One quick way to remember all the things that you are responsible for as you prepare for a flight is the FAA acronyms PAVE and IMSAFE. P- is for Pilot (go to...

The process of landing a helicopter without the engine is called auto-rotation. This is the process of removing the pitch from the main rotor blades with "dow...

Your in and out of ground effect hover ceiling is found in your POH by applying the pressure/ density altitude for the day, combined with the gross aircraft w...

As a new student, I would recommend the following items to get started with your journey. 1. Current Far/Aim 2. Pilot Log Book 3. E6B 4. Plotter 5. VFR secti...

You must understand a helicopter emergency called settling with power, vortex ring state, or settling in your own down wash. You must have three things prese...

A type of helicopter tail rotor emergency involving a mechanical failure is "stuck pitch or stuck pedal". This means that a linkage or cable have become jamm...

One type of tail rotor emergency in a helicopter is a total loss of tail rotor due to a mechanical failure. This could be a broken shaft, flex coupler, gearb...

The helicopter tail rotor is needed to counter the thrust of the main rotor system. One type of emergency that can happen, causing the helicopter to lose tai...

If you get light in the seat due to abrupt forward cyclic input or turbulence, it is very important to recover the helicopter with gentle aft cyclic. This wi...

Helicopter main rotor blades are designed to "cone" up in flight. The blades are held rigid by the centrifugal force imposed with the proper RPM (rotations p...

In a helicopter, RPM (rotations per minute) is life! A helicopter pilot must understand how to recognize low RPM and have the automatic conditioned response ...

Helicopters experience unequal lift across the rotor system since there is an advancing blade and a retreating blade. This is called dissymmetry of lift. Hel...

It is important to locate and understand the height velocity diagram for the helicopter you will be training in. The "shaded area" is the area that test pilo...

New students and experienced pilots alike need to continually be cautious on the helicopter "pick up". A rushed pickup could lead to a dynamic rollover in a ...

Pendular action is simple if you just think of a pendulum. The helicopter swinging from the rotor head is the same thing. To get the swinging under control i...

Lets consider the inputs that a pilot must make in order to make a straight take off, outside of the height velocity diagram shaded area. In a counter clockw...

ETL in a helicopter can be simply put as "the helicopter rotor system is operating in clean air and is more efficient". That may be enough for the examiner a...

Helicopter translating tendency is not a big deal, but it is just something you have to know and be able to describe to the examiner during the helicopter ch...

Check out this video that I made to help your understand transverse flow effect. So many people get this confused during their private pilot helicopter train...