instead. However,
a pilot with most experience with
CCW-rotating rotors
in our case is a significant aggravating factor, because
the pilot is used to apply left pedal rather than right, regardless how good his
training was, thus accelerating yaw motion rather than stopping it.