Autorotation behavior

Anyone else here having a problem with autorotations, seems to me the blades slow down too quickly when you pull collective to cushion the landing, almost like they didn’t have enough mass (weight). If nobody is having a problem in this area, then I will practice more and chalk it up to pilot error. :slight_smile:

Maybe, I didn’t have real live experience only hint is in this video Flight maneuvers practice session in the Bell 206B at 3200lbs Max Gross Weight - YouTube
In my eyes this B206 didn’t sink as fast as the modeled one and the engine and rotor speed stay higher.
My personal experience with autorotation is bad, one successful out of twenty(?).

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Good to see I am not the only one having problems. My last real autorotation was 35 years ago in an Enstrom F28A., the memory fades a bit, so off to practice some more .

Since the last update, it’s actually no longer a problem to perform autorotations.
It is important to keep the speed at about 60 knots, pull the cyclic backwards at 150 feet to slow down and then slowly pull on the collective.
The speed of the rotor can be controlled during the descent with the Collective…

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I am about 3 out of 10 right now, and those 3 aren’t pretty, but survivable. Starting to figure it out. Having loads of fun doing it, I like it when the sim isn’t easy. I am hoping for 10 out of 10 :slight_smile:

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Cool vid.

Tony

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Thanks Tony, in_04 pointed me to this video, great stuff , and it is helping alot. Having a bit of luck, we will call it luck, because I can’t do it everytime, but working on it.

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Follow-up, I think I am getting it, can do it now 5 out of 6 times, for me the breakthrough was to make sure to lower collective fully in the flare before leveling off, if I don’t I find myself with low rotor rpm, not enough for the landing. I initially pull a litlle collective in the autorotation, before the flare, to keep from over rpm on the rotor. Thanks to all in this thread for the help.

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You nailed it! :wink:
(------------------------)

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Also, if you do you decent holding RRPM at the TOP of the green rather than the middle, you will have additional energy for cushioning the touchdown. Just be careful if you are bottoming out the collective as you could overspeed the rotor if you are too high to start with.

RotorRick

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