MY 2 CENTS
aircraft, the engine will follow the rotor rpm and an overspeed of the engine might also occur using the power-on autorotative profile procedure. Is this preventable? Of course, with a qualified pilot or instructor who understands these variables and the
required corrective
actions, they can negate any overspeed issues. Training is key!
I offer an alternative solution: Utilize a qualified instructor pilot who has the skills and ability to conduct proper power-off training and not overspeed the helicopter. This
approach, utilized for decades,
provides the pilot with the additional experience to accurately perceive critical engine failure elements such as low rotor rpm, ability to vary glide distance, accurate flare altitudes and timing of pitch application for ground contact, and much, much more.
In early July 2024, I engaged the helicopter community via social media asking
their opinion regarding this
topic. Without question, the resounding response was that power-off autorotative training is the right way to go.
All the aspects of the pilots’ feel related to the energy of the autorotative maneuver is lost when the engine remains driving the
rotor system during the descent
profile. There is no correlation between a power-on and power-off autorotative descent profile other than you’re headed to the ground. To be more specific, the lifesaving skills that would be taught during autorotative descent training are not achievable when the throttle remains on. This dilutes the training effort.
It is important to note this discussion has nothing to do with power-on or power- off landings. We’re discussing only the descent profile prior to the flare of the maneuver.
I don’t know of any high-rotor RPM- related autorotative helicopter crashes, but I know of many helicopter crashes with
loss of life related to low-rotor
RPM. The use of power-on autorotative descent profiles eliminates the low-rotor rpm training opportunity, thus limiting the pilot’s ability to survive such an event, especially when survival is the goal.
Randy Rowles has been an FAA pilot examiner for 20 years for all helicopter certificates and ratings. He holds an FAA Gold Seal Flight Instructor Certificate, NAFI Master Flight Instructor designation, and was the 2013 recipient of the HAI Flight Instructor of the Year Award. Rowles is currently the owner of the Helicopter Institute. He can be reached at randyrowlesdpe@
gmail.com
rotorpro.com
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