Helicopter Training Boston Blog

At North Andover Flight Academy, we train helicopter pilots to handle Class B operations. Boston Class Bravo is an interesting flight most days, but when the wind is out of the Northeast the Quarry route becomes an exercise which is made easier with familiarity. The best way to get familiar with the Boston helicopter routes is to get dual from a qualified instructor. Today the wind was light from the Northeast, so we decided to incorporate some of the Boston Helicopter Routes into our training.

Quarry Route North Boston Massachusetts

With Logan landing 4R and 4L, the Quarry Route requires a descent which can be unnerving for the first time. Pilots need to know the proper landmarks – Andrews Square and the Milton Outer Marker are the important checkpoints. Maintain the proper alititude between these to avoid the overhead traffic landing at Logan. Train with the premier helicopter flight school in New England!

Southeast Expressway Boston

Quarry Route Boston Mass

What’s a guy to do when winter comes and it’s too cold for all his summertime hobbies?

In the summer Mike divides his free time between motocross, golf, and helicopters, but since the snow fell he’s had some time off from his warm weather pursuits.  That makes this a great time to really make progress with his helicopter training.  After a couple of solo flights here at Lawrence, we started working on cross country flying and navigation.

It was great to put some distance between us and our home airport, and Mike certainly got to do that, joining us on a ferry flight down to Orange County, New York.  But now it’s time to get him ready for his cross country solo, which will take him up into the hills of New Hampshire.

Preflighting in the hangar

Coincidentally, many of his navigation checkpoints turn out to be golf courses and race tracks.  The golf courses prove to be a problem in the winter, looking a lot like plain snow covered hills, but the race tracks stand out and he does an excellent job of finding them, on course and on time.

Drag strip and motocross course

After approaches at Skyhaven and Plum Island, and a simulated engine failure to make sure he stays sharp, it’s home again to Lawrence.  Good job Mike.  All the planning and preparation made for a great flight — and we found a new course for you to try out next spring!

Cold clear days in winter give us some of our best flying, and provide a great opportunity to get out and explore New England from the air.

Ask any helicopter flight instructor what one of the worst parts of instructing is and most all will say the same thing – “I don’t get to fly enough”. It’s true – instructors as a rule do not get enough “time on the stick”. Most of an instructors repertoire consists of mainly talking students through maneuvers, fixing errors, and the occasional demonstration of a maneuver. At North Andover Flight Academy, we maintain a strict regimen of allowing our instructors flight time outside of instructing students. This time is used to perfect maneuvers and discuss training scenarios which the instructors can use to benefit their instructional techniques. When reviewing with our instructors we usually aim to do this in more “challenging” conditions than usual. This usually means wind – today was no exception. Winds at the Lawrence Airport (KLWM) were gusting in the high 20’s.  Perfect conditions for some instructor review (also known as “having fun”).

Autorotation in the R22

With the wind howling, we set out to perfect some autorotation techniques and just have a good time. With the high winds, the usual glide of the R-22 was a bit more like the “elevator ride” of the Schweizer. We also had a chance to test the crosswind capabilities of the 22, and contrary to some beliefs (usually those that have NO IDEA of what a Robinson R22 or R44 can do), the machine performed beautifully in all crosswind quadrants. As they stated at the Safety course, Robinson was a tail rotor specialist and that shows with the tail rotor authority of the R22 and 44.

Snow blowing on the ramp at LWM

Some tout the crosswind capabilities of the Schweizer over the 22, and having owned a 300C I will say that the 22 performs just as well in high winds as any Schweizer. There was recently an accident in Maine which was a Schweizer 300CBi involved in an LTE (or LTA) episode, resulting in a hard landing and a destroyed helicopter.

In high winds the autorotations were interesting to say the least. The wind gradients were clearly evident while in the glide. Close to the ground the shear was very noticeable, requiring extra care and attention due to the changing winds.

Minor Snow Drift on Skid

We ended the flight with a few precision set downs in all wind quadrants. As usual we refueled the helicopter before tucking it away for the evening inside our hangar. Another great flight at Boston’s premier helicopter flight training facility.

Here’s a short video – notice the wind drift across the ramp. Typical balmy New England afternoon…thankfully the hangar is just behind us!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb5sd9mmo-g

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