Is flying a helicopter a lot more difficult than flying an airplane?

Answer 1

of course

Answer 2

Helicopters by themselves in a hover are inherently unstable. You are constantly correcting on the controls to maintain your position over the ground. A fixed wing aircraft is static while on he ground unless on a takeoff roll or after touchdown. A helicopter once it is airborne is responds much like an airplane does. It will bank and climb and descend if you move the cyclic(stick). What makes it different is how you increase airspeed or altitude. Whereas an airplane has a throttle that changes the power to the engine, the vast majority of helos are always running at 100% throttle as that is where they are most efficient. To change airspeed in a helo you lift up on the collective which changes the pitch of the rotor blades so that they bite more air. This pitch change will also cause you to climb, so if you want to maintain a constant altitude you have to push forward on the cyclic.
I have taken many fixed wing pilots flying in both the actual helicopter and a full motion flight simulator and they will agree that a helicopter pilot could easily takeoff and land a fixed wing aircraft but that they would have a hard time not rolling the helicopter into a ball if they were taking off or more importantly landing

Answer 3

I have both fixed wing and helicopter time, and I wouldn't say F/W is easier, but helicopter flying does demand more concentration. For a F/W aircraft to be certified it has to demonstrate a certain amount of stability ... in other words, if trimmed properly, if you take your hand off the stick it will try to maintain level flight. If you take your hands off the controls of a helicopter, it will go into an attitude you don't want to be in very rapidly. Now, my experience is in UH-1's and smaller, so I don't know about the very sophisticated machines ..... but as my first helicopter instructor told me ... "son, you see that helicopter ??? From the time you start it up until the blades stop turning it's going to try to kill you." After 1,200 hours in a helicopter I have not been able to fault his words.

Answer 4

Yes, if you are referring to hand flying. I can trim an airplane for straight and level flight and steer with my feet. In a helicopter. you never turn loose of the cyclic, or it will get away from you instantly. An engine failure in an airplane is not near a stressful as in helicopters, because of the built in glide. If the engine on a helicopter quits, you don't have much time to remember to lower the collective to set up a glide. And, yes, if done properly they will glide and it is possible to land one without the engine running. Just ask any chopper pilot who has done an autorotation to landing.

Answer 5

No, just somewhat different in the manner in which manouvres are conducted. You never "pull torque" in a fixed-wing aircraft, fer instance. The key is good training and then plenty of practice with either rotary-wing or fixed-wing craft. Practice in a Link-style trainer is an excellent way to get real familiar with handing the aircraft in a wide variety of situations without the risk associated with training in a real bird...altho hearing an instructor bawl you out when you screw up in the Link trainer can be pretty traumatic - especially if you're training at the U.S. Army's flight school! But then once you shut 'er down after your first official mission as a warranted Army pilot - man, ain't nothin' gonna make you feel better right then!

Answer 6

Yes. A plane will fly itself once it has gained enough airspeed. A helicopter has to be coaxed to fly and it has three parts (flight controls) that operate in relation to each other. An adjustment in one control requires an adjustment in another to maintain the balance.

Answer 7

locate a e book called chickenhawk, written by bob mason and available on e bay or amazon. its all about flying hueys, from day one interior the ten,000 acre field, to his excursion. its an quite effective e book, so finished of information you sense you may fly a huey. and besides the very shown truth that its puzzling to fly copters, its not harder than the different means... practice makes perfect. and the american forces "experienced pilots" in change for 2 excursions. and obviously the huey became/is known. its a actual workhorse. 40 8 feet rotor with weighted ends... extremely, bypass study teh e book. then, perchance youll understand. my nephew is in helicopters interior the gulf... he's the daft sod putting off the area with a device gun... (chinook, twn rotor) and he loves it. hes already done 2 excursions, afghanistan and basra. earnings from the peace. LL&P

Answer 8

I know a few helicopter pilots, who also fly planes and they say "yes", because a helicopter has a lot more movement to it.

Answer 9

my son in law flies a chopper and he told me a plane with the wings has the ability to glide that all it wants to do is stay up, where a chopper with no ability to glide that all it wants to do is drop. I don't know if it is any more difficult but a chopper demands almost constant attention and tweaking with the controls.

Answer 10

It can be...I've heard tell that fixed-wing pilots in an emergency situation in a chopper doing things to fix problems like they would in a plane wind up augering in...

Answer 11

Yes,you have to use both arms and legs to fly a copter.