Rotor or Fixed Wing? | FerrariChat
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Rotor or Fixed Wing?

Discussion in 'Aviation Chat' started by imported_Aruna, Feb 10, 2006.

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  1. imported_Aruna

    imported_Aruna Rookie

    Feb 10, 2006
    3
    #1 imported_Aruna, Feb 10, 2006
    I've always wondered this, but don't know what is more beneficial. Is it easier to go straight for a rotor license, or do most heli pilots learn fixed wing first, and then 'graduate' to rotor aircraft? I have heard that learning to pilot a helicopter is much different than learning to pilot a plane, since controls do different things.

    If you're a heli pilot, which did you do first, rotor or fixed? Is there an advantage to learning fixed wing if ultimately you want to pilot a helicopter?
     
  2. rfking

    rfking Formula Junior

    Nov 16, 2003
    785
    Italy
    #2 rfking, Feb 15, 2006
    There is certainly something to the issue of whether the aircraft controls from rotorcraft to airplane or vice versa provide more or less negative transfer, but in the grand scheme of things, thats a small part of it.
     
  3. scott.waldon

    scott.waldon Formula Junior

    Jan 26, 2006
    316
    Sydney, Australia
    Full Name:
    Scott
    #3 scott.waldon, Feb 21, 2006
    The controls would be evry different to go from, im in AUstralia and here you need to do 50 hours to get rotary wing and if you have fixed wing it is something like 30 hours, so it may even work out cheaper if your location is the same and then u can always go to fixed wing if you like:D
     
  4. imported_Aruna

    imported_Aruna Rookie

    Feb 10, 2006
    3
    #4 imported_Aruna, Feb 23, 2006
    Ah.. Ok.. I was wondering if your fixed wing flight time will contribute to rotor wing flight time and it seems from what I'm reading that it does. Has anyone made the transition from fixed to rotor, and what they thought was the hardest part of that transition? I know the controls are different, which is one of the reasons why I asked if most heli pilots don't do fixed wing, since in an instincting situation you may do something very different in a helicopter than in an airplane!
     
  5. Impactco

    Impactco Formula 3

    Jan 29, 2006
    1,615
    #5 Impactco, Sep 4, 2006
    I received my helo private and commercial add-on after 20 years of flying fixed wing. The first 10 hours in the helo were really difficult but everything started to make sense after that and I went solo at around 17 hours. There were some fixed wing habits to unlearn - add power, left pedal in a helo - engine failure, raise the nose in a helo. As to whether you should start flying in a helo or fixed wing, helo's are much more expensive to train in. The Enstrom I trained in was $230/hr but you can find an R22 for about $150-$175/hr. I would have to say that flying helos is the most fun I have ever had in my flight experience!
     

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