naturally went for the cyclic and collective. Again, I quickly recognized the precise engineering of the X-Copter fl ight controls.
TOUCH AND GO
The SIM instructor pushed the power button, aff ectionately called the “touch and go” button. A mere two minutes later, I realized why that little silver button got its nickname when the simulator cockpit lit up, fully functional. A brilliant array of 60- inch high-defi nition monitors displayed in astonishing detail the hangars and airport I had just walked through. Fluid graphics were rendered in great detail. I immediately was twisting the throttle, pulling the collective, and hovering. Two minutes from power-off to full operation seems quick for high-powered computing. That’s a big advantage in a world where time is money, a world that certainly includes helicopter fl ight training.
DISPLAYS
Graphics “outside” the cockpit are rendered in such great detail that it’s easy to get distracted from the reality rendered inside. Two HD touch-screen panels in the cockpit display fl ight instrumentation in a variety of formats. I asked for round dials for my “fl ight,” but at the click of a button the panel confi guration can be changed to
display a number of avionic simulations, such as the Garmin 500H. In addition to the instrument panel displays, an iPad with ForeFlight Mobile showed geo-referencing data.
POWER FAILURE AND OTHER CHALLENGES
Soon I was cruising along northbound towards Flagstaff at 10,500 MSL … when I suddenly lost power. The instructor had set me up for an engine failure from his station tablet connected via Wi-Fi. Immediately, I lowered the collective to maintain rotor RPM and established a 70 KIAS glide. I adjusted the collective to maintain 100 percent RPM and immediately began scanning the detailed terrain for a good landing spot. Unable to restart, I scanned the touch-screen panels, turning off unnecessary switches and the fuel valve. The screen technology is fantastic and clearly provides great procedural training. At 40 feet AGL, I began cyclic fl are to reduce descent and forward speed. Just before touching down, I forwarded the cyclic to level the ship and raised the collective for a cushioned landing. The machine worked fl awlessly. The graphics were incredibly detailed, allowing for maneuvers like autorotation and hovering.
On the return fl ight to the Prescott Municipal Airport (KPRC), the instructor changed my fl ight from day to night, and then added wind and rain for good measure as I shot the ILS into KPRC. Entering the ILS, I utilized the touch-screen panel to dial in the VOR and the ILS signal to maintain my direction and glideslope. Then I performed the landing fl awlessly—like a “Rotorcraft Pro.”�
There is no doubt that X-Copter delivers a great procedural training platform for both VFR and IFR fl ight. In fact, I only see one way they could make things even better. X-Copter, will you now put all your resources to work and develop one of those “touch and go” buttons for my convoluted coff eemaker?
40
January 2015
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