Don't crash your helicopter! Full Down Engine Off Landing - Autorotation in a Robinson R22
Friends are always asking what happens if your engine quits? You do an autorotation to the ground. In the event of engine failure helicopters can and do glide in what we call an autorotation. In effect we become gyrocopters during the autorotation phase of flight. Have you ever seen a Sycamore leaf spin to the ground? Instead of the engine driving the main rotor the wind drives the rotor. Through tons of practice we develop the skills required to land the machine without engine power. It's an exciting and quick maneuver; a definite test of concentration and reflexes. Now that I'm going for my CFI (certified flight instructor) rating, I am learning how to do these full down autorotations, which is a required maneuver for the CFI check ride.
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