AS350
160 160 160 160 160
161
Limitations And Data Engine Rotors Tail Rotors Rotor Brake Transmission Hydraulics Electrics Fuel Capacities Oil Capacities CG Limits Emergencies Warning Lights Engine Relighting Fuel Flow Rate Drop Excessive Fuel Flow Surging Engine Fire Smoke in the cabin Checklists Daily Check Prestart Start Pre Takeoff After Landing

USEFUL DATA
162 163 163 163 164 164 164 165 165 165 165 165 165 166 166 166 166 167 167 167 167 167 168 170 170 171 172
173

Various Weights 173 Fuel 173 Dry Wood 173 Typical Hook Loads at MAUW HOGE 174 Common Helicopter Dimensions 175 Holdover Times 175 Type I 175 Type II 175
INDEX 177
By the same author: 183 Operational Flying 183 Canadian Professional Pilot Studies 183 JAR Professional Pilot Studies 183 The BIOS Companion 183

Introduction

One snag with helicoptering is that there are virtually no flying clubs, at least of the sort that exist for fixed wing, so pilots get very little chance to swap stories, unless they meet in a muddy field somewhere, waiting for their passengers. As a result, the same mistakes are being made and the same lessons learnt separately instead of being shared. Even when you do get into a school, there are still a couple of things they don’t teach you, namely that aviation runs on paperwork, and how to get a job, including interview techniques, etc— flying the aircraft is actually a very small part of the process.
Another drawback is that nobody really tells you anything, either about the job you have to do (from the customer) or how to do it (the company) – you will always be up against the other guy who did it last week! Sure, there will be training, but, even in the best companies, this can be minimal, and definitely not standard around the industry.
This book is an attempt to correct the above problems by gathering together as much information as possible for helicopter pilots, old and new, professional and otherwise, in an attempt to explain the why, so that the how will become easier (you will be so much more useful if you know what the customer is trying to achieve). It contains all the helicopter-specific information from my other book, Operational Flying, which is more to do with the admin side of things (more details near the back page), plus additional chapters about two popular light helicopters, the Bell 206 and AS 350.
In short, it contains all the stuff that I had to pick up on the way.

The Job
Flying helicopters is definitely not a 9-5 affair, and it’s the only work some people ever see themselves doing. You are certainly part of a select brotherhood, but there are things you need to know before doing it professionally, which is a different ball game than flying for pleasure – the rules are entirely different. Mostly, the “extras”, in the shape of paperwork, responsibility and office politics, are bearable for the amount of pay you get, and the flying itself is the icing on the cake.