what can you do if your helicopter`s engine stops?

Question

(beside ejecting):D...you know...when your plane`s engine failures...you can do a forced landing...But what about helicopters? Is there another "second engine" or something? Light me, pls !
Thanks for your answers!

Answer 1

The proper term is auto-rotatation / auto-rotate.

Basically, if the engine stops, the pilot immediately disengages the rotor from the engine, and initiates a dive. Since the rotor is now free, it will pick up speed and just spin by the air rushing past the fuselage.

At the proper altitude, about 100 ft or maybe a little before that, the pilot will max the collective and pull up. The spinning blades will bite into the air and keep rotating a little bit via momentum alone, providing a short burst of lift. If done properly, this small amount of lift is JUST enough to slow the chopper to a halt and come to rest just above ground, then you drop slightly onto solid ground, and walk away.

Answer 2

Sorry, ejecting from a helicopter is not an option. They experimented with it a bit back in the 50's and 60's; tried some seats that would eject downward. Didn't work so good.

Most, but certainly not all, military helicopters are twins. Both engines provide power to the transmission through a 'combining gearbox'. If one engine fails, the other pulls the load. In most machines, operating on one engine is an exercise in slowing of the descent. It may not fly straight and level, depending on the gross weight of the aircraft, but you do have enough power to possibly extend to a better landing site, and the power to land under control.
In the single engine helicopters, the pilot needs to promptly respond to indications of an engine faillure. As long as the blades continue turning, the airflow caused by descending will drive them. Typically in an autorotation, you will see a 1500 foot per minute rate of descent. It does change a little with gross weight, but not a lot. Near the ground, you trade off airspeed in order to reduce the rate of descent, and then, ideally, cushion with collective and set the machine down with minimal ground speed and descent. A proper auto-rotation, although initially quite exciting, should end very non-eventful.

Answer 3

Some good answers here. To clarify a few things, it's the air flowing up through the rotor disc while the helicopter is descending that keeps it moving in an auto rotation, not oncoming air from a "dive". If its a twin engine, the functional engine can generally provide enough power to fly or safely land, depending on different conditions like weight and altitude. The second engine is not started if the first fails, they both run together

Answer 4

Its called autorotation.

The main rotor is detached from the engine(s) allowing the chopper to slow down for a bumpy, but usually safe landing. The safety rules force the helicopter to be designed such that if there is an engine failure, the main rotor is mechanically decoupled for autorotation. Additionally, the pilot has the option to put the chopper into autorotation if the tail rotor fails.

IMO, the helicopter has more prospects of making a safe landing in case of an engine failure than a fixed wing aircraft in similar conditions.

Answer 5

Just u can fall down and kiss the earth. Since the Helis are pulled by the airscrew (rotor) when the engine fail they stop rotating. AS they rotate they generate lift when they stop u know. Now in aircrafts u can make a dive and perform a forced landing but here the heli will fall due to zero lift. - Kamal

Answer 6

EJECT!!! haha i know... you said besides that but the result would be the same most likely...

Answer 7

So long as your above 1000ft heli's are designed to free rotate so you should land saftley but with a bump.

Answer 8

If it's "Twin engine" the other engine is at Idle in flight, they just "spool up" the other engine. If it's single engine, they can "Auto Gyro" in.

Answer 9

pull in the clutch and coast to a stop