Oh! So You’re a Helicopter Pilot?
Last month I flew back home in a commercial flight on completion of my ‘On’ period with my company. Unlike scheduled airline operations, helicopters often find work at varied places. Quite a few helicopter operators (i.e., companies that operate helicopters) in India, therefore, offer a six-weeks-on three-weeks-off schedule, so one can stay anywhere in India, and the company can send me anywhere for work. I was wearing my uniform, as most pilots are doing nowadays to reduce administrative issues while travelling on duty. It takes more than an hour to reach home from the airport, so the taxi driver started chatting. He asked me how we navigate in the air, whether we can see the ground, whether you can see other aircraft etc. Then he asked me which airline I work for. I said no no, I am a helicopter pilot. Immediately his countenance changed. He said oh okay sir, and asked me no further questions. His reaction might have been similar if I’d said I was a dancer in a nightclub.
On another occasion, I went to a hospital for my annual medical examination. Seeing an apparently healthy individual climbing on the treadmill, the assistant asked what I was there for. I said my annual medical. What do you do sir- he asked. I am a pilot I said. His face lit up. ‘Domestic or international?’ he asked. What’s the difference, I asked. Sir international is more difficult he said. I said I am a helicopter pilot. Oh okay, he said. He avoided making eye contact with me thereafter and became busy setting up the test.
These are very common reactions of people on encountering a helicopter pilot, something I have seen all too often in the last twenty five odd years that I’ve been flying them. They are probably seen as some sort of fancy autorickshaws (my guess). One relative of mine has asked me the same question about five times, every time I meet him. He obviously doesn’t listen to the answer; he is only trying to make polite conversation!
One reason for this in India might be that an ordinary person will almost never see a civil helicopter. While the USA apparently has more than 9000 of them all over the country, India has fewer than 300! So they probably ask questions that might seem irritating to me, but are genuine ones coming from them. In this article I will try to answer a few questions that I have encountered in my career of twenty five years as a helicopter pilot (just over twenty one in the IAF, and another four now in the civil world). As will become apparent, most questions have no simple one word or even one sentence answer. I hope readers will enjoy reading them, and possibly become a shade more familiar with helicopter operations.
How many people can sit in a helicopter?
Ah well, like in a car, there are various sizes. The smallest commercial helicopter I know of is the Robinson R22. It has two seats: one pilot and one passenger.
The one I fly, the AW139, can accommodate fifteen in High Density configuration.
The largest civil helicopter flying in India, the Russian Mi-172, can seat 26 to my knowledge.
And the largest helicopter in the world, the Russian Mi-26, can carry 20 tonnes useful load. I have heard a radio call of ’94 souls on board’, while operating with the UN, in 2001.
What Is The Speed of a Helicopter?
Modern helicopters have cruise speeds ranging from 90 knots (nautical miles per hour) to 140/ 145 knots; this translates to about 170 to 270 kmph. The speed is usually as given in the flight manual and occasionally dictated by company policies (but always within the norms permitted by the flight manual). And no- the experienced pilot cannot fly faster. The cruise speed is a design parameter of the aircraft, not of pilot’s capability.
How High Do Helicopters Fly?
The world record for the highest landing by a helicopter is on Mt Everest, by an Airbus (then Eurocopter) AS350B3 helicopter. The Indian Air Force and Indian Army regularly operate at helipads at 18,000 to 20,000 ft above mean sea level. That said, one will usually find helicopters operating below 5000 ft above the surface. The ones operating at 18,000 feet will also be within that range.
You Must Be Able To Give Joyrides- No? (I take it the question relates to unauthorised rides)
It is here that we are significantly different from autorickshaws, apart from the fact that most helicopters are also three wheeled!
An air operator company has an ‘Operations’ setup and a ‘Maintenance’ setup. A flight plan has to be filed in India with the air traffic control authorities for every single flight. This is usually done by Operations, who also inform Maintenance for the aircraft to be prepared at the required time and in the requisite configuration. So one cannot just walk up to maintenance and say I’m taking her for a spin! And Operations wouldn’t file a plan for a flight, which is supposed to be totally off the records- would they?
Then one has the concept of ‘Air Defence Clearance’ in India. Every flight plan has to be intimated to IAF authorities, which is acknowledged by a number known as ‘ADC Number’. The IAF has a string of radars covering a good part of the Indian landmass, and all air movements must be known to them. If one gets airborne without a flight plan and an ADC number, and is picked up by one such, it can lead to more than a little embarrassment.
Apart from this, no unauthorised passenger can enter an airport without a ‘passenger manifest’. Again, this manifest has to be generated by the company Operations.
On the odd occasion that a helicopter is parked away from an aerodrome, it will usually be in a place small enough to not have an airport, flying a Chief Minister or a minister. Would one really take a risk of taking it for a spin under such circumstances?
Suffice it to say, my wife has still not seen the helicopter I fly, despite my having operated from my hometown for ten days, and her having visited Mumbai (where my company is headquartered) several times.
In some countries, I have heard, flight plans are not mandatory for flying below a certain altitude (say 3000 ft). An unauthorised ride might just be a shade easier there, but with increasingly demanding regulations about passenger screening etc, one might hit a wall on that score.
Even if this should be possible, there are other issues. Maintenance (checks or servicing) of all machines that fly is based on ‘flying hours’. If some flying is unrecorded, then a check that needs to be done at, say, 1000 hours of flying would get done when the aircraft has actually flown, say, 1200 hours! Not very safe- is it? So even under more relaxed requirements of undertaking flying, such unauthorised flying can only be an exception and not the norm.
Do Helicopters Have Air Conditioning?
Oh yes; quite a few do. But there is weight (of the equipment itself) and performance penalty of course (see how the car slows down when you switch on the air conditioning?). So whether it will be fitted or not will depend on where the helicopter is expected to operate, and who are the people who can be expected to travel in it. After all, an MP or a business tycoon wouldn’t like to travel in an oven- would they?
Do Helicopters Have Autopilots?
Quite a few of them do. Smaller helicopters usually have a provision to install ones of varying capabilities (which will of course carry a weight penalty, and which may guide the decision). Larger ones will usually come fitted with a basic autopilot at least.
That said, what is colloquially referred to as ‘Autopilot’ is actually two levels of automation, known often as ‘Autopilot’ and ‘Flight Director’. Specific names given by various manufacturers may vary.
The Autopilot is essentially only an aid to hold the attitude (pitch and roll), and allows some relaxation to the pilot, but not much. The Flight Director, depending on capability of each individual system, can fly a track using the helicopter’s navigation systems, climb and descend, execute turns and maybe even fly an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach with the pilot remaining totally ‘hands off’. Some flight directors can even fly an approach to any designated point (that is, where an ILS is not available) and bring the helicopter to a hover!
Not only an autopilot, most modern helicopters will also have (or have the provision to install) a weather radar, Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS), and have a ‘glass cockpit’ architecture to integrate the disparate systems. Many are also complaint with ‘Area Navigation’ (RNP) specifications, the latest kid on the block.
On a side note, a relative got interested when I told him that helicopters do have autopilots. His next question was- so does ATC fly your aircraft when you engage autopilot? Of course not, I said, how can ATC fly my aircraft? They will tell me what to do, which I must follow. But Mr Singh, who lives in the lane behind, says ATC flies the aircraft when they are on autopilot, he said. Does Mr Singh have any connect with aviation- I asked? Apparently, he didn’t. But, well, what would a helicopter pilot know either- was the implication!
Do Helicopters Have One Pilot or Two?
Smaller helicopters are cleared for single pilot operations. Larger ones usually require two. The manufacturer and the regulations of the country where it is registered decide the same. For example, the AW139 is cleared for single pilot operations by the manufacturer. In India, however, it must be flown with two pilots. In some other countries, it may be flown by one pilot when there are no passengers on board.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Helicopter?
Back of the envelope calculations show that helicopters cost about ₹15,000 to 25,000 per seat per hour of operation (cost to client, when the complete helicopter is hired). To my knowledge, this is significantly higher than aeroplanes of comparable size (2 to 7 tonnes maximum all up weight). I do not have figures for aeroplanes and will be delighted if someone can share any. It is no wonder then, that air taxis have not really taken off in a big way, in spite of efforts by several businessmen.
Which Engines Do Helicopters Use?
Aviation engines are of two types: the piston engines (car engines built to more exacting standards, referred to by Americans as reciprocating engines or recips) and jet engines.
Smaller helicopters like the R22 have piston engines. They use aviation standard petrol (known as gasolene) as fuel.
Larger helicopters, in fact most of the helicopters in India, have what are known as turbine engines. The jet engine fitted to airliners, pushes air back and as a reaction pushes the aeroplane forward. In helicopters, a design change installs a turbine in the airflow that is being pushed back (something like a windmill, that draws energy from the wind to rotate). This turbine rotates the rotors through gear boxes. These engines are known as turbine or turboshaft engines and use aviation standard kerosene known as ‘Aviation Turbine Fuel’.
Small helicopters typically have one engine, piston or turbine. Larger helicopters have two (and in the rare case, three) turbine engines. I do not know of any helicopter having two piston engines.
Do Helicopters Fly By Night?
They do, but in India they cannot really operate as helicopters.
Indian rules require all flying by night to be under what is known as ‘Instrument Flying Rules’, which practically precludes all helipad operations. To my knowledge, no helipads in India offer IFR operations, being quite expensive (equipment) and demanding (obstacle clearances etc) to set up and maintain. So pilots holding a qualification known as ‘Instrument Rating’ (endorsed on the licence) can fly helicopters cleared for IFR operations from aerodrome to aerodrome. The only special dispensation for night Visual Flight Rules (VFR) operations is given for helicopters providing night medical evacuation service at offshore (oil producing) installations.
Military helicopter operations by night, of course, are a different story altogether. They do more than just land at helipads and carry out missions guaranteed to send one’s pulse rate and adrenaline levels soaring.
To Cut a Long Story Short
I have tried to answer some of the questions I have often been asked, as a career helicopter pilot. I have tried to keep the language simple, so that people not connected with aviation are also able to understand it. At the same time, I hope it intrigues people sufficiently to make them want to know more.
I would be grateful for comments. For fellow helicopter pilots, if you have come across other similar questions, do let me know and I will try to add them and the answers (if I know them) here. For others, do ask anything else you might want to, and I will try to answer.
Good luck!
