AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2021 - 82

RUDDER & WRENCH
affairs. Even straight and level will feel
different. You'll realize you can take your
hands off the yoke or stick for what seems
like minutes before anything happens.
Don't try that in a Robinson.
It will expand your flying
environment.
Most people fly light airplanes between
3,000 feet and 10,000 feet. Flying helicopters
will expand your knowledge of the
world from the surface to 3,000 feet. You
will learn how to navigate at a lower altitude
and how to better avoid obstructions,
and you'll get sharper at pilotage. It will
also open your eyes to emergency landing
sites and how to better evaluate their
potential, and help you better judge lowlevel
weather.
It's fun.
While it may be true that some pilots
learned for purely practical reasons,
or to find a career, most general aviation
pilots fly for fun. At least, if they're
being honest with themselves they
do. And if your goal is to have fun, it's
impossible to beat a helicopter. The feeling
of pure joy and wonderment when
you pick up the ship, sit 5 feet off the
ground (mostly) motionless, and then
slowly begin to tilt forward as you start
the takeoff run is unmatched in aviation.
Airplanes are beautiful and romantic.
Helicopters are fun and offer constant
amazement. You can do wild things,
such as turn in circles as you taxi, land
on the peak of a bluff, or autorotate
straight down. You can impress your
friends by flying them to downtown
Manhattan or the grassy area of a nice
restaurant. Or, you can fly around at 500
feet and 80 knots with no doors and a
nice breeze through the cockpit.
It will reinvigorate your love
of flying.
Especially for those pilots who love to
learn new skills or experience something
new, learning to fly a helicopter
will reinvigorate your love of aviation.
Because it's a new category of flying you
will learn far more than would be the
case on a weekend seaplane rating, or
even adding on a multiengine rating. It
82
AOPA PILOT / August 2021
involves learning new regulations, new
procedures, new aerodynamics, new
systems, and obviously, new aircraft.
Communications, navigation, and airport
operations will transfer, but that's pretty
much it. Otherwise, almost everything
you experience in training will feel new,
and bring back that new student excitement,
nervousness, and joy.
It's like going home again, and that is a
priceless feeling. ian.twombly@aopa.org
What it takes /
Time and money
For specifics on the hours required
for pilots with an airplane certificate
to add a rotorcraft rating, head to FAR
61.109. Under subpart (c) look for
anything that says, " in a helicopter "
and that's what you must accomplish
before you can take the checkride. It is:
* 3 hours of cross-country.
* 3 hours of night flight, including
a cross-country of more than 50
nautical miles and 10 takeoffs and
landings to a full stop.
* 3 hours of flight training in
preparation for the practical test.
* 10 hours of solo time, including 3
hours of cross-country, one of which
must be at least 100 nautical miles
with landings at three points. One
of those points must be at least 25
nautical miles straight-line distance.
* 3 takeoffs and landings to a full stop
at a tower-controlled airport.
The caveat is that if you train in a
Robinson R22, SFAR 73 dictates
some specific training that must be
accomplished, including 20 hours of
dual prior to first solo. Thus, Robinson
students can expect a minimum of
30 flight hours before taking the
checkride. As always, the more often
you fly and the harder you study, the
more efficient-read less expensive-
your training will be. -IJT
http://efirc.com/pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2021

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