The Truth About Going From Flying Airplanes To Helicopters

Updated Jan 21, 2021 8:24 PM EST

Right off that bat, I’ll tell you helicopters are way cooler and more fun to fly than fixed-wing airplanes. Helicopter operations are much less complex than that of airplanes, but they require a greater skill level and demand more airmanship.

Most of a professional fixed-wing pilot’s time is spent in the flight levels above FL180 (Flight Level 180; 18,000 feet). Flying fixed-wing aircraft is arguably more ‘glamorous,’ but no pilot can deny the thrill of low-altitude flight. Working helicopter pilots operate almost exclusively at low-altitude with different scenery and challenges every day. Obstructions such as towers, power lines, and cables across canyons and rivers, as well as constantly morphing ambient atmospheric conditions, present constant challenges to helicopter pilots.

It’s an enticing proposition, one that I thankfully latched onto relatively deep into my flying career.

Wikicommons/Arpingstone

I spent most of my life chasing the dream of flying airplanes. Helicopters were always in my mind as something to explore eventually , but they weren’t my primary focus.

While instructing in a Cessna 172, I met a young helicopter pilot in training. We made a general commitment that if we could, we would teach the other and try to get each other commercial certificates. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accommodates the addition of new categories and classes to your pilot certificates without having to start at the lowest level. If you hold a commercial airplane certificate, you can take your first helicopter checkride for a commercial helicopter certificate.

It wasn’t a short journey to helicopter certification. Because we were trading ride-along time, I logged the majority of hours I needed by going along for ferry and repositioning flights. By the time I was ready to take the checkride, my helicopter training was a multi-year adventure. Regardless, I relished it and took joy in it every step of the way.

One time-building flight brought my instructor and me near Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon in December. Most tourists never get to see the Arizona outback with a light dusting of snow.

Another flight involved picking up an R44 at the Robinson factory in Torrance, California. If you’re leaving the Southern Los Angeles basin headed North in a helicopter, you can use the shoreline transition that takes you past Los Angeles International Airport at 50 feet above the waves and within a quarter-mile of the shoreline. The spectacular route takes you along the beach from Redondo to Santa Monica.

Most fixed-wing pilots never get to have that kind of fun.

The flying and checkride prep is humbling. My first helicopter flight was in a Schweizer S300 , in which I was able to produce a very stable hover after a half-hour of basic instruction. Schweizers are relatively stable and easy to fly, which boosted my confidence and gave me a false sense of what was to come.

Everything after that was in a Robinson R44 or R66 . Robinson helicopter flight controls are extremely sensitive. I’m not sure how long it took me to be able to perform all the basic maneuvers in Robinsons, but I know I didn’t hover again for a long time. Masterful Robinson pilots largely, and with exceptions for large corrections, ‘think’ the control stick (called a cyclic) through input movements that are almost imperceptible. It sounds hard and is harder in practice.

A Schweizer 300., Pete Markham/Wikicommons

Most airplanes are forgiving and stable by design. There are some helicopters that are more stable than others, but there are no forgiving helicopters. No Robinson is inherently stable. They are only as stable as your hands and feet can make them. If you’re an aspiring student helicopter pilot, more likely than not you’ll train in a Robinson.

When I started, it became apparent to me there are a million ways to get yourself into trouble in a helicopter.

Fixed-wing pilots will recognize ground effect, which happens in helicopters within one-half to a rotor span of the ground, increasing in intensity the lower a helicopter flies or hovers. Ground effect increases lift and performance because downward airflow is reduced to zero at the ground level, which transmits pressure changes to the rotor. Less engine output is required, and helicopters will lift into a hover IGE (in ground effect) even when it’s not safe or appropriate to fly OGE (out of ground effect).

Potentially deadly high gross weights and density altitudes can be masked by ground effect in a helicopter. Student pilots learn to perform a power check while hovering IGE before departure. The power check is not a substitution for preflight planning, it’s a last line of defense that references how much manifold pressure or torque you’re using to maintain a hover for the ambient conditions. Helicopter flight manuals generally include tested performance for both IGE and OGE (out of ground effect) hovering.

ETL (effective translational lift) is one way helicopter aerodynamics are different. Put into simple terms, when a helicopter is hovering, the main rotor is in its own column of descending air. Greater engine output is required to counteract that column of air. At speeds greater than 16-24 knots, the main rotor is able to ‘bite’ into ‘fresh’ air and ETL is achieved. If the wind is blowing at 25 knots, you can be ‘in’ ETL in a stable hover.

Depending on a number of factors, you can get yourself killed in a helicopter by departing a OGE low altitude hover (pushing) downwind. As your speed over the ground begins to match the tailwind, you lose ETL, and lift is suddenly and significantly reduced. The combination of carrying an excessive load and losing ETL while OGE and at low altitude is deadly and has claimed lives.

A Robinson R22 hovering. , Jitze Couperus/Wikicommons

Most flight schools teach students that ETL is a lifeline. Maneuvers and training are planned around remaining in ETL as much as possible. Departures and arrivals are planned around the parameters in the height/velocity diagram, which is published in the helicopter’s flight manual. Essentially, in training, students push for ETL before climbing out of ground effect, and when landing, they keep ETL until they have descended into ground effect.

That practice suits flight training well and increases safety margins. The reality is that most helicopter work, such as that which requires external loads and long lines, is conducted out of ETL. Watch helicopters with a 150-foot line and a firefighting Bambi Bucket. They are hovering OGE to pick up water, and if winds are calm, they are not in ETL. The same goes for helicopters that are lifting air conditioning units to rooftops, or sky cranes lifting and positioning high tension powerline towers.

I’ve heard many people repeat that aviation is safer than driving. In context, flying on airliners is safe. Flying helicopters is inherently risky and much more dangerous than driving a car. Safe and proficient utility helicopter pilots are unafraid, but always on guard. They possess a situational awareness most pilots don’t.

Fixed-wing pilots routinely train on emergencies with a focus on accuracy in identifying the problem and adherence to the proper published procedure. If you are flying a multi-engine jet and experience an engine failure as you’re lifting off, you focus on flying and maintaining positive control. You calmly climb up to a safe altitude before running the checklist. When an emergency happens in a helicopter, the reaction needs to be instantaneous. If you have an engine failure in a Huey while lifting a utility pole, you’re punching the load off, you’re getting the collective down, you’re counteracting the abrupt yaw moment caused the by rapid rollback of engine torque, and you’re heading to the most suitable landing spot, all at the same time . You’re not calling for a checklist out loud and going over it carefully at a steady pace. Time is simply a luxury you do not have.

An MD500 series helicopter working with a powerline maintenance crew. , MD Helicopters

It’s my personal observation that helicopter pilots have an easier time transitioning to fixed-wing than fixed-wing pilots do to helicopters. Some of the most difficult fixed-wing flying, like learning taildraggers, comes like a walk in the park to helicopter pilots.

One of the first things I did after getting my airplane single-engine land private pilot’s certificate was sought out a local taildragger instructor. I never ground looped a taildragger, but I was working the rudders hard every time I landed or took off in that Cessna 170. Even then the instructor told me what I’d eventually learn: that helicopter pilots come in and have an easy time.

I’ll explain why by going over the nuances of helicopter flying in finer detail. In front of a helicopter pilot is the cyclic stick, usually just called the cyclic. Most helicopters have one that comes up from the floor between the pilot’s legs in the right front seat, and usually a second cyclic for a co-pilot. The Robinson has a “teetering” cyclic that comes up from the center of the cabin, reaches over to the right, and hangs above a pilot’s lap. The left-side controls for a potential co-pilot or flight instructor can be removed when they aren’t needed.

The cyclic controls the main rotor and, as a result, the direction of flight. Either hydraulically or manually with control rods, the cyclic moves swash plate pitch links located on the main rotor hub assembly that adjust blade pitch. In simple terms, if you want to roll left, you move the cyclic left, and more lift is produced on the right side of the spinning main rotor. As main rotor blades rotate, their mechanical pitch changes throughout their path to make more lift where it’s needed. The same works for moving the cyclic forward and aft.

The Robinson R44’s cockpit., DTOM/Wikicommons

Stable hovers are a goal for students and the hallmark of professional helicopter pilots. Well built trainer airplanes, such as the perennial Cessna 172, want to fly straight and level. Helicopters do not have a tendency to hover on their own. Pilots hovering a helicopter are executing a delicate balancing act that requires near-constant cyclic input. The ability for pilots to master hovering, which involves many small inputs that happen as we simultaneously use our perception to sense their need, is a testament to the human brain.

To the left and near the pilot’s seat is the collective pitch control. The collective is a lever in most helicopters, held in the pilot’s left hand. It, wait for it, ‘collectively’ adjusts the pitch of the main rotor blades, increasing or decreasing overall main rotor thrust. In many helicopters, a correlator increases engine output when you pull the collective up to increase thrust. Some older helicopters do not, and the pilot must twist a throttle, like a motorcycle throttle, on the collective to prevent increased blade pitch from dragging the main rotor RPM down.

The pilot’s feet rest on anti-torque pedals. They serve the same purpose as rudder pedals, they control yaw, or left and right movement of the nose around the vertical axis. Control rods from the anti-torque pedals adjust the collective blade pitch, increasing and decreasing tail rotor thrust as necessary to counteract the equal and opposite reaction to the main rotor spinning. This is best illustrated by the available videos of helicopters with tail rotor failures, such as this one . They spin out of control.

When a Robinson pilot lowers or raises the collective, they must also apply the appropriate anti-torque pedal that compensates for increased or decreased main rotor torque. More advanced helicopters have systems that offer various levels of anti-torque compensation, as well. The competence helicopter pilots must have when it comes to manipulating the anti-torque pedals translates well to flying taildragger airplanes, which require a lot more work on landing and takeoff than airplanes with tricycle gear.

Helicopter and airplane pilots have bickered since the dawn of helicopters about which they’d rather be in during an engine failure. For the sake of this article, we can leave multi-engine airplanes and helicopters out of the discussion and elaborate on a scenario in which the pilot must make a forced landing after an engine failure.

An airplane can glide to potential landing sites. Cessna 172s have a glide ratio of 10:1, so they fly 10 feet for every foot they lose in altitude. Generally, they descend at around 500 feet per minute (FPM). If your engine fails at 5,000 feet and cannot be restarted, you have around 10 minutes to make an unscheduled sea-level landing. However, you must still find a field, road, or airport with sufficient stopping distance. I’ve heard it many times from professional fixed-wing pilots; if the engine fails in a helicopter they drop like a rock and you’ll probably die.

It’s simply not true.

Robinson helicopters have what’s called a sprag clutch and most other helicopters feature a freewheeling unit with a sprag clutch in it. The design purpose of these units is to allow torque to only be applied in one rotational direction on a drive shaft. The engine can apply torque but can’t remove it, much like a bicycle where you can pedal or rest but the bike keeps rolling. The main rotor of your helicopter keeps spinning in the correct direction, but in the event of an engine failure, the airflow through the main rotor reverses direction. This is called auto-rotation. When producing thrust the main rotor moves a column of air downward. When in auto-rotation, the helicopter is essentially gliding, using air moving up through the main rotor to maintain controlled flight and lift, albeit reduced lift.

The Robinson R44 glide ratio is 4.7:1, less than half that of the Cessna 172, but landing options are far greater. Vacant lots, rooftops and other less than ideal landing zones have been successfully utilized by helicopter pilots unfortunate enough to have been faced with an engine failure.

Early in primary training, helicopter pilots practice autorotations, managing main rotor RPM, forward glide speed (approximately 55 knots in the R44), and maneuvering to reach the best landing spot available for the circumstances. If you watch police and news helicopters, they commonly circle a scene to maximize their options and the likelihood of a safe autorotation when they could be hovering.

As for whether I’d rather be in a helicopter or a fixed-wing aircraft experiencing an engine failure, it depends heavily on the circumstances. I can tell you, however, that I have a great amount of respect for and faith in the ability of a professional helicopter pilot to put an auto-rotating helicopter down almost anywhere, even between the lines of a single spot in a parking lot. A perfect outcome is completing an autorotation to the ground without a scratch on the helicopter, but a little luck is required. Most pilots would agree that a successful emergency landing is one where no one on board the helicopter or on the ground is injured. Preserving the helicopter to fly another day comes in second to saving lives.

That being said, helicopters do generally operate at low altitude and you have less time between the initial engine failure and needing to land. In all cases, you can train day and night for engine failures, but they still catch you by surprise when you’re at work in an aircraft. You don’t get to pick your real-life engine failure scenario. It goes without saying that if you knew you were going to have an engine failure beforehand you should not have gone flying.

In cruise flight, helicopters can be flown much like an airplane. A common practice is using the collective to set an appropriate amount of engine output for continuous cruise performance, then leaving it alone and using cyclic inputs similar to the way you’d use the stick in an airplane. Forward and aft cyclic movements make slight adjustments to pitch to maintain cruise altitude, and of course, left and right cyclic movements roll left and right to stay on course.

An R44 over a dramatic coastline., Robinson Helicopter

You don’t use rudder pedals to steer the direction of flight in an airborne airplane very often, and the same is true for helicopters. A short trim string, which is a literal and actual yarn string on the front and within view of a pilot, is a visual reference helicopter pilots use to keep the helicopter fuselage aligned with the relative wind. They call that flying in trim, and it’s accomplished with the anti-torque pedals.

Near the ground, most flight schools teach their students to fly with the skids underneath the helicopter aligned with the direction of travel. Like flying in trim, this is done with the anti-torque pedals as well. This eliminates the possibility of a skid touching down with lateral helicopter movement, which can cause a rollover.

I’ve always advocated for people getting into aviation recreationally. Private citizens should be able to enjoy general aviation without the same qualifications and mindset as career pilots. I believe it’s good for aviation and society to have pilots that go sightseeing on weekends, taking trips in small airplanes, and keeping general aviation thriving. Every newly certified pilot is an additional ambassador for aviation, and our ability to take to the sky is inarguably one of mankind’s greatest achievements.

A Bell 430 flies over the European countryside. The 430 is part of the 222 series, made famous in the show Airwolf. It remains one of the most striking helicopters ever created. , Bell Helicopter

I still feel the same way about airplanes, but after learning to fly helicopters, my opinions have changed. Helicopter flying should never be casual. Most helicopter general aviation flying is in Robinsons. The Robinson R44 has the highest fatal accident rate of any civil helicopter, with 42 fatal accidents from 2006-2016. It’s not because the R44 is poorly engineered, it’s because Robinson helicopters made helicopter flying cheaper and more accessible.

I’ve met many interesting characters in aviation over the years. One casual R44 owner-pilot in particular never performed preflight inspections because he believed it was in God’s hands. He elaborated that if his faith was strong enough God wouldn’t let him have an accident.

Even recreational helicopter pilots must approach each flight as if it were their job. If you’re not 100% focused on doing everything right and keeping your skill level high, you have no business flying a helicopter.

The author is a United States Air Force veteran and 5,000-hour Airline Transport Pilot and Commercial Helicopter Pilot, type rated in private jets and with over a decade’s experience managing and flying private aircraft. He has a wide breadth of experience in aviation, having flown people from all backgrounds into and out of everything from small mountain airstrips to large international airports.

Contact the editor: Tyler@thedrive.com

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更新于美国东部时间2021年1月21日晚上8:24。

开门见山地说，直升机比固定翼飞机酷炫得多，也更有驾驶乐趣。直升机的操作远比固定翼飞机简单，但对飞行员的技能和飞行技术要求更高。

专业固定翼飞机飞行员的大部分时间都花在18000英尺（飞行高度层180，约18000英尺）以上的飞行高度。驾驶固定翼飞机或许更“光鲜亮丽”，但没有哪个飞行员能否认低空飞行的刺激。直升机飞行员几乎完全在低空飞行，每天都面临着不同的风景和挑战。诸如高塔、输电线路、横跨峡谷和河流的电缆等障碍物，以及不断变化的大气条件，都给直升机飞行员带来了持续不断的挑战。

这是一个极具吸引力的提议，值得庆幸的是，我在飞行生涯的后期才接受了它。

维基共享资源/阿平斯通

我一生的大部分时间都在追逐驾驶飞机的梦想。直升机一直是我未来想要探索的方向，但它们并不是我的主要目标。

在驾驶塞斯纳172飞机进行飞行教学时，我遇到了一位正在接受培训的年轻直升机飞行员。我们约定，如果条件允许，我们会互相指导，并努力帮助对方获得商用飞机执照。美国联邦航空管理局（FAA）允许飞行员在执照上增加新的类别和级别，而无需从最低级别开始。如果您持有商用飞机执照，就可以参加第一次直升机飞行考核，以获得商用直升机执照。

获得直升机飞行执照并非一帆风顺。由于我们轮流搭乘，我大部分所需的飞行时间都是通过搭乘转场和调机航班积累的。等到我准备参加考核时，我的直升机训练已经持续了数年之久。尽管如此，我依然乐在其中，享受着每一步的训练。

一次飞行训练带我和我的教练在十二月飞到了纪念碑谷和大峡谷附近。大多数游客都没机会看到亚利桑那州内陆地区覆盖着一层薄薄的积雪。

另一次飞行是在加利福尼亚州托兰斯市的罗宾逊工厂取回一架R44直升机。如果您乘坐直升机从洛杉矶南部盆地向北飞行，可以选择沿海岸线飞行，这条航线会带您飞越洛杉矶国际机场，距离海浪50英尺，距离海岸线不到四分之一英里。这条壮观的航线将带您沿着海滩从雷东多海滩飞往圣莫尼卡海滩。

大多数固定翼飞机飞行员都没有机会体验到那种乐趣。

飞行和考核准备过程令人谦卑。我的第一次直升机飞行是在一架施韦策S300型直升机上，经过半小时的基础指导后，我就能实现非常稳定的悬停。施韦策直升机相对稳定且易于操控，这增强了我的信心，也让我对即将到来的挑战产生了错误的预期。

之后的所有飞行都是在罗宾逊R44或R66上进行的。罗宾逊直升机的飞行控制系统极其灵敏。我不确定自己花了多长时间才掌握罗宾逊直升机的所有基本飞行操作，但我知道之后很长一段时间我都没再进行过悬停。罗宾逊直升机的飞行高手，除了进行大幅度修正之外，大多时候都是通过“思考”来控制操纵杆（称为周期杆），几乎感觉不到任何细微的动作。这听起来很难，实际操作起来更难。

A Schweizer 300.，Pete Markham/Wikicommons

大多数飞机在设计上都具有一定的容错性和稳定性。有些直升机比其他直升机更稳定，但没有哪架直升机是容错性极高的。罗宾逊直升机本身并不稳定，它们的稳定性完全取决于飞行员的操控能力。如果你是一名有志成为直升机飞行员的学员，那么你很可能会在罗宾逊直升机上接受训练。

当我开始接触直升机时，我很快意识到，在直升机上让自己陷入困境的方法有无数种。

固定翼飞行员会注意到地面效应，这种效应在直升机上发生在离地半个旋翼展到整个旋翼展的范围内，并且随着直升机飞行或悬停高度的降低，地面效应强度也会增加。地面效应能够提升升力和飞行性能，因为在地面附近向下气流减少到零，从而将压力变化传递到旋翼。这样一来，所需的发动机输出功率就更小，即使在不安全或不适合进行OGE（非地面效应飞行）的情况下，直升机也能利用地面效应（IGE）进行悬停。

直升机的地面效应可以掩盖其潜在的致命高总重和高密度高度。学员飞行员在起飞前会学习在地面效应（IGE）悬停时进行动力检查。动力检查并非飞行前计划的替代品，而是最后一道防线，用于评估在当前环境条件下维持悬停所需的歧管压力或扭矩。直升机飞行手册通常会包含地面效应（IGE）和地面效应外（OGE）悬停的测试性能数据。

有效平移升力 (ETL) 是直升机空气动力学的一个独特之处。简单来说，当直升机悬停时，主旋翼处于一股下沉气流中。为了抵消这股气流，需要更大的发动机输出功率。当速度超过 16-24 节时，主旋翼能够“咬住”新鲜空气，从而达到有效平移升力。如果风速达到 25 节，直升机就能在稳定悬停状态下达到有效平移升力。

根据多种因素，在低空悬停（推离地面）状态下顺风飞行可能会导致直升机坠毁。当机速与顺风速度趋于一致时，你会失去有效升力，升力会突然大幅下降。在低空低空飞行时，如果同时携带过重载荷并失去有效升力，后果不堪设想，已经造成人员伤亡。

一架罗宾逊 R22 正在盘旋。 ，Jitze Couperus/维基共享资源

大多数飞行学校都会教导学员，保持有效爬升高度（ETL）至关重要。飞行操作和训练计划都围绕着尽可能保持在有效爬升高度展开。起飞和降落的计划也依据直升机飞行手册中公布的高度/速度图上的参数进行。简而言之，在训练中，学员会在爬升离开地面效应区之前努力保持有效爬升高度，并在着陆时保持有效爬升高度直至下降进入地面效应区。

这种做法非常适合飞行训练，并能提高安全裕度。事实上，大多数直升机作业，例如需要外部载荷和长绳索的作业，都是在有效载荷线（ETL）之外进行的。观察一下那些挂着150英尺长绳索和消防水桶的直升机。它们在地面以上悬停取水，如果风平浪静，它们就不在有效载荷线内。同样的情况也适用于将空调机组吊装到屋顶的直升机，或者吊装和定位高压输电线路塔架的空中起重机。

我经常听到有人说航空比开车更安全。就乘坐客机而言，这的确很安全。但驾驶直升机本身就风险极高，远比开车危险得多。安全且技术娴熟的通用直升机飞行员虽然无所畏惧，但始终保持警惕。他们拥有大多数飞行员所不具备的态势感知能力。

固定翼飞机飞行员通常会进行紧急情况训练，重点在于准确识别问题并严格遵守已公布的程序。如果您驾驶的是多引擎喷气式飞机，起飞时遇到发动机故障，您会专注于飞行并保持对飞机的积极控制。您会冷静地爬升到安全高度，然后再执行检查清单。但当直升机发生紧急情况时，反应必须瞬间完成。如果您驾驶休伊直升机在吊装电线杆时遇到发动机故障，您必须同时完成以下所有操作：卸下负载、放下总距杆、抵消发动机扭矩快速回落造成的突然偏航力矩，并飞往最合适的着陆点。您不可能大声喊出检查清单，然后按部就班地仔细检查。时间对您来说是一种奢侈。

一架MD500系列直升机正在与电力线路维护人员一起作业。，MD直升机公司

我个人的观察是，直升机飞行员比固定翼飞行员更容易从固定翼飞机过渡到直升机。一些最难的固定翼飞机飞行技巧，比如学习尾轮式飞机，对直升机飞行员来说简直易如反掌。

拿到单引擎陆地飞机私人飞行员执照后，我做的第一件事就是找一位当地的尾轮式飞机教练。我驾驶尾轮式飞机从未发生过地面滑行，但每次驾驶那架塞斯纳170起降时，我都会用力踩方向舵。即便如此，教练还是告诉我我最终会明白的道理：直升机飞行员来这里训练轻而易举。

我将通过更详细地讲解直升机飞行的细微之处来解释原因。直升机飞行员前方是操纵杆，通常简称为周期杆。大多数直升机都配备一个从右前座飞行员两腿之间的地板伸出的周期杆，通常还有一个供副驾驶使用的周期杆。罗宾逊直升机的周期杆是“摇摆式”的，它从座舱中央伸出，向右延伸，悬挂在飞行员的腿上方。左侧的操纵杆（供潜在的副驾驶或飞行教员使用）在不需要时可以拆卸。

周期变距杆控制主旋翼，从而控制飞行方向。周期变距杆通过液压或手动控制杆来移动位于主旋翼轮毂组件上的斜盘变距连杆，从而调节桨叶的桨距。简单来说，如果想要向左滚转，就向左移动周期变距杆，这样旋转的主旋翼右侧就会产生更大的升力。随着主旋翼桨叶的旋转，其机械桨距会在其运动路径上发生变化，以在需要的地方产生更大的升力。前后移动周期变距杆的原理相同。

罗宾逊R44的驾驶舱。（图片来源：DTOM/Wikicommons）

稳定的悬停是学员们的目标，也是专业直升机飞行员的标志。像经久不衰的塞斯纳172这样的优秀教练机，飞行时倾向于保持直线平飞。而直升机本身并没有自主悬停的倾向。飞行员驾驶直升机悬停时，需要进行精细的平衡操作，这几乎需要持续不断地进行周期性操作。飞行员能够掌握悬停技巧，这其中涉及许多细微​​的操作，而这些操作又需要我们同时运用感知能力来判断其必要性，这充分体现了人类大脑的复杂性。

飞行员座椅左侧附近是总距控制杆。在大多数直升机上，总距控制杆是一个操纵杆，由飞行员左手握持。顾名思义，它的作用是“集体”调节主旋翼桨叶的桨距，从而增加或减少主旋翼的总推力。在许多直升机中，当向上拉动总距控制杆以增加推力时，相关器会增加发动机的输出功率。一些老式直升机没有这个功能，飞行员必须像操作摩托车油门一样，通过转动总距控制杆上的油门来防止桨叶桨距增加导致主旋翼转速下降。

飞行员的双脚放在反扭矩踏板上。它们的作用与方向舵踏板相同，控制偏航，即机头绕垂直轴的左右运动。反扭矩踏板上的控制杆调节桨叶总距，根据需要增加或减少尾桨推力，以抵消主旋翼旋转产生的大小相等、方向相反的反作用力。直升机尾桨故障的视频，例如这个视频，可以很好地说明这一点。它们会失控旋转。

当罗宾逊直升机飞行员降低或升高总距杆时，他们还必须踩下相应的反扭矩踏板，以补偿主旋翼扭矩的增加或减少。更先进的直升机还配备了提供不同级别反扭矩补偿的系统。直升机飞行员在操控反扭矩踏板方面所掌握的技能，对于驾驶尾轮式飞机也大有裨益，因为尾轮式飞机在起降时比前三点式飞机需要更多的操作。

自直升机诞生以来，直升机飞行员和固定翼飞机飞行员就一直在争论，如果发动机发生故障，他们更愿意驾驶哪种飞机。为了本文的讨论，我们暂且不涉及多引擎飞机和直升机，而是着重阐述飞行员在发动机故障后必须进行迫降的情况。

飞机可以滑翔到潜在的着陆点。塞斯纳172的滑翔比为10:1，也就是说，每下降1英尺高度，它就能滑翔10英尺。通常情况下，它们的下降速度约为每分钟500英尺（FPM）。如果你的发动机在5000英尺的高度发生故障且无法重新启动，你大约有10分钟的时间进行一次计划外的海平面着陆。但是，你仍然必须找到一块田地、道路或机场，并确保有足够的着陆距离。我曾多次听专业固定翼飞机飞行员说过：如果直升机的发动机发生故障，飞机就会像石头一样坠落，你很可能会丧命。

这根本不是事实。

罗宾逊直升机配备了单向离合器，而大多数其他直升机则采用带有单向离合器的自由轮装置。这些装置的设计目的是确保扭矩只能沿驱动轴的一个旋转方向施加。发动机可以施加扭矩，但不能消除扭矩，就像骑自行车一样，你可以踩踏板或休息，但自行车仍然会继续滚动。直升机的主旋翼会继续沿正确的方向旋转，但如果发动机发生故障，流经主旋翼的气流方向会反转。这被称为自旋。当产生推力时，主旋翼会向下推动一股气流。当处于自旋状态时，直升机实际上是在滑翔，利用流经主旋翼的上升气流来维持受控飞行和升力，尽管升力会降低。

罗宾逊R44的滑翔比为4.7:1，不到塞斯纳172的一半，但其着陆选择却多得多。一些不幸遭遇发动机故障的直升机飞行员，都曾成功地利用空地、屋顶和其他不太理想的着陆区域进行迫降。

在初级训练阶段，直升机飞行员会练习自旋着陆，控制主旋翼转速、前滑翔速度（R44 型直升机约为 55 节），并根据实际情况机动到最佳着陆点。如果你观察警用和新闻直升机，你会发现它们通常会在事发现场上空盘旋，以增加选择余地，并提高安全自旋着陆的可能性，而不是悬停。

至于如果遇到引擎故障，我更愿意乘坐直升机还是固定翼飞机，这很大程度上取决于具体情况。但我可以肯定的是，我对专业直升机飞行员的能力充满敬意和信心，他们几乎可以在任何地方，哪怕是停车场一个停车位的中间，成功完成自旋着陆。理想的结果是直升机毫发无损地完成自旋着陆，但这需要一点运气。大多数飞行员都会认同，成功的紧急着陆是指机上和地面人员均无伤亡。在拯救生命之前，让直升机继续飞行是次要的。

话虽如此，直升机通常在低空飞行，从发动机故障到必须降落的时间更短。无论如何，你可以日夜进行发动机故障训练，但在实际飞行中，发动机故障仍然会让你措手不及。你无法选择现实中发动机故障的发生场景。毋庸置疑，如果你事先知道会发生发动机故障，就不应该飞行。

在巡航飞行中，直升机的操控方式与飞机非常相似。常见的做法是使用总距杆设定合适的发动机输出功率，以确保持续巡航性能，然后保持总距杆不变，并像操作飞机操纵杆一样使用周期杆。前后移动周期杆可以微调俯仰角以保持巡航高度，而左右移动周期杆则可以左右滚转以保持航向。

一架R44直升机飞越壮丽的海岸线。罗宾逊直升机

在飞机上，你很少会用方向舵踏板来控制飞行方向，直升机也是如此。直升机飞行员会使用一根短的配平绳（实际上是一根位于机头前方、飞行员视线范围内的线绳）作为视觉参考，来保持机身与相对风向一致。他们称之为配平飞行，而配平则是通过反扭矩踏板来实现的。

在接近地面时，大多数飞行学校都会教导学员保持直升机起落架与飞行方向一致。就像配平飞行一样，这也需要配合防扭踏板使用。这样可以避免直升机横向移动时起落架触地，从而防止翻滚。

我一直倡导人们以休闲娱乐的方式参与航空活动。普通民众应该能够在无需具备职业飞行员那样的资质和思维方式的情况下享受通用航空的乐趣。我认为，让飞行员在周末驾驶小型飞机观光旅行，并保持通用航空的蓬勃发展，对航空业和社会都大有裨益。每一位新晋飞行员都是航空业的又一位推广大使，而我们翱翔蓝天的能力无疑是人类最伟大的成就之一。

一架贝尔430直升机飞越欧洲乡村。430是222系列直升机中的一款，因电视剧《飞狼》而闻名。它至今仍是最引人注目的直升机之一。贝尔直升机公司

我对飞机的看法依然如故，但自从学会驾驶直升机后，我的观点发生了改变。驾驶直升机绝不能掉以轻心。大多数通用航空直升机都使用罗宾逊直升机。罗宾逊R44是所有民用直升机中致命事故率最高的，2006年至2016年间共发生42起致命事故。这并非因为R44的设计存在缺陷，而是因为罗宾逊直升机让直升机飞行变得更加经济实惠、触手可及。

这些年来，我在航空界遇到过许多有趣的人。其中一位R44飞机的拥有者兼飞行员尤其引人注目，他从不做飞行前检查，因为他相信一切都掌握在上帝手中。他甚至解释说，只要他的信仰足够坚定，上帝就不会让他发生事故。

即使是休闲直升机飞行员，也必须像对待工作一样对待每一次飞行。如果你不能百分百专注于把每件事都做好，并保持高超的技能水平，那么你就不应该驾驶直升机。

作者是美国空军退伍军人，拥有5000小时的航线运输飞行员和商用直升机飞行员执照，持有私人飞机机型等级，并拥有十余年的私人飞机管理和飞行经验。他在航空领域经验丰富，曾驾驶飞机搭载来自各行各业的乘客往返于各种机场，从小型山区简易机场到大型国际机场。

联系编辑：Tyler@thedrive.com

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