Helicopter Flight Controls: Anti-Torque Pedals
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- This is the first in my Helicopter Flight Control series covering the four flight controls in a helicopter. In this video, I show you the anti-torque pedals and how they control the tail rotor blade pitch. Then I take you for a flight and demonstrate pedal turns and using the pedals to get in and out of trim. Got questions about those two little strings in the front of the helicopter's cockpit? I answer them, too.
BIG DISCLAIMER: I am not nor have I ever been a flight instructor. The purpose of this video is not to teach you how to fly a helicopter. It's simply to explain, mostly to non-pilots or fixed wing pilots, what the anti-torque pedals do. If you want more information, I strongly urge you to consult the Helicopter Flying Handbook, which is FREE on the FAA Website: www.faa.gov/re... You'll find Chapter 3 especially informative.
There are a few things I didn't cover in this video, but I might show them in future videos. The first is the obvious: what does the tail rotor do? Simply said, it counteracts torque. Newton said that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So when the main rotor blades spin counter clockwise, the helicopter's airframe wants to spin clockwise. The rail rotor (or some equivalent) counteracts this, preventing the helicopter from spinning around. It does this by providing lift the same way the main rotor blades do, but since it's mounted sideways, the lift is really sideways thrust. The anti-torque pedals enable you to adjust the amount of thrust the tail rotor blades produce by changing their pitch. Again, consult the excellent free resource I linked to above. It can answer questions better than I can.
I might also, in a future video, show how a Robinson's PIC pedals can be adjusted, show other helicopter's pedals, and explain how the dual control pedals can be installed. If you have a photo of another helicopter's pedals and would like to share it with channel viewers in a future video, send it to this channel at gmail.com. (I won't put the actual address here so I don't get my address scooped up by bots.) Please don't use that email address to ask me questions; that's what AMA chats are for.
About Me and the Helicopter
I have been flying for about 20 years. My nearly 4,000 hours of flight time is in Robinson R44, Robinson R22, and Bell 206L (Long Ranger) helicopters.
The helicopter is a 2005 Robinson R44 Raven II -- the same one that appears in the photo at the beginning of the video. You can learn more about them here: robinsonheli.c... I own this helicopter. It is the third helicopter I've owned since 2000.
My helicopter has ADS-B Out and is picked up by radar facilities. You can see my track for recent flights on Flightradar24: www.flightrada... This is a great site for tracking any almost any flight, including the airlines.
About the Video
The video was recorded with four cameras (!): an iPhone Xs (for shots of my feet on the pedals and the trim strings) an iPhone 8 Plus (for shots of the tail rotor in motion), a GoPro Hero 7 Black (for cockpit POV and in-cockpit audio; amzn.to/2Zh7nWr), and a GoPro Hero 3 (for "nosecam" video and helicopter sound).
The audio was recorded using a Røde Podcaster microphone (amzn.to/2Z8yFDd) feeding into an iMac (for intro overdub), a Comica wireless lapel mic with dead cat wind screen (amzn.to/2KMz1qp) feeding into the iPhone 8 Plus, an NFlightCam audio cable (amzn.to/31Vn1Zu) feeding into the Hero 7, and ambient sound feeding into the Hero 3. The helicopter sound was dialed down to about 25% of normal volume so it wouldn't be annoying.
The video was edited on a Macintosh using Screenflow software. Learn more about it here: www.telestream... This was a short video, but it was relatively complex with four different audio/video feeds.
The intro music is by Bob Levitus, famed "Dr. Mac." You can find him here: www.boblevitus....
I try to drop cockpit POV videos every Sunday morning and drop "extras" with more info about owning and operating a helicopter midweek. I also host occasional livestreams with Q&A chats. Subscribe so you don't miss anything new! And tell your friends. The more subscribers I have, the more motivated I am to keep producing videos like this one.
All of the Amazon links above are affiliate links. If you click one of them and buy something, Amazon sends me a few pennies. Enough pennies make a dollar. Enough dollars buy new equipment. It doesn't cost you anything so I hope you'll shop with one of those links. Thanks.
Still reading? Thanks! Maybe you'll consider buying something from my Etsy store to help support this channel? Start here: www.etsy.com/s...
Keep the how to fly videos coming. Great to see how to control your helicopter
Love your simply explained, relaxed delivery videos and instructions. The only problem is not being able to experience the flight, but the clarity and full screen image, along with your easy delivery makes your videos so enjoyable..
Thank you ma’am for the video. Since i was kid i’ve always wnated be a heli pilot and now im 34 your video makes me one step close to my dream thank you! Greetings from TEXAS
Great how-to-fly video!
Excellent tutorial video. Learnt more than I anticipated just by watching you balance everything so well and explaining it as you go.
You seem very calm and laid back I wish I had you for an instructor! Thanks for sharing!
Short, interesting and to the point. Thanks!
OH MY GOD this was so useful. Thank you for your service ma'am.
I've watched several videos about flying helicopter s and they all just point at the general area so thanks for the more interesting explanation and demonstration I will look out for others thanks Maria
I like your Woodstock 50 yr anniversary sneakers.
Good instruction video.
Many thanks and greetings from Poland!
Very cool. Looking forward to watching the other 3.
Two of the others are already online. Haven’t done the throttle yet.
@Maria - Great shoes and, a great video showing the control articulation of the pedals and, the corresponding surface response of the tail rotor! Cheers-
Enjoying your video's AND learning as well. Thanks for sharing.
Hello Maria. Greetings from Ireland. I'm a fellow pilot and am really enjoying your videos. They're well produced, interesting and informative without the usual hype and testosterone most flying videos display!! Never heard of the Heli being used as a crop dryer before. But then we don't grow cherries in Ireland. Well done.
I know. The hype is absurd. But apparently a lot of people like it. I think we've been conditioned by reality TV to be on the edge of our seats all the time. I don't fly like that and don't think other pilots should promote flying like that. Thanks!
Awesome video!! Thank you for taking us along!!!
Thanks for Tech Thursday (on Wednesday). I really enjoyed it.
very, very good demonstration and class about the rudder (ups, sorry) anti-torque pedals and what they do in a helicopter, I enjoyed it a lot... looking forward to the next video
Your amazing videos relax me so much! Thank you for all your hard work Maria!
Me too...but I got a little tense while hovering at touchdown!
Great video (content and quality-wise)! One thing also worth mentioning is that once you lose ETL, the trim strings start to fall, and from then on they are still of good use since they will indicate where the wind is coming from! Can be nicely evidenced during your approach where you see a windsock to the right (5:23) indicating a light right crosswind, and consequently a little later on the strings are being blown to the left (5:45) shortly before you make your left pedal turn to touch down.
Good point about the trim strings.
Terrific explanation!!! Thank you!!!!
Such a great video!! Love watching your channel, the communications, knowledge, and footage quality are all excellent. Flying a helicopter is such an impressive skill and they are incredible machines.
The unlimited complement. That looks so easy.....👍
Interesting, if I ever learn to fly a helicopter, (which is on my bucket list) glad to know the rotor pedals causes the aircraft to yaw in the same direction as rudder pedals an airplane! Thanks for the demo, Maria. Fly safe.
Thank you for the video! Looks like so much fun!
Thank you for being such a good resource of information about helicopters. Always enjoy your point to point flights not possible to me as a fixed winger. Bravo!
Good video. Thank you, Maria.😊. P.S.Next time - warn us before hand so we’re not scared by those hideous shoes...LOL😆
Hey! Some people LIKE those shoes!
As always...great watch.
This is great!! I’ve looked for copter basics vids a long time. Nice!!
Thanks for sharing these videos. I only have experience in fixed wing aircraft and find this very interesting. I'm always grateful to learn new things 😁
Very cool! Would like to see a full cold start up, zoomed in on the gauges/controls. That way if I had to make a James Bond escape in a Robinson I could..jk.
I have to say this: that scene in a James Bond movie where they dump the helicopter out of a plane and start it in flight is CRAZY IMPOSSIBLE. First, the damn thing would be tumbling like crazy. Second, the pressure of the wind against the stopped/slow blades would bend the blades. Third, they would never get enough RPM up to arrest that descent. The scene makes me cringe.
Another impossible James Bond helicopter scene? The one where they're on a motorcycle and a helicopter is using its blades to chop everything in front of it. If a helicopter was pitched that far forward, it would be flying at max speed -- not inching along. And the blades would break before it did any serious damage on the ground.
So don't get me started! LOL!
@@FlyingMAir yeah, in the tv series Airwolf, they did a escape from a c-130 in pretty much the same fashion. However there is one bond helicopter scene that is based on real equipment. The one where they have saw blades hanging underneath the chopper cutting everything up. That is real. They use that rig to trim right of ways for power lines in hard to reach areas. Doubt it would cut cars up, but hey Hollywood.
What About Mission Impossible when helicopter is inside tunnel chasing the Bullet train LMAO!!! you gonna say its impossible hahaha!!
Excellent video I love helicopters but can not afford to train or fly so thanks for your time in explaining how it works x 😃
awesome video, thanks for your hard work in filming it all for us couch pilots
Great video as always, thanks!
Love the shoes without strings.. they be funky for sure, way to go girl!!!! I see where your shoe strings goes, for you trim strings on the windscreen... LOL
Love your shoes. Thanks for the video!
Great video! Thanks for the explanation.
Nice instructions ma'am.
Great video, thank you!
Excited for the collective/throttle vid.
Love your channel. Really love your kicks
Thanks.
New to the channel.
New to ANYTHING helicopter.
Very good video ty
Great stuff...my dream is to be a heli pilot...but money.....cant afford it....fan of your vids......
I flew helicopters almost 40 years. Regardless of the money required it was the most fun I ever had with my pants on.
Loved the flight instructional well done as well as safety info 👍👏👍
As a low-timer, I have more trouble with the pedals than any other control. Thanks for the vid!
Great video! Quick and easy understandable.
Very interesting to see your uploads. I've been always interested in helicopters and you bring your knowlegde very clear, thank you
THANK YOU. I have never had a complete unrestrained of the purpose of the strings until today. And I never really knew the purpose of the tail stabilizer. But the faster you fly the helicopter wants to fly straight because of it. I knew it had to do something to help the helicopter fly. just did not have a complete understanding on the physics to the helicopter it had.
Superb video, I am building a Lego Technic model of a helicopter with realistic flight control mechanism and your video was very useful. It looks pretty darn challenging and scary to fly a helicopter! Safe travels.
Very nice video and flight! New subscriber here! 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾 Greetings from Douglas, Arizona 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾🇵🇷🌴🌵🌴🌵🌴🇵🇷👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
I used to fly model helicopters found this very interesting cheers
Really nice video, thanks for the demo.
I love your Videos! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
This video was GREAT. Waiting to see more!
Awesome video, thanks
Great explanation/demonstration!.
Thanks!…
This was really kool
Thank you for sharing. I am a native of AZ. Loved the state. But live in Northern CA up in the Truckee and Grass Valley area. I have allways wanted to fly a Helicopter. They do allot of Rice planting here with Helicopters.
I might be wrong, but I think what you’re seeing is the helicopters scaring birds off the rice. A friend of mine does that work. I’ve never heard of planting with helicopters, but I don’t know everything we do with them. 🤷🏻♀️
Hi, Shaun. You might enjoy Matt Sligar's Rice Farming TV channel (ruclips.net/channel/UChGgTSaa-uh9u5EQWX4H1Zg). Matt is located near Gridley, California. Starting with Video 1 (he's now up to No. 112), he takes you through the day-by-day activities in a rice farmer's life. I've seen light planes and drones in his videos, but no helicopters. (However, other rice farmers may have a use for them, as Maria mentioned.)
I throughly enjoyed your commentary...nice flying. I will be waiting for your next video. Congratulations on your first! Loved it. Sub added.
that was pretty cool
Your a good teacher not that I need to know but it’s good to know thanks
Nice shoes, Ms M
Every once in a while I buy something crazy to wear. My version of dying my hair blue.
Marie, Thank you so much for sharing the information!
I had no idea the platform you use was that close to the airport....
Great video
Hi, Love all of your videos and just purchased a hat and a sticker!
I’ve always wanted to fly Helicopters . I fly fix wing . SeaRey just started out not long ago. I have a few vids up flying panhandle Florida .
That was cool thanks
Thankyou, this was fascinating
OOH! These vids are gonna be fun! I got my SEL in 2011 but the only experience I have in helicopters is what I got from Microsoft Flight Simulator. They seem like too much work!
Thank you for good vids
Nice explanation 👍
I wondered about those darn strings!
A lot of people do. 😉
Thank you for an informative video Maria. Would like to see more of these. Now if we can get you to mount a camera looking to the rear and looking forward and looking at the gauges, that would be great, but probably not in the budget.
Thanku for your explain mam
I never knew this. Thanks!
Nice to see the Wenatchee valley from the air! Quick question....does flying a helicopter after enough training and experience (obviously) become as second nature as driving a car?
I think so.
Great video! Battery check at 5:36.
That was from the vibration going through ETL. It stayed connected.
love the flying ,but understood 3 miles, it looked more like 5 possibly 6.. anyway , awesome pilot skills ..Wish I had some too... bless you ..
I've watched a couple or more of your videos and I would like to suggest a pro tip - do a quick hover check right after you come to a hover. A quick glance - rotor, power, green systems. It will probably save you some heartache one day. 6000+ hours, retired military, still flyin"....stay safe...
Just because I don't verbalize my instrument checks doesn't mean I'm not doing them. I've never been a flight instructor and never got into the habit of verbalizing everything I do. Even the verbalizing I do in these videos requires a lot of effort.
Just saying.
@@FlyingMAir Sounds good, and I guess I should have said to pause at a hover as well as a quick hover check before you transition to forward flight. In some of your videos you takeoff and immediately start to transition to forward flight. There have been times the pilot has finished the before takeoff checks, decided everything was good, took off and immediately began transitioning to flight and something went sideways. More than one accident (some fatal) could have been prevented if the pilot had hesitated at a hover to quickly confirm the checks that were done before pulling up on that collective. My .02...stay safe...
Great class!!! Thanks and please keep sharing so magnificent videos.
Can you explain how the “Governor” works in your Helicopter? Also maybe a video on how the clutch works ?
New sub here. Hope your new RUclips channel pays 💰 some of your expenses 🚁
Thanks!
I'm getting a good foothold on the subject!
The question is raised that for flying helicopters a light shoe or sneaker is best for
getting a better feel, however, military helicopter pilots have to use the boots they
are issued n they fly just fine. Is foot wear a big issue?
I prefer a light weight shoe like Sketchers, Chuck Taylors, or some decent
driving moccasins. Big heavy hiking boots I
think may be a problem, add unnecessary
weight n may slow down your movements..
Beautiful instructions! Mam, what controls are you using to generate forward flight?
Cyclic. More on that in another video.
@@FlyingMAir Thank you
Nice vid. Why are helicopterpilots mostly sitting on the right side?
I believe I can shed some light on this subject for you. It actually has to do with the tail rotor. The tail rotor is there to counteract the torque of the main rotor. I am going to base my explanation on a counterclockwise rotating main rotor system like the helicopter in this video. So here we go... So we have the main rotor rotating counterclockwise, the torque from the main rotor will cause the fuselage to rotate clockwise, to prevent this, the tail rotor produces thrust that opposes that clockwise rotation. Think of it as a fan back on the tail blowing the fuselage counterclockwise. Now, not only its it blowing the fuselage counterclockwise, it is also blowing the whole aircraft to the right, something we call translating tendency or tail rotor drift. Now to counteract that and to stay in a stationary hover, we need to add left cyclic, which is going to give us a little low left skid attitude. So if flying solo, the pilot being on the right side is going to add more weight to the right side counteracting the low left skid attitude. The main rotor mast is actually tilted a little to the left to help with this as well. Even with all that going on, the helicopter still usually picks up a little lower on the left side.
Love them funky shoes ma'am!
very cool
You made that look easy.
thank u very much !
Nice!
Que lindo todo lo que mostras!!!
Please make a video of the startup and shutdown procedures
You can find a good part of it here: ruclips.net/video/FEln0moJB6E/видео.html
Thanks ma'am.😊
I assume that only experience in each AC will teach you how much pedal is needed at liftoff, and that if you're far off the mark, you'll spin a bit when you get light on the skids. Is there a standardized direction for rotor system rotation in helicopters, or do some AC require opposite pedal?
Excellent observation and question. One of the reasons we pull pitch slowly to get light on the skids for takeoff is to get a feel for the aircraft to start adding other control inputs. When the helicopter just starts to rise, we’re technically flying and may start to feel lateral drift (controlled with the cyclic) and/or yaw (controlled with the anti-torque pedals). Some helicopters do have blades that rotate the other way and the forces (and intros inputs) are opposite. I never really thought about it, but it would probably be pretty weird for the first few minutes flying a helicopter where the blades spun in the opposite direction.
Actually switching from main rotor blades turning clockwise to blades turning counter clockwise never required any extra attention from me. As you pick the aircraft from the ground you're conditioned to add opposite pedal to control yaw regardless of the direction the main rotor turns.
@@FlyingMAir I googled the rotation direction and it seems that USA and European rotorcraft tend to be opposite. I suppose this is akin to driving on the other side of the road; very weird at first. I drive by the Robinson plant by Zamperini field often and now I think of YOU. (Love the MAir pun)
Great video. You mentioned hovering is a little complicated. Is it because you have to use all controls at once? I live in Houston and see the news helicopters hovering over breaking news events. But I never thought about it or what’s involved.
Yes, hovering is the hardest thing to do -- that's why they teach it first (LOL). The reason is because you're maneuvering all of the controls -- well, the governor controls the throttle -- and every time you move one, you need to move another one. You never stop, but after a while, it becomes automatic.
I should mention that a lot of the news helicopters have autopilot that does the high, out-of-ground-effect hovering for them.
At the time I watched this you had 666 likes and 6 dislike now that's ironic! Love the video and fly safe!
Person someone hates! why do you feel hate...?
So when you make a turn at level flight while moving forward, you rotate with your feet by pressing in with the foot on the outside of the turn and contract on the inside foot while adjusting the collective with your right hand to bank into the turn all while maintaining rpm with your left hand on the throttle... And I thought patting my head while rubbing my belly was hard.
No. You generally do NOT need to use the pedals in a turn while in forward flight at speed. All turns are made with the cyclic in your RIGHT hand. Pedal turns are just for hovering and slow speed maneuvering. The throttle on most helicopters is controlled by an electronic governor (or mechanical correlator or both) so there’s no work for the pilot there. The collective is in your LEFT hand and that’s used to adjust altitude and power. It really isn’t that difficult once you get the hang of it. Hell, even my wasband could do it (to a certain extent).
@@FlyingMAir I feel like a boob. LOL
Hey there, nice job! :D
You said about speed. The speed on the cyclic is it the helicopters flying lspeed and you said about throttle on the collective is that throttle for the rotor speed?