http://www.aviationtoday.com Aviation Today en-us 2013 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 1:25:19 EDT   Helicopter drivers usually start out their lives in very basic machines limited in power, and with no help when it comes to commanding the aircraft’s petulant tendencies. The green pilot must sense every rotation, translation, and acceleration and react accordingly to produce the desired flight... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/leading-edge/Automatic-Flight-Control-Systems_79368.html Sat, 1 Jun 2013 0:00:00 EDT Rotorcraft pilots love to talk shop. We chat about our helicopters and how they handle, regardless of whether they are a pleasure to fly, or are a handful. Sometimes you’ll catch us outstretching a steady clenched fist as we describe the “rock solid” hover tendencies of one model, or... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/leading-edge/Leading-Edge-Evaluating-Handling-Qualities_78894.html Mon, 1 Apr 2013 0:00:00 EDT There will always be aviation incidents or accidents due to circumstances beyond the control of the pilot. Unforeseen component failure has terminated many a flight prematurely. But some of the hardest accident reports for me to read are the ones that involve true pilot error—the type of error that can... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/leading-edge/Leading-Edge-Ground-Effect-Revisited_78034.html Sat, 1 Dec 2012 0:00:00 EST You’re at work again. The mission of the day involves a longer flight than usual, so you decide to brush the rust off your autopilot skills and engage some upper modes. It is a bumpy day, but the system appears to be handling it well. Suddenly a severe gust of wind catches you, kicks the autopilot... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/leading-edge/Leading-Edge-Failure-Testing_77418.html Fri, 5 Oct 2012 0:00:00 EDT Energy. “It cannot be created or destroyed, only changed from one form to another.” You should remember your high school physics teacher making a statement like this. You should also remember your primary flight instructor making a statement like, “Rotor speed is life.” The relevance... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/leading-edge/Leading-Edge-Energy-Rotor-Speed-and-Dead-Men_76940.html Wed, 1 Aug 2012 0:00:00 EDT Think back to your first helicopter lesson. You might begin to sweat as you remember making your very first single control input, only to have the demon respond by moving in virtually all of the six possible degrees of freedom—simultaneously. The end of that lesson left you sure you’d never be... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/leading-edge/Leading-Edge-A-Couple-of-Things_76460.html Fri, 1 Jun 2012 0:00:00 EDT Traveling the floor at the 2012 Heli-Expo, I had to make a second and third visit to many a helicopter on display in order to absorb more of what my eyes were taking in, beyond the glitz of the latest gee-whiz cockpits. Many waited for their turn to sit in the driver’s seat. I slowly circled each... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/leading-edge/Tail-Feathers-and-the-Gurney-Flap_76081.html Sun, 1 Apr 2012 0:00:00 EDT The beginning of a new year seems like an appropriate time to look at what lies ahead with evolving helicopter systems and technologies. One area that always welcomes improvement is that of helicopter noise and vibration. A quieter, smoother helicopter makes those who fly in them smile bigger, and those who... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/leading-edge/Leading-Edge-Quiet-Please_75678.html Wed, 1 Feb 2012 0:00:00 EST The many varieties of helicopter models in the world today are flown by an equally large variety of pilots. Although we could spend pages telling stories and giving examples of lots of colorful individuals, for now we’ll limit the conversation to just two types: low-gain and high-gain pilots. In... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/leading-edge/Levels-of-Pilot-Gain_75283.html Thu, 1 Dec 2011 0:00:00 EST Once again the next big helicopter expo will be upon us in short order. Highly polished aircraft will adorn the floors of a cavernous convention center. It may be your one and only chance to compare and contrast the various models of flying machines available to you side-by-side. Sure, you’d like to... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/leading-edge/Leading-Edge-On-Relationships_74448.html Sat, 1 Oct 2011 0:00:00 EDT