If you’re doing your helicopter instrument training in a Robinson or Schweizer or any other type of helicopter trainer, you know that time is of the essence. You don’t want to travel long distances for your instrument approaches, as you may be paying upwards of $360 per hour for the Schweizer and $250 per hour for the instrument equipped Robinson R22.
When you’re getting your helicopter training in the Boston Mass area, there is one airport that beats all others for instrument approaches. Norwood Airport has a localizer and GPS approach to Runway 35 and that’s it. Runway 28 and 10 with their proximity to the “big blue” – the bluehill do not have approaches – the runways do not even have runway lights! If you’re training down in the Norwood and South Shore area, you need to go a good distance to get to an ILS or VOR approach.
Our R22 Instrument Trainer
Hanscom airport (Bedford) has the requisite approaches, but is a high traffic area and can be difficult to perform full approaches.
Our home – Lawrence Airport however, has everything the aspiring instrument helicopter pilot would want. With the LWM VOR a short distance away and the ILS to runway 5, you can get your VOR, GPS and ILS approaches in within a few minutes time. You can also do holds over the LWM VOR in many different configurations and shoot an approach in to a full stop landing!
Setting up for the GPS 23 approach
Want to do a full localizer only approach? Head a short distance to Beverly (KBVY) airport and do the localizer.
It was just this advantage that had us up on yet another windy helicopter training day in New England. The winds aloft were 25 kts out of the southwest and there were several small squalls moving our way and we were going to fit in some instrument training while we could.
I was flying with Mike Holland, one of our Part 141 instrument helicopter students. It was time to do holds. Normally at KLWM we will fly approaches to runway 23 and hold over HAGET, then fly the ILS 5 and hold over LWM on the missed approach. Today was strictly hold practice. First using the GPS then straight VOR holds.
Merrimack River
HOLD EAST OF THE LWM VOR LEFT TURNS
Mike would head direct to the VOR then visualize the course inbound on the HSI.
Remember, enter the hold, stay on the protected side, and make the least amount of change in direction as possible to pick up the outbound heading and that will be the hold entry that will work. That’s the easy way to do it.
Some tips for the hold include:
The hold is a way for ATC to adjust traffic so that it fits into the separation standards of the FARs.
When the hold is not part of a charted procedure, ATC will try to give you a direct entry.
Even when the hold is published, ATC may give a hold and direction that makes entry to the approach easier.
The instrument PTS does not say the FAA method must be used.
The CFII PTS specifies the FAA method as part of the test.
A hold does not need to be exact, You just have to remain inside the airspace on the holding side of the fix.
This can be done by doing the course reversal 90/270 by doing it as a 80/260 to allow for entry and recovery.
The same procedure can be used to make the procedure turn.
Always make your first 90 degree turn to the holding side and your 260 will be in the holding direction.
Some old sayings for the holds include:
Climbing outbound on a procedures inbound radial is a sure way of meeting someone.
Prepare your departure and arrival strategies ahead of time.
Desire to be good is required to be good.
An accident occurs when you have exhausted your box of options.
Getting away with something stupid is a learning experience, not an invitation to try again.
If you become confused as to where you are in the holding pattern, reference your inbound heading’s location. It should be top for inbound or bottom for outbound.
After exhausting our options for the different holds and entries, we decided to finish off the lesson with a full GPS approach to Runway 23 at KLWM.
LWM VOR
Proceeding outbound from the VOR we made the procedure turn inbound directly into the southeast headwind.
Several minutes later we were heading back to the North Andover Flight Academy ramp and hangar.
Well done Mike.
LWM VOR
