Every year thousands of people take on the challenge of trying to summit Mount Everest but unfortunately many get into complications that require being rescued. We all know that helicopters are a great tool for performing a rescue, so why can’t they be used on Mount Everest?
Helicopters can regularly land at Everest Camp 2 at 21,000ft/6,400m to transfer and evacuate climbers. Any higher than this and the air density can become too thin for the helicopter to produce enough lift to enable a pilot to rescue a stranded or injured climber.
As a helicopter pilot who has flown in the mountains in the same aircraft that are used around Mount Everest and by the world record-setting summit landing in 2005, I’m going to tell you why helicopters are unable to rescue climbers from the top – Well at this point in time anyway!
There are many factors that work against helicopters as they get higher up the mountain. Some of these are atmospheric and some of them are aerodynamic.
At this point in time, there has only been one helicopter to land on top of Mount Everest and that was a Eurocopter (now Airbus) AS350 B3 that was stripped of every weight-adding piece of equipment and flown by one of the manufacturer’s test pilots.
Here is the video covering that monumental, record-setting flight:
What are the Factors that Affect How High Helicopters Can Land?
The higher a helicopter flies, the harder it becomes to fly and the harder its engine and rotor systems have to work to keep it airborne. Here are the main factors that affect how high a helicopter can land on a mountain:
Air Density, Lift & Controllability
At sea level, a cubic meter of air has the weight of all the air molecules above it pushing down on it. This packs in the air molecules tightly into the cubic meter of space. This is a Dense pocket of air. The same happens underwater but with water molecules.
As the same cubic meter parcel gets higher into the atmosphere it has fewer molecules above it pushing down on it, thus the force packing the molecules into that space is less so there are fewer air molecules being packed into that cubic meter parcel.
The higher you go, or a helicopter goes, the fewer air molecules there are in a given pocket of air. It is the number of air molecules in a given area that greatly affects the helicopter.
The helicopter has three main parts that work with the air molecules:
The Engine
The Main Rotor System
The Tail Rotor System
The Engine:
The engine sucks in air and mixes it with fuel which it then ignites and uses the rapid expansion of the gas to drive the power turbine or pistons, depending on the engine. These parts are then linked to the transmission which turns the main rotor and tail rotor systems.
The fewer air molecules the engine sucks in, the less fuel it mixes with that air, and the less power the engine produces. Therefore the higher the helicopter goes, the less power the engine produces.
The Main Rotor System:
Depending on the type of helicopter, it can have anywhere between 2 and 8 main rotor blades. These all connect to a hub that connects to the main rotor mast which is turned by the engine and transmission. As the main rotor system turns, the main rotor blades move through the air and act as wings to produce lift.
The main rotor system of a helicopter turns at a constant RPM. For the AS350 that landed on Mount Everest, that RPM is 390rpm. The pilot can control the main rotor blades by changing their pitch angle to create more lift. As they increase their pitch angle, they also create more drag. This drag will slow the rpm of the main rotor system so the engine automatically increases its power to overcome the drag and maintain the RPM.
At high altitudes, the pitch angle of the rotor blades gets too high which creates very large amounts of drag for the engine to overcome. Once the engine reaches its maximum power, the rotor rpm will begin to decay and the helicopter must descend to stay flying. This is one of the limiting factors on how high the helicopter can go.
The Engine, Main Transmission, and Main Rotorhead of the AS350
The second limiting factor on the main rotor system is the number of molecules each main rotor blade has to work on. Each blade creates lift as it rotates through the air. Just the same as an airplane wing, it uses the air molecules to create a lower pressure on the top of each rotor blade causing the rotor blade to fly thus lifting the fuselage up with it.
As the helicopter climbs there are fewer air molecules for each blade to work on and at a certain altitude, there are not enough air molecules for the main rotor system to work on to create enough lift. When lift equals the weight of the helicopter it will climb no more. When the lift is lower than the weight of the helicopter it will begin to descend.
The Tail Rotor System:
The tail rotor system works the exact same way as the main rotor system, except instead of producing vertical lift it produces horizontal thrust. The tail rotor system is designed to stop the fuselage from wanting to turn in the opposite direction of the main rotor system due to torque and Newton’s Third Law – For Every Action, There is an Equal and Opposite Reaction.
As the pilot increases the power to climb, the fuselage wants to rotate so the tail rotor system has to produce more horizontal thrust to keep the helicopter pointing in the right direction.
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Just like the main rotor system, as the helicopter climbs there are fewer molecules to work on and it will reach an altitude where it cannot produce enough thrust to equal the torque and the helicopter can start to rotate out of control.
The altitudes at which all these effects are shown vary on every helicopter type, but the AS350 is very good at working at very high altitudes, hence why it was used to set the highest landing record, the world’s highest helicopter flight record, and is used in mountain rescue all over the world, not just at Mount Everest.
The Higher the Helicopter = Fewer Air Molecules = Less Power & Lift Produced
Weight
To get a helicopter off the ground the lift needs to be greater than the weight of everything on board:
Fuselage
Fuel
Oil
Cargo
Pilot
Rescue Technician
Patient
The heavier the total aircraft weighs, the more power is required to make it climb or hover. The lighter the helicopter, the higher it can climb before the atmospheric conditions cause it to run out of power or lift.
When the AS350 helicopter landed on the summit of Mount Everest in 2005 it was one of the most powerful and lightest single-engine helicopters in the world. The manufacturer also stripped it completely bare of every unnecessary item to get it as light as possible, and then it only just made the landing!
Now to complete a rescue on the summit, even if just a patient was loaded into the helicopter it would be too heavy for the amount of lift and power that could be created at the altitude with today’s technology.
Power & Hover Performance
To rescue someone off the mountain with a helicopter there are 4 ways it can be done:
1. There is a flat enough spot on which the helicopter can land and have clearance for its main and tail rotor blades
2. It can do ‘Toe-In’ or HoverEntry/Exit where the helicopter remains in flight but places one skid or the toes of the skid on the mountainside to be used as a step to offload and load passengers
3. It comes to a hover and uses a winch to offload and load the passengers
4. It comes to a hover using a fixed synthetic line attached to the belly of the helicopter to which the injured are attached
This video shows examples of both a toe-in and a winch extraction:
When a helicopter comes to a hover (Zero Airspeed) it requires a vast amount of power from its engine/s compared to cruise flight. As the helicopter climbs there will be a maximum altitude at which it can maintain a hover. The more it weighs the lower down the mountain it has to hover.
To complete a hover rescue there is no helicopter yet that can perform this task on the summit of Mount Everest. To land requires less power than hovering but the number of areas available on the side of a mountain that a helicopter can land, add more weight (Patient), and then take off again is very slim!
Weather
To be able to rescue someone off Mount Everest the weather needs to cooperate. April and May are the best times to try and ascend the mountain but even then the weather can change in a matter of minutes.
High winds, sub-zero temperatures, thick clouds, and blowing snow can make it impossible for the pilot to see and navigate up to the location of the injured climber. The higher the climber is to be rescued, the longer it takes for a helicopter to climb and the time from when an SOS call is made to the arrival of the helicopter could be 20-30 minutes or more.
That is a long time when the weather can change in an instant. Even if the climber is at a lower altitude it is usually the weather that will inhibit a rescue by helicopter.
What is the Highest Helicopters Can Land on Mount Everest?
The highest a helicopter can regularly land on Mount Everest is at Camp 2 at 21,000ft/6,400m. This area is flat and has designated landing areas for the helicopters. Areas above this altitude do not provide enough space for a helicopter to land.
Even though Didier Delsalle, the Eurocopter test pilot landed on the summit of Mount Everest, this was just a marketing and PR stunt to showcase the power of their AS350 helicopter. Had anyone climbed onboard the maxed-out helicopter it would not have been able to lift off.
At present, the highest landing point for a helicopter to pick up a passenger is at Camp 2. As helicopter technology advances I’m sure it won’t be long before we see this landing spot moved up to Camp 3 (23,500ft/7,162m) or even the South Col (26,300ft/8,016m).
Can Helicopters Land on the Summit of Mount Everest?
On May 14, 2005, factory test pilot Didier Delsalle was able to land a Eurocopter AS350 B3 on top of Mount Everest at 8,848 m (29,030 ft). He was the only person onboard and the aircraft was heavily altered to make it as light as possible. To date, this has been the only helicopter to land on the summit.
Not only is it impossible to pick up any passenger from the summit at this time, but the amount of people that wait to reach the summit on the same clear days on which a helicopter can land is also staggering. This image from ABC.net shows a lineup of hundreds of climbers waiting their turn to reach the peak.
As helicopter technology advances it will start to become a common sight and maybe rescues will soon be able to take place from any point on the mountain. This will be great news for the families who have lost loved ones to the mountain and have not been able to have their bodies recovered.
Can Helicopters Rescue Climbers off Mount Everest?
Helicopters can rescue climbers off Mount Everest but only up to a certain altitude. The highest helicopter rescue was by Maurizio Folini on May 19, 2013, in a Eurocopter AS350 B3 at 7,800 m/25,590 ft. Good weather & relatively calm winds were needed for the successful helicopter rescue.
This rescue was completed by means of a Class D Human Cargo rescue system. A synthetic longline is attached to a double hook system on the belly of the helicopter. The line was then skillfully lowered by the pilot to waiting for rescue crews on the side of the mountain. Once the injured climber was harnessed up and attached, he was flown off the side of the mountain and down to Camp 2 where he was transferred from the longline and into the helicopter.
From here he was flown down to the medical facility at Base Camp. This kind of rescue is very common in high mountainous terrain as helicopters are usually unable to find a place to land.
Here is a video showing a Class D Rescue similar to how Maurizio conducted his mission:
To rescue an injured climber on any mountain the helicopter needs to land or use one of the techniques mentioned above. No matter which technique is used the helicopter needs to come to a hover and hovering requires the most power.
The AS350 B3 helicopter used in all the high-altitude rescues and landings above has power charts that stop at 23,000ft. Anything above this and it’s entirely up to the skill of the pilot, the weather conditions at the time of the rescue attempt, and the weight of the helicopter. The pilot will only know if the helicopter will be able to hold its hover once on scene.
The power charts are what the pilot refers to before completing a high-altitude flight as they will indicate whether the helicopter will have enough power and lift at the desired altitude they intend to hover at. Providing the helicopter and atmospheric conditions meet the data in the chart the pilot should be able to reach a climber up to 23,000 ft, higher than that and it all comes down to luck!
Further Reading
If you found this article interesting here are a few others you might like to read:
The thought of owning your own helicopter is just a dream to many but for those of you that may be looking to have your own rotary limo, there are a few questions on which is the best helicopter to buy. Helicopters are not cheap so getting the right one for you is paramount. The question is there are so many different types of helicopters so which one do you choose?
The best helicopter to buy is the one that is going to suit your usage needs and budget. The Robinson R44 is a popular 4 seat family helicopter, the Leonardo A109 is a popular twin-engine, IFR-capable family or corporate helicopter, and the Sikorsky S76 is a popular luxury VIP all-weather helicopter.
The best helicopter for you may be completely different from the person standing next to you so in this article we are going to look at what it takes to find the best helicopter for you…
What Factors do you Need to Consider for Finding the Best Helicopter?
Just like buying a car, the thought process needs to cover several key areas to help you find the best helicopter to meet and sometimes exceed your requirements. After flying helicopters for decades here are what I would look at if I won the lottery tomorrow and I was about to find the best helicopter for me.
Factors you will need to consider are:
Budget
Usage Frequency
Type of Usage
Distance to Travel
Weather Capability
Then you will need to consider:
Which is the Best Personal Helicopter?
Which is the Best Helicopter for a Family?
Which is the Best Helicopter for a Small Business?
Which is the Best Corporate Helicopter?
Which is the Best VIP Helicopter?
Let’s take a look at all these factors to see which is the best helicopter to suit your needs…
Budget
Helicopters require a considerable investment in two areas. The first is the initial purchase cost. You can find excellent helicopters in the used market and that can save you a fortune, or if you wish to buy brand new there are a lot of great options also.
The second cost is the helicopter’s ongoing running costs. Fuel, maintenance, overhaul, insurance, hangarage, and landing fees are just a few to name. These will all be calculated into the hourly running cost of the helicopter which will be less the more it’s flown each year.
For an example of the hourly running cost of a Robinson R44 see their guidance sheet below:
Piston-powered helicopters are cheaper to buy and run compared to turbine helicopters, but a turbine helicopter can carry more people. A single-engine helicopter is cheaper to buy and run compared to a twin-engine helicopter but a twin will be able to fly in poor weather.
For a piston-powered helicopter, expect to pay anywhere from $100,000 used to $500,000 new and budget anywhere from a few hundred dollars up to $1000 per flight hour.
For a turbine-powered helicopter, expect to pay anywhere from $500,000 used to $1,000,000 new and budget anywhere from $500 hundred dollars up to several thousand per flight hour.
The more hours that a helicopter is flown each year the cheaper it becomes to operate each hour. Helicopter maintenance and its components are based on hours and a calendar. The cost to have those components inspected and replaced will be divided by the hours flown.
For Example:
Looking at the Robinson R44 cost breakdown above, is based on 500 hours flown each year. at 500 hours you would need to budget around $257/hour. If the helicopter only flew 200 hours that hourly cost would be around $295/hour.
If you were thinking of buying a helicopter to fly your family to the cottage and back for half the year and that flight was 1 hour then you would be looking at an annual hourly usage of 2 hours x 25 weekends = 50 hours per year. For the R44 you would have to budget around $370/hour.
A few years ago I was talking with a helicopter broker and he gave me this rough guide for helicopter usage to best maximize a budget. It will vary by helicopter but it looked like this:
Annual Usage of 1-200 hours = Rent or charter the helicopter from a helicopter company Annual Usage of 200 – 500 hours = Lease the helicopter from a leasing company Annual Usage over 500 hours = Buy the helicopter
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Type of Usage
Depending on what you wish to accomplish with the helicopter will dictate which is the best airframe for you. Do you want a helicopter to fly your family to your properties or take your friends out for dinner or rounds of golf? Do you want to beat the traffic and commute to work and back? Do you need to travel to remote locations to visit customers or clients? Do you want to use it for marketing, PR, or sweetening a business deal?
The number of people you wish to fly at any one time will dictate the size of the helicopter. If you plan on carrying any cargo/baggage will also need consideration. The Robinson R44 can fly the pilot and 3 passengers, but you will not be able to fit in 4 sets of golf clubs!
Just like buying a car – If you have a family of 4 and wish to go on vacation each weekend, buy the SUV. If you wish to beat the traffic by yourself, buy the two-seater sports car. Helicopter selection is the same!
If you need to get to work no matter what the weather then a twin-engine, IFR-capable helicopter like the Agusta/Leonardo A109 or Airbus H135 are great choices. Flying from your home airport to the nearby city airport/heliport is a very popular method for those whose time is precious.
Distance to Travel
Helicopters are nowhere near as fast as an airplane when it comes to going from point A to point B. But if you wish to leave from your home and land anywhere you wish then a helicopter is only the way to go, albeit at a slower speed.
Helicopters are great for journeys under 100nm. Over that, then a plane from airport to airport with a limo ride on each end will generally be faster and cheaper. Helicopters can cover a lot of ground though in a very short space of time, and if the majority of the flights you wish to do are under 100nm then the ease of travel in a helicopter is a no-brainer.
Here is a selection of airspeeds and the time it takes to travel set distances:
AIRSPEED
DISTANCE 15NM
DISTANCE 30NM
DISTANCE 50NM
DISTANCE 100NM
60 kts
15 min
30 min
50 min
1h40 min
80 kts
13 min
23 min
36 min
1h15 min
100 kts
9 min
18 min
30 min
60 min
120 kts
8 min
15 min
25 min
50 min
150 kts
6 min
12 min
20 min
40 min
kts = Knots : NM = Nautical Miles : min = Minutes
The speed of the helicopter and the distance you need to travel regularly will help to narrow down the shortlist. Long distances are better suited to the twin, IFR helicopters. Short distances and pleasure flights are best suited to larger single-engine helicopters like the Robinsons or Bells.
Weather Capability
When a good portion of the flights you wish to take involve flying at night or in poor weather, then the best helicopter and safest helicopter will be a twin-engine, IFR-capable airframe.
IFR stands for Instrument Flight Rules and it allows the pilot/s to fly by sole reference to the aircraft instrumentation and under the guidance and oversight of air traffic control. This is how the airlines and corporate jets fly. VFR is when a pilot needs to remain in sight of the ground at all times.
Flying in clouds, fog, or at night in sparsely lit areas causes many aircraft crashes when a pilot is untrained or their aircraft is un-equipped. If the majority of your flying is in a location where fog, cloud, or rain is common and journeys like a commute cannot be affected by weather then this type of helicopter is your best choice.
The unfortunate accident involving Koby Bryant brought this to light. The aircraft was a well-equipped twin-engine, IFR-capable helicopter, but the pilot was not trained to fly IFR. If he had been, the flight would have been uneventful.
If however, you just want to sightsee and fly back and forth for pleasure during the day then any of the helicopters are a great choice.
The more adverse the weather, the more the helicopter is going to cost, along with the training and/or staffing costs
What is the Best Helicopter for Personal Use?
The Robinson R22, Guimbal Cabri G2 & Rotor X A600 Turbo are perfect personal helicopters. Small, economical, fast, and fun to fly are by far the biggest requirements for most pilots seeking a personal helicopter. These two-seat helicopters are perfect for the commute or, pleasure flying or work.
Most personal helicopters are the smaller, and cheaper helicopters as these tend to be most pilots’ first dabble into helicopter ownership. Because of this, budget is usually the main consideration, and these helicopters tick all the boxes for the cheaper end of the market.
Robinson R22 Beta II
Source: Pilot Teacher
Price New:
$318,000
Price Used:
$50,000 – $300,000
# of Seats:
2
Engine Type:
1x Piston – Carburated
Cruise Speed:
70 kts
Typical Endurance:
2 – 2.5 Hours
By far the world’s most popular two-seat helicopter. Used for many as a personal helicopter but also as the world’s most popular training aircraft.
Its low purchase cost, running cost, and maneuverability make this a great personal helicopter.
I have 1000 hours in these so I am slightly biased, but this would be my Top Pick!
Aimed as a kit helicopter but with a factory-built option, this is the latest generation of personal DIY helicopters.
A long history of upgrades and improvements see this 2 seat helicopter as a popular choice at an affordable price.
With many kits sold, there is a great community behind this helicopter.
For those that want the tried and tested workhorse, the Robinson R22 is the hands-down winner.
For those that like a little more forgiving helicopter with a modern cockpit then the Cabri is the best choice.
For those who like to build and tinker or those on a limited purchase budget, the Phoenix A600 is the class leader.
What is the Best Helicopter for a Family?
Family helicopters are usually a minimum of 4 seats with an impressive safety record. Helicopters for this category can be both piston and gas turbine-powered with basic or advanced avionics. Budget is really the main factor in selecting a helicopter perfect for a family.
Here are my 4 top picks for a helicopter that would be perfect for a family, and having flown in all of them they are all great helicopters with impressive histories to back them!
Building on the design pedigree of its older brother, the R22, the R44 is the world’s best-selling helicopter for a reason!
Their impressive low purchase and running costs make them the most affordable 4 seat helicopter in the world. With thousands of R44’s flying all over the world the ease of finding one to purchase and/or train in is very simple.
With a vast selection of optional extras to pick from the R44 can be easily tailored to suit each family’s particular needs.
Bell Helicopter JetRanger III
Source: Pilot Teacher
Price New:
Production Ended 2010
Price Used:
$280,000 – $1M
# of Seats:
5
Engine Type:
1x Gas Turbine
Cruise Speed:
100 kts
Typical Endurance:
2.5 – 3 Hours
The JetRanger has been not only a workhorse but a personal and corporate helicopter for decades. With millions of hours flown over its lifetime, the safety pedigree is unmatched.
Although it is an older technology helicopter it can be found in every country with many great deals to be had in the used helicopter market.
With a super-reliable gas turbine engine, it has good power and a large cargo compartment allowing this helicopter to fulfill the needs of most families for under $1M
For those owners wanting an open-cabin design with great views from all seats, low running costs, and a super quiet helicopter to keep their neighbors at peace, the EC120 is a great choice.
With 5 seats, or fitted with 4 luxury VIP seats, these make a very comfortable, smooth, and fast ride.
There are many to be found on the used market, but not being as popular as other helicopters, a little more searching will be required to find a great deal under the $1M mark.
If weather is a big concern and the safety requirement of two engines is high on the ‘Must-Have’ list then the 109 is the perfect helicopter for those with a larger budget.
These fast, night and IFR-capable helicopters make them a great choice for families and businesses allowing them to fly in almost any weather condition.
Being a wheeled helicopter, they also make for easy towing in and out of the hanger by just a single person making them perfect for families flying to and from their favorite destinations.
For those that want a budget-friendly 4 seat family helicopter, the R44 is a great choice.
For those that wish to have the power and reliability of a gas turbine engine, the JetRanger and EC120 are perfect.
For those with a bigger budget and who want to fly, no matter the weather, the A109 is the category leader!
What is the Best Helicopter for a Small Business?
For a business, a helicopter needs to save employees time and be cost-effective. A fast, comfortable, and reliable helicopter is usually sought after. The Robinson R44, Bell 407, Airbus H125, and Leonardo A109 all fulfill these requirements with operating costs to meet every budget.
No matter the size of the small business, this selection of great helicopters has an impressive safety record and are all still in production today, making not only the used market very attractive, but if the budget allows, a perfectly tailored and personalized helicopter to match your business brand.
For small businesses that need fast, cost-effective transportation the R44 is hard to beat. Being able to seat the pilot and 3 passengers this helicopter can be used for a plethora of roles.
Whether it is used for moving staff between facilities, flying out to remote locations, or for PR when big contracts are needing to be signed, the R44 is a great choice when a business owner is looking to add an aerial asset to its fleet.
With many used helicopters available it will not be hard to find one to suit the limited budget of a small business.
When the step up to a powerful gas-turbine engine is required the 407 is a popular choice. With seating for the pilot and 6 passengers, this helicopter will fulfill the requirements of any small business.
With many helicopters on the used market and the very latest technology rolling off the Bell production line every day this helicopter has options to suit any business.
With a large cargo compartment and lots of power, this helicopter can easily be used for passenger transportation or as a utility workhorse.
Airbus H125/ Eurocopter AS350 Astar
Source: Pilot Teacher
Price New:
$3M
Price Used:
$500,000 – $2.5M
# of Seats:
6
Engine Type:
1x Gas Turbine
Cruise Speed:
125 kts
Typical Endurance:
3 – 3.5 Hours
There is a reason why the Astar is one of the most common helicopters seen working commercial operations the world over – It’s fantastic at everything it does!
With a large, open cabin, the passengers get a great view and its powerful engine allows it to lift an incredible payload giving for long endurance or more cargo.
With a pedigree proven over 50 years, this helicopter is a pilot and passenger favorite.
There are many used Astars available and the brand-new H125 can be tailored to suit any business’s brand and budget.
When time is of the essence and a fast and reliable helicopter is required, the A109 is the leader.
With two engines and an IFR cockpit and avionics, this helicopter can transport employees at high speed and in pretty much all weather.
If business meetings, commuting, or guest transportation is required then the A109 provides the reliability, comfort, and safety then many executives demand from their vehicles.
Another helicopter with 50 years of pedigree behind it sees the newest generations packed with the latest technology all the way through to older, but great airframes in the used market.
For those that want a budget-friendly, small but fast helicopter, the R44 is a great choice.
For those that wish for lots of power and versatility the Bell 407 or Airbus H125 are the best pick.
For those that need a super fast, all-weather capable helicopter the A109 is again the top choice.
The best corporate helicopter is taken up by the Leonardo A109, Airbus H135, or the Leonardo A169. These helicopters require a healthy budget to buy and run but their capabilities, speed, and seating capacities make them the most popular corporate helicopters in the world.
Most corporate helicopters need to fulfill fast and efficient executive transport without compromise. Having two engines, modern glass cockpits, and all-weather capabilities allow these helicopters to easily transport staff between airports, helipads, and company facilities day or night.
With the first A109 rolling off the production line this is a helicopter with a pedigree for luxury transport. The latest model, the A109 GrandNew comes packed with the latest helicopter technology like Single-Pilot IFR and Category A capabilities.
A modern glass cockpit featuring a 4-axis digital autopilot allows the pilot/s to easily fly this aircraft in all weather. for the passengers, a luxurious 5 or 6 seat VIP cabin, wide doors, and retractable steps allow the most graceful of entry and exits from the aircraft.
When speed and reliability for the lower end of the Twin-Engine, IFR-capable machines are required, the Leonardo A109 is a perfect choice. For those wishing to spend a little less, the abundance of used 109s available makes this helicopter available to all corporations.
The H135 entered service under Eurocopter as the EC135 in 1996 and has seen many upgrades culminating in the ACH135 – The corporate version. Offering 4-5 seats in a spacious cabin with the much quieter running Fenestron tail rotor system gives this helicopter an advantage when neighbor noise complaints could be an issue.
Having no conventional tail rotor, this helicopter has become very popular among corporations and private owners who do a lot of yacht-based operations. A spacious baggage hold provides ample room for those golf clubs or suitcases when PR requires, and coupled with two immensely powerful Turbomeca engines gives this helicopter the speed to move passengers efficiently.
This helicopter comes fully equipped with all-weather flight capabilities, autopilot, digital engine control, terrain awareness, and a glass cockpit allowing the pilots a nice office in which to work. New ACH135 helicopters can be crafted to the highest standards with some aircraft designed in collaboration with brands like Mercedes AMG and Hermes, or the high availability of used or leased options make this helicopter a great choice.
The AW169 is a newcomer to the corporate helicopter market. First launched in 2015 this is a Light-Intermediate, Twin-Engine, IFR-capable powerhouse. The large cabin offers passenger seating from 5-8 with 1 or 2 pilots up front.
The powerful Pratt & Whitney engines allow this helicopter to carry substantially more than its slightly smaller competitors allowing for increased soundproofing and the addition of an APU (Auxillary Power Unit) to allow the pilots to have the avionics on and configured and the cabin HVAC set so the passengers are in complete comfort from the second they board.
Being such a new helicopter to the market the number of used models available is very small. Deals can be found but will take some searching, but if your company is looking for a new purchase or leasing option and you are needing to move passengers in luxury then this helicopter is for you.
What is the Best VIP Helicopter?
The best VIP helicopter is split between the Airbus H155, Leonardo AW139, and Sikorsky S92. When convenience and ultimate luxury are the highest priority these machines fulfill every need. These helicopters begin at around $10M and go up, but if money is of no concern, then these fit the bill.
To the wealthy, the addition of a helicopter to their list of assets is the ultimate show of wealth, however, these helicopters need to save the owners time and provide convenience at the highest levels. Moving from the private jet to a helicopter to fly you off to a property, yacht, or country club is the only way to travel.
The original ultimate VIP helicopter. Since its first flight in 1977, the S76 has gone through seven upgrades over the years to increase its power, safety, and avionics culminating in the D Model taking flight in 2012. The original designer wanted the helicopter’s lines to flow and make it look sexy which created huge challenges for the mechanical engineers!
In the original A model, the flight controls all converged into a mechanical mixing unit which is mounted above the cabin roof and it is pure wizardry and an engineering masterpiece. Apparently, the mechanical engineer who solved this design problem went clinically insane by the time he accomplished it, and if I can ever find a video ill be sure to post it!
When configured for VIP the cabin can seat any number from 4 – 8 seats in the utmost luxury. Coupled with a fast cruise and all-weather capabilities this was the VIP ‘Top Dog’ for decades. Now it has some stiff competition, but the S76 will always remain as the all-time VIP TrailBlazer.
Leonardo/Agusta Westland AW139
Source: Pilot Teacher
Price New:
$15M
Price Used:
$5M – $13M
# of Seats:
14
Engine Type:
2x Gas Turbine
Cruise Speed:
155 kts
Typical Endurance:
3 – 3.5 Hours
Primarily designed to take on the offshore oil and gas market the AW139 soon found its way to the top of the VIP helicopter list. This helicopter was a leap of faith for the Agusta Helicopter company which originally teamed up with Bell but then moved over to partner with Westland to finish the design you see today.
This gamble paid off as the 139 is one of the most used offshore transport and VIP helicopters all over the world. It’s the fastest in its class and I can tell you that at 155knots it’s as smooth as silk and has incredible power. Its VIP interior allows its passengers any bells and whistles they like as the power this helicopter produces is insane.
Its large cargo hold goes from one side of the helicopter to the other just behind the main cabin and when configured for VVIP it can seat between 4 – 8 passengers in some of the most stunning interiors I have ever seen.
One major selling factor is its Anti-Icing technology making this a true all-weather capable helicopter and the Honeywell Primus Epic avionics make this helicopter a breeze to pilot – To this day it’s my favorite helicopter I have ever flown!
When the world’s 1% want the ultimate VVIP helicopter the Sikorsky S92 is the only machine to fit the bill. Mainly designed for carrying 19 passengers out to offshore oil rigs and back, this helicopter provides the biggest cabin of any VIP helicopter.
It can be fitted with sofas, reclining chairs, pull-out beds, a galley, and even a toilet! The budget and imagination is the only thing that can get in the way of providing the customer with their dream helicopter. Due to its high price and heavyweight, there are not that many S92s flying in the VIP configuration but those that are are some of the most stunning examples of what money can buy.
The S92 also comes with an APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) to allow the helicopter to be ready to go and have the cabin’s climate set perfectly to the clients’ request. This allows the rotors to be stationary while boarding but gives a quick startup to be underway in minutes.
The rear of the helicopter has a drop-down door that reveals a cargo bay capable of carrying over 1000lbs of baggage or can be kitted out as a gun rack with a whiskey/champagne bar as I saw on my last visit to an S92VIP.
When selecting the perfect helicopter it all comes down to what the aircraft is going to be used for and what the budget is. Owning any helicopter is not cheap and when you get up into the larger twin-engine helicopters they really need serious planning to ensure they become an asset and not a liability!
Having flown most of the helicopters on this list I can tell you that they are all incredible helicopters and once you have selected the right helicopter to match your needs you will forever want to be flying and not sitting in traffic.
Whether selecting a helicopter to fly during the day, night, in clouds, or in ice & freezing rain there is a model to meet these requirements and more. With today’s modern glass cockpits crammed full with sophisticated avionics, it makes flying a breeze allowing the pilots more mental capacity to ensure every flight is inducted safely and efficiently.
If you are planning to purchase a helicopter to fly yourself or your family then it is a decision I can guarantee you will not regret
When someone is wanting to learn how to fly a common dilemma awaits them – Do they learn to fly an airplane or a helicopter? There seems to be a stigma surrounding helicopters that they are very difficult to fly, yet you see them being flown with smoothness and finesse all the time. So are helicopters harder to fly than an airplane?
Airplanes are easier to fly as they are aerodynamically stable aircraft which means they want to fly. Helicopters are an aerodynamically unstable aircraft which means they do not want to fly. Helicopters require constant & balanced pilot inputs on all controls to keep the helicopter under control.
When first learning to fly, any aircraft can seem challenging, and to be honest, once you have your pilot license there are times when flying either aircraft is going to be difficult. In general, a helicopter is a lot harder to learn to fly especially when it comes to mastering the hover, but no matter which aircraft type you choose you will be in for a fun and challenging journey!
To find out why helicopters are harder to fly than an airplane please read on…
Why are Helicopters Harder to fly than an Airplane?
Aircraft designers have hundreds, if not thousands of things to consider when designing an aircraft. How it flies and handles are two of the most important, especially when there are going to be no sophisticated avionics or automated flight control systems.
Basic aircraft like those used for training and private ownership need to be as easy and stable to fly as possible but the type of aircraft will dictate just how easy these two factors are! All aircraft have two types of stability that affect how the aircraft flies:
Static Stability
Dynamic Stability
Understanding these two principles will show you why a helicopter is much harder to fly than an airplane.
Static Stability
When an aircraft is affected by a gust of wind, a thermal current, or turbulence, for example, its static stability is how well the aircraft returns back to its original flight path after the disturbance.
If an aircraft returns back to its original flight path it is described as ‘Statically Stable’. If an aircraft does not return back to its original flight path it is described as ‘Statically Unstable’.
There are three types of Static Stability:
For discussion, let’s say a gust of wind pitches the aircraft nose up
Positive Static Stability = After the initial pitch up, the aircraft nose drops and returns back to level pitch.
Neutral Static Stability = After the initial pitch up, the aircraft nose stop and remains at the new pitch attitude.
Negative Static Stability = After the initial pitch up, the aircraft nose continues pitching up (Not good!)
Aircraft designers want to aim for Positive Static Stability on every axis.
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Dynamic Stability
Just as before, when an aircraft is disturbed from its current flight path its Dynamic Stability is how the aircraft responds over time.
If an aircraft returns back to its original flight path in a reasonable timeframe it is described as ‘Dynamically Stable’. If an aircraft continues to oscillate it is described as ‘Dynamically Unstable’.
Again, there are three types of Dynamic Stability:
Positive Dynamic Stability = After the initial pitch up, the aircraft nose drops and oscillates up and down back to level pitch with each oscillation being smaller than the last. Think of ripples dissipating after a stone is dropped into a pond.
Neutral Dynamic Stability = After the initial pitch up, the aircraft nose pitches down and then back up again. The oscillations remain the same and constant. Think ocean waves on a beach.
Negative Dynamic Stability = After the initial pitch up, the aircraft nose begins to oscillate up and down, with each oscillation getting bigger than the previous – Think child swinging higher and higher on a swing (Not good!).
Aircraft designers want to aim for Positive Dynamic Stability on every axis.
Most simple airplanes have characteristics of both Positive Static and Positive Dynamic Stability – Which makes them easy to control.
Most helicopters have characteristics of Neutral Static Stability and Negative Dynamic Stability – Which makes them very difficult to control.
Because a helicopter gets its lift by rotating its airfoils it creates a whole plethora of design challenges and its instability is just one of them. The limitations of physics dictate how much the designers can manipulate the stability characteristics and still get the aircraft to fly. They are much more restricted compared to airplane designers.
Its neutral static and negative dynamic stability characteristics are what need to be learned and controlled to safely handle a helicopter.
Steady Control Inputs Were Needed When I Landed Here!
Unfortunately, these characteristics are present the second the helicopter lifts off the ground which makes learning to hover a helicopter very difficult and time-consuming. You may have heard these terms connected with ‘The Pendulum Effect’ and ‘Over Controlling’.
For a more detailed explanation of these terms please check out my article:
When an airplane flies, it generates lift by moving air over its wings. So long as the airspeed of the airplane is sufficient, the airplane flies. Aircraft designers then design the wings to give it positive static and dynamic stability characteristics.
If you let go of the flight controls in an airplane when it’s trimmed, it will fly straight and level and will require minimal pilot input to correct for wind, turbulence, or convection.
A helicopter, however, requires constant pilot input on every flight control to bring the helicopter back to its required flight path and attitude, even when in forward flight. If you let go of the Cyclic in a helicopter the aircraft will want to roll or pitch on you until it is in an unrecoverable state of flight.
The other factor that makes learning to fly a helicopter very difficult is that if you make a change in one of the flight controls it affects the other two. Balancing the flight controls and inputting the right amount at the right time is the key to mastering the hover, let alone flying all the other aircraft maneuvers!
When I was an instructor this was one of my most favorite times. Seeing the joy on the student’s face when they master the hover is fantastic!
To give you a really good idea of what it’s like to hover a helicopter please see this video from Destin at Smarter Every Day:
Do You Need to Learn to Fly an Airplane Before a Helicopter?
Learning to fly an airplane before a helicopter is not required. Helicopters and airplanes fly and handle very differently with each needing their own specific flight training. Ground school & airmanship for both aircraft are similar which is a benefit, but time in an airplane is not beneficial.
I get asked this question a lot and many people seem to be under the impression that you first need to learn to fly in an airplane before moving over to a helicopter. This is not true. In my opinion, if a pilot is wanting to learn to fly they need to select the type of aircraft they wish to fly and then do all their training on that.
Helicopters and airplanes are like cars and motorcycles. Both share the same rules of the road/air, courteousness and both get you from A to B, but each handles very differently to one another.
If a pilot wishes to fly an airplane first then bringing over the rules of the air, weather, airmanship, radio communications and a majority of the ground school theory will help them progress through training faster, but when it comes to actually learning to handle the helicopter, anything learned on an airplane beforehand is of very little use.
Helicopters handle completely differently from an airplane and require the student to develop a feel for the aircraft and to pre-empt when to put in a control pressure and by how much. It instability mentioned above is what requires mastering. This instability is not present in an airplane.
I have taught students who had come from an airplane background and they did not progress any faster than the helicopter students. The only benefit they got was that they already had a good understanding of general aviation theory.
For a student to go and spend 30 hours learning to fly an airplane before moving over to a helicopter, that time and money is wasted in my opinion. Save the cash and time and go straight into a helicopter.
To Finish
Learning to fly an aircraft is a unique challenge. learning to fly both an airplane and a helicopter requires very different skills to be mastered to competently pilot either aircraft. The stability issues each aircraft poses dictate how much of a challenge learning to fly each aircraft type will be for the student.
Airplanes are a great way to get from Point A to Point B quickly, but if you want the flexibility to land anywhere along that route, then a helicopter is the way to go!
Further Reading
If you found this article interesting then here are a few more I think you may enjoy:
Taking a ride in a helicopter over one of the world’s most beautiful scenic locations is a great experience, but what if the passenger is a large or heavy person? Do helicopters have a passenger weight limit? Do helicopters have a seat width limit, do helicopters have a height limit?
For passengers at the taller or heavier end of the scale, what does this mean for them? Are they able to take a tour flight?
Having been a helicopter tour pilot I have seen passengers of all shapes and sizes. Most helicopter tour companies have a limit for passengers but to find exactly what those limits are please keep reading.
The table below gives a quick snapshot of some of the world’s most popular helicopter tour operators and their maximum passenger weight limits:
All Links to the Helicopter Tour Companies Websites
Why Do Helicopters Have Maximum Passenger Weights or Widths?
Helicopters have a maximum passenger weight limit of between 250-300lbs because of the crash protection built into each seat, the balance of the helicopter when it lifts into flight, or because of the maximum width a passenger takes up when seated. Typical helicopter seats are 12-14″ wide.
When a helicopter is designed its seating layout is created based on the maximum weight of the occupants that the passenger cabin can hold. For tour helicopters, the maximum seating capacity that can be fitted is usually configured as this allows the tour operator to fly more passengers and generate more revenue.
In doing this there become some limitations to ensure the safety and comfort of ALL the passengers on board. Those restrictions are mainly due to:
Seat Crash Attenuation
Seat Width
Weight & Balance
Fuel Burn
What is Helicopter Seat Crash Attenuation?
Most seats in a helicopter have a g-force-reducing crumple zone built into them to help dissipate energy from a hard landing before it reaches the passenger’s spine. Some seats may have a weight limit to ensure the crash attenuation system works properly in the event of a hard landing.
Not every helicopter has a seat weight limit, instead, have a limitation where nothing hard or bulky can be placed under the seats. Then there are other helicopters, especially the older ones that have no restrictions and no energy dissipation system built in.
Robinson Helicopters like the popular R44 have a maximum seat limit of 300lbs/136Kg and advise against placing anything bulky in the ‘below seat’ storage area due to this being the seat crumple zone and energy absorption system.
Airbus/Eurocopter Helicopters have no maximum seat limit but do have a crash attenuation system designed into their seat support structure. You can see in the image above the aluminum support system on the front seats. Most tour helicopters will have this on every seat to increase safety for their passengers. For our helicopter shown, we have a basic rear bench seat for utility operations without the crash attenuation system.
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What is the Average Helicopter Seat Width?
The average width of a seat in a helicopter is between 12-14 inches. On smaller helicopters or tour helicopters with a dense seating configuration, these seats will be moved close to one another. Passengers with broad shoulders and/or wide thighs/pelvis may not be able to fit on just one seat.
If the tour company deems the passenger to be outside of these measurements they will most likely charge for an additional seat to accommodate the space taken up by the passenger. In such cases, the tour company will be able to provide a seat belt extending strap if required.
If you are unsure, it is easy to take a measurement when sitting down and see what your sitting width is. This will give you some idea if you are likely to be charged an additional fee when arriving for a flight.
What Is Helicopter Weight & Balance?
When a helicopter lifts into the air it has to weigh less than its Maximum Gross Takeoff Weight. This includes the pilot, passengers, cargo & fuel. The passengers and cargo must also be evenly distributed to ensure the helicopter remains balanced and the pilot has sufficient flight control movement.
Weight – Every helicopter has a maximum certified takeoff weight set by the helicopter manufacturer. That includes the airframe, pilot, passengers, and fuel. The more the pilot and passengers weigh, the less fuel it can carry to ensure it remains under its Maximum Gross Takeoff Weight.
This may be a reason why you have a wait for a flight or two before you can board. The check-in agent will be ensuring all the passengers remain under a set weight limit for the fuel currently on board. If your party is heavy, you will be paired up with lighter passengers, or have to wait until sufficient fuel is burned off by other tours.
When full, the Airbus H125 Astar carries 940lbs of fuel. As this burns off more passenger weight can be carried. At 80% fuel capacity an additional 188lbs can be carried as 188lbs of fuel has been consumed.
Balance– When a helicopter lifts off the ground it has to be balanced. The pilots’ flight controls can only move so far in any direction before they hit their mechanical limits. If a helicopter has a lot of weight on one side, the pilot could run out of control travel trying to compensate in the opposite direction.
This means the helicopter would bank towards the heaviest side and continue to bank over until it rolls over in flight. Think of a person trying to get onto an inflatable pool mattress and they don’t balance properly – they lean their head and torso in the opposite direction to the rolling motion to compensate, but if it is not enough they capsize!
This is another reason why each passenger is weighed and then told where to sit in the aircraft. It’s not to be discourteous to the passenger, it is to ensure the helicopter’s balance remains within its limitations.
Why Do Some Helicopter Passengers Have To Pay Over Weight Fees?
Helicopter tour passengers that weigh more than the tour company’s limit may have to pay a surcharge for fuel. The heavier the helicopter weighs, the more power it requires to fly and the more fuel it burns. Helicopter tour costs are calculated based on a set fuel burn cost.
Most helicopter tour companies will set a passenger weight limit based either on the helicopter’s designed maximum seat limitation or the maximum passenger weight the helicopter cabin can take for the amount of fuel it has to carry. This passenger weight is then divided by the number of seats to set the seat limit.
For Example:
Helicopters Maximum Gross Weight = 4961 lbs
Helicopter Airframe Weight = 3020 lbs Helicopter Pilot Weight = 180 lbs Fuel Required for Flight = 450 lbs
4961 – (3020+180+450) = 1311 lbs for passengers
5x passenger seats in the helicopter = 1311/5 = 262 lbs per passenger or 6x passenger seats in the helicopter = 1311/6 = 218 lbs per passenger
For this tour company operating a fleet of Airbus/Eurocopter AS350 Astars with 5 passenger seats would set a seat limit of 250 lbs/114 Kg to ensure the helicopter remains under its maximum gross takeoff weight for the fuel to be carried.
If a passenger is able to easily fit in just one seat but is over the company limit of say 250lbs, then just a fuel surcharge may be added to the cost of their ticket to cover the extra weight the helicopter must lift and the increased fuel burn associated with it.
If however, the passenger is unable to fit on just one seat then a second seat charge may be incurred as the tour operator has to take one less passenger for that flight.
Most helicopter tour operators will instantly charge for an extra seat once over their set weight limit, but if you see a fuel burn surcharge this is why.
Do Helicopters Have a Passenger Height Restriction?
Most helicopters do not have a passenger height restriction but rather they must be able to physically fit in the cabin. Passengers under 6ft6″ tall can easily fit in most helicopters. Smaller two-seat helicopters may be the most restrictive, but adjustable seats can help accommodate tall passengers.
Robinson R44 – A Popular Tour Helicopter
Each type of helicopter has the best seating arrangements for tall passengers. For Example:
Robinson R44 – Front passenger seat
Bell 206 – Front passenger seat
Airbus/Eurocopter Astar (AS350/H125) – Right or left rear outermost seats. Can stretch legs out between the door and front seat
Airbus/Eurocopter Ecostar (EC130/H130) – Right rear outermost seat. Can stretch legs out between the door and front seat
I know some very tall helicopter pilots and they have no problems fitting in most helicopters. Some are obviously more comfortable than others but they only have the option of sitting in the pilot seat!
Upon arrival at the check-in counter for your tour flight, you can ask for one of the seats mentioned above depending on the helicopter type they operate.
By far the biggest thing to be very careful of is if you are boarding the helicopter when its rotors are turning, be sure to duck as you approach and leave. Tall passengers can come very close to the main rotor blades and whatever you do
DO NOT STICK YOUR ARMS IN THE AIR TO CELEBRATE WHILE NEAR THE HELICOPTER!
Further Help
If you found this helpful and you have more questions about taking a tour flight in a helicopter, then these articles may help you find your answers:
Police helicopters are seen flying around every major city. The type of helicopter used varies as do their capabilities. No matter if you are interested in police helicopters for pure interest or to give yourself an edge this article gives you all the answers to the most common questions regarding police helicopters!
Why Do Police Helicopters Circle Over My House?
Police helicopters may be flying circles over your house as an incident they wish to observe is taking place in your general area. By flying in circles, the crew can view a large area easily with their camera. Your property may not be of interest, just in the vicinity.
Criminal activity, searching for missing persons, video evidence gathering, or providing overwatch for police operations are just some of the most common reasons why a police helicopter may be circling over your property.
Many buildings can be seen from just 500-1,000 feet above the ground, so even though it may seem like the police are circling your home, they most likely will be looking at a building several streets away, especially if you don’t give them a reason.
How Long Can a Police Helicopter Fly For?
Generally, most police helicopters can fly for around 2-3 hours depending on the model. Most helicopters can refuel at any nearby airport and be back in the area in around 20-30 minutes and some helicopters based in remote areas can have an auxiliary fuel tank to increase the time up to 5 hours.
The size, number of engines, size of the fuel tank, and how much equipment the helicopter is fitted with will dictate how long it can fly.
The majority of police helicopters will fly for around 2 hours on most missions. If a large event is occurring the helicopter can be flown at a speed to maximize its fuel efficiency and keep it in the air for longer.
Some police helicopters can be fitted with an auxiliary fuel tank that can almost double its flight time to 4-5 hours if required, but this is not a regular occurrence.
If a police helicopter has been out flying for a while and then is called upon to assist with an incident it may need to head into the nearest airport to refuel before getting on the scene. Depending on how far away the nearest fuel source is this can be as short as 15 minutes or up to an hour.
How Long Can a Police Helicopter Hover For?
Most police helicopters will be able to hover on the scene for around 2 hours. Hovering over a city requires the most power which increases the fuel burn rate. High altitude, high humidity, high temperature, and the weight of the helicopter all reduce the amount of time the helicopter can hover.
Most police helicopters will be seen to fly in circles or orbits when over a scene. Hovering requires the most amount of power in a helicopter and uses far more fuel than flying in a slow orbit.
Here you can see the power required to sit in a hover at 0 airspeed requires far more power than flying slow orbits at 60 knots. By flying in orbits police can extend their duration over a scene.
When police helicopters do come into a hover it is usually because the object they wish to observe may be obscured from view when doing an orbit. By keeping the helicopter in a stationary hover, the camera operator can keep the scene in view at all times.
This could be especially important when providing overwatch when a S.W.A.T. team is about to breach a building with known resistance on the inside.
How Fast Can A Police Helicopter Fly?
Generally, most police helicopters can fly between 80-130kts/90-150mph/150-240kph. At top speed, flying in a straight line, a police helicopter can reach 20 miles away in as little as 8 minutes. As roads curve, helicopters can fly straight, allowing them to keep up with the fastest cars & motorcycles.
A small police helicopter like a Bell 206 Jet Ranger or Robinson R44 may only be able to cruise around 100 knots, but a large, powerful helicopter like a Leonardo AW139 or Airbus H155 can be up to around 150kts. Flying in a straight line allows these helicopters to cover the ground rapidly.
The Leonardo AW139 Police Helicopter
Even if a police helicopter is slower than a speeding motorist they are able to keep an eye on the subject using the powerful zoom on their camera and not having any speed restrictions like other traffic or bends in a road. By flying in a straight line the helicopter is able to ‘Cut the Corners’ and direct the ground units via the radio.
Helicopter Airspeed
Miles Per Minute
Time To Fly 10 Miles
Time To Fly 30 Miles
90 mph
1.5
7 minutes
20 minutes
100 mph
1.7
6 minutes
18 minutes
110 mph
1.8
5.5 minutes
17 minutes
130 mph
2.2
4.5 minutes
14 minutes
150 mph
2.5
4 minutes
12 minutes
What Can Police Helicopters See?
Police helicopters can see during the day using an HD color camera and an infrared camera at night. They are not able to look through walls, roofs, or dense foliage but can see through windows during the day. Objects of differing temperatures are easily seen with the infrared camera, especially at night.
Mounted to the nose of every police helicopter is a controllable turret that houses an HD color video camera, an HD color stills camera, and an Infra-Red thermal imaging camera. Mounted to these cameras are powerful zoom lenses (up to 120x) that can allow the camera operator to see objects very clearly from several miles away.
The camera is able to transmit its pictures to ground units and police headquarters to allow real-time observations by any officer required, although its control of what it sees is only maintained by the camera operator on board the helicopter.
For far more details on exactly what a police helicopter can and cannot see I highly recommend you read this:
Most police helicopter cameras can see up to 3-5 miles from 1000ft above the ground. Large objects can be easily seen at far distances whereas a car registration plate would need the helicopter almost directly overhead. The closer the helicopter is to the object, the more detailed the picture is.
Exact numbers for each police department are not published and it depends on the camera turret type mounted on the aircraft. Some police helicopters have very basic and older cameras, whereas new helicopters or those that have been upgraded can be very detailed.
A Typical FLIR Turret Mounted on a Police Helicopter
Just like your smartphone, the newer cameras have a much greater resolution that when paired with a powerful zoom lens can mean more detailed images even further away.
When searching for an object, the camera operator will slew the camera in the general direction and then begin to sweep the area using the camera as the helicopter is approaching. Once the object of interest has been found the detail of the image will begin to improve as the helicopter draws closer and the zoom is reduced.
Most police helicopters will set up an orbit within a 1nm radius to allow for the pilot to keep the area in view while the camera operator zooms in for the detail required for the mission.
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Can Police Helicopters Detect Grow Ops?
Police helicopters can detect grow operations when heat lamps used to grow crops make the room, attic, basement, or building considerably warmer than their surroundings. This makes it easily seen by the infrared camera on the helicopter. Hidden plants grown outdoors can also be seen from the air.
Police cameras cannot see through solid objects like walls and roofs, but when a room is considerably warmer than its surroundings the camera operator can notice and refer the address to headquarters for further investigation.
The police helicopter can also see through windows during the day with its color HD camera, so if plants are on show and the police have the required permission to look through your window they can be seen. Police are not allowed to look into people’s windows with the camera unless they have permission or due cause.
Plants hidden and grown in the middle of other crops or densely wooded areas, they can be seen by an overflying helicopter. When visibly different from the surrounding foliage a grow operation can easily be seen by the persons onboard an overflying police helicopter.
For far more details on how police helicopters can detect Grow Operations see this article:
By using markers painted on the road or landmarks, police officers in a helicopter can time a vehicle between these markers. When the distance between the markers is known they can easily calculate the vehicle’s speed. By collecting video evidence they can then issue speeding tickets if required.
When used by a helicopter, the surveillance officer times between the two sets of markings using them is a visual reference, the same can also be done by an officer in a car following behind a vehicle of interest.
Lines painted at the side of the carriageway or squares painted in the middle of the lane can indicate that this is an area used by police for both airborne and land-based speed tracking.
If required by a court, the video evidence can be produced and shown as there is always a timer running on the video screen recording to ensure accurate evidence.
How Much Does a Police Helicopter Cost?
The average new police helicopter costs around $5-6M fully equipped. The cheapest start at around $1M and can go up to around $10M for the large, twin-engine, IFR-capable, multi-role helicopters. Smaller police departments can buy a used helicopter and have them equipped for the police role much cheaper.
Depending on the size and operating budget of the police department the addition of a new police helicopter can vary dramatically.
Small police departments can start with a Robinson R44 Police for just under $1M whereas their new Robinson R66 Police model will be around $1.4M. Other alternatives are to convert or buy a used police helicopter for much less. A used Bell 206 JetRanger could be picked up for around $500,000 or less depending on its age.
For police departments wishing to invest in the latest technology with two engines, for a multi-role mission-capable helicopter then the Airbus H135 and H145 are two of the most popular mid-range choices. These range between $5-8M depending on the aircraft and the equipment to be installed.
Airbus H135 – One of the World’s Most Popular Mid-Range Police Helicopters
Winches, night-vision goggles, searchlights, auxiliary fuel tanks, and video & radio communications equipment have so many options and can soon add another $1M onto the purchase cost.
For police departments requiring large, multi-engine, all-weather, multi-role, troop insertion helicopters, then the Airbus H225 and Leonard AW139 are popular choices. These can begin around $10M and up and require serious investment and operating budgets.
Do Police Helicopters Fly at Night?
Police helicopters fly at night when the cloud ceiling is high enough and the forward visibility is clear enough. Most criminal activity occurs during the night and the cooler air allows the thermal imaging camera to detect heat sources more easily. Some pilots will also use night-vision goggles.
Police helicopters are equipped and their crews are trained to fly in all weather conditions, especially at night. In fact, many police departments may only run their helicopter/s during the night to save on operational budget.
Due to the majority of criminal activity happening during the evening, a police helicopter may be airborne over the city for the entire evening, just returning to base for fuel. If the helicopter is already airborne when it is requested, it only takes a matter of minutes to be overhead a scene within minutes – this becomes especially helpful in areas of high car crime.
Over densely populated cities, the light pollution given off allows the pilot to see almost as clearly as during the day. For locations that are a little more rural, most police pilots and crew will be equipped with night-vision goggles to allow them to see even in the darkest areas of their patrol boundary.
Do Police Helicopters Have Night Vision?
All police helicopters have infrared night vision cameras that enable the operator to see at night. On some helicopters, the crew also has night-vision-goggles to improve spatial awareness and allow for landings in dark areas to assist with MedEvac and crew insertion.
Night vision in a police helicopter can be split into two types:
What the camera can see
What the crew can see
In terms of the camera, it uses the infrared spectrum to detect heat from a source. Because objects absorb and radiate heat at different rates it allows the camera to identify objects in relation to one another. A cold building gives off far less heat than a person walking their dog alongside it.
The camera uses grayscale to differentiate the heat by dark objects showing as black and hot objects showing as white (The camera colors can be switched by the operator if required).
When hot objects are placed next to cold objects it is easy to identify them using the camera. This is why infrared cameras are so effective at tracking people and animals, especially at night when the surrounding air temperature is cooler.
In terms of the crew, it depends on each police department as to whether they equip the helicopter crew with night vision goggles (NVGs). For crews that fly over a large metropolitan area for the majority of their evening, the addition of NVGs is not required.
NVGs turn the blackest of nights into daylight and when worn by the pilot they allow the pilot to see much more. This becomes really useful when operating in remote parts of the country where there is no ambient light from a city. NVGs give the pilot greater freedom to fly the aircraft to assist with ground units or when inserting crews or landing in unlit areas.
NVGs allow the police helicopter to be used for a much wider variety of roles making it a more versatile asset to the police department. Having flown EMS at night I can tell you the NVGs are an absolute must when outside of a well-lit city!
If you wish to find out more about how pilots see at night please check out the following article:
All police helicopters are tracked by air traffic control but only some can be tracked by the public. Some police departments allow online tracking tools like FlightRadar24.com to track the helicopter to allow the general public to see where it is flying.
One of the most interesting online tracking tools FlightRadar24 tracks aircraft and displays it via your web browser. The system interrogates a device on the helicopter called a transponder. The information that it receives tells it where the helicopter is, it’s heading, its altitude, and its speed.
If the helicopter has been allowed to be tracked by the police department it’s just a case of clicking on the aircraft icon on the screen and reading its information:
This screenshot from FlightRadar24.com tells me the Nassau County Police Helicopter is a Bell 429, flying at 875 feet, heading south and it shows me where it’s flown.
Take a look for yourself. Zoom in around the major cities and have a look for the helicopter icons then click on them. If your local police helicopter has been allowed to be tracked it will show up when it becomes airborne. At night is the best time to find them flying 😉
Do Police Helicopters Have Guns?
Police helicopters do not come equipped with guns. In North America, sworn-in police officers who form the crew are usually armed along with any specialist law enforcement team carried on board. The FAA does not allow civilian aircraft to be armed with weapons.
Police helicopters are mainly a transport and observation tool used by police departments. Most of the time they play a passive role in law enforcement and are there to watch and report from a distance. The need for weapons to be mounted to the helicopter is minimal and would never be able to be used effectively in today’s civilian world.
Sworn-in law enforcement officers are allowed to and do carry sidearms on their person, however, any civilian pilot is not allowed to carry (Unless in a state with legal carry firearms laws). If the need arises, the pilot can land to deploy the armed crew onboard if ground units are some time away, but this is very rare.
Do Police Helicopters Have Sirens?
Police helicopters do not come equipped with sirens but some can have a public address system. This allows the crew to issue verbal commands from the helicopter to persons on the ground. Some sound effects may be available to the crew to help get the attention on the ground, but these are rarely used.
A siren on a police helicopter would have no use as the sirens we are all familiar with on emergency vehicles are designed to get the attention of other road users to let them know the police require their personal attention or by means of getting people to move or be aware of an incident.
Police helicopters can be fitted with a system known as ‘SkyShout’ or similar. This is a public address system that allows crewmembers to talk from the helicopter using an attached loud hailer. As part of this system, there can be tones that are sounded to ensure the people on the ground are aware the helicopter is about to pass a message.
The system is mainly used to help disperse large crowds, to warn of imminent danger to the public or to help guide persons.
Further Reading
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I was just watching a video on the design of the Airbus A380 and while watching I noticed the tail fin at the rear of this aircraft was enormous. That got me thinking as to why do aircraft need a vertical tail fin and why are there so many varying sizes and types.
A vertical tail on an aircraft provides control and stability to an aircraft as the air flows around it. A rudder and trim tab is usually incorporated into it to provide yaw control during takeoff, cruise, and landing. The control is provided by the pilots using their foot pedals & auto flight systems.
Looking around the worlds aviation community the single vertical tail fin is by far the most common design and although there are many other designs, their purpose pretty much remains the same:
What is the Purpose of Vertical Tail Fins on Aircraft?
An Aircraft’s vertical tail fin is designed to provide stability and control in the yaw axis. It does this by housing a controllable rudder and a trim tab for fine-tuning during flight. The size and shape of the fin are determined by the type of flight and maneuvers the aircraft is intended to do.
Aircraft have 3 axis on which they need to be controlled once they become airborne:
Roll Axis – This is controlled by ailerons mounted in the wings
Pitch Axis – This is controlled by elevators mounted in the rear horizontal stabilizers
Yaw Axis – This is controlled by the rudder mounted in the vertical stabilizer
The technical reasons for the vertical tail fin go way beyond the scope of this article but ill try to sum it up in layman’s terms as best I can.
Stability
To ensure an aircraft flies smoothly it needs to be stable. An unstable aircraft not only provides an uncomfortable ride to its passengers but also increases the workload of the pilot/s, increases aerodynamic stress on its components and if not corrected in time can lead to aircraft attitudes outside of controllable limits.
All aircraft have a center of gravity and the idea is to keep the mass of the aircraft as close to its center of gravity when in flight. Forces like wind, turbulence, and people moving around in the cabin are constantly moving the aircraft away from its CofG.
This is where the vertical fin, also known as the vertical stabilizer comes in to help keep the aircraft as close to its CofG in the yaw and roll axis. As the air moves over the vertical fin it helps to counteract forces of roll due to it acting like a sail and for yaw, by keeping the nose pointing straight by acting like a weather-cock you would see on a barn roof.
The other time the vertical fin really becomes important is when the aircraft is fitted with multiple engines, especially when mounted on the wings.
When both engines are increased in power together they provide the same amount of thrust to both sides of the aircraft. If one were to lose power or stop altogether the thrust from the remaining engine/s would impart a turning force around the center of the aircraft, much like turning the steering wheel on your car.
At this point, the pilots use the aircraft’s vertical fin and its rudder to ‘Steer’ the nose of the aircraft in the opposite direction to counteract the turning force from the powered engine – as well as many other things.
Without the aerodynamic forces of the vertical fin acting on the aircraft fuselage, a loss of an engine could result in catastrophic consequences.
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Control
Built into the vertical fin is the Rudder or Rudders (Depending on the size and design of the aircraft). These are a movable surface which is used to deflect air and push or pull the aircraft nose in a desired direction.
Very similar to a rudder on a boat, when the aircraft is traveling through the air the pilot/s and/or the aircraft’s autoflight systems are constantly adjusting the rudder to keep the nose of the aircraft pointing in the desired direction. This is known as slip and skid and is very important especially when turning.
When the airplane is taking off and landing, the rudder is moved to keep the aircraft nose pointing into the wind and this is most noticeable when airplanes come into land with a crosswind. If the nose of the aircraft was pointing straight down the runway with a crosswind, the aircraft would be blown off to the side of the runway.
To prevent this, the pilots use the rudder to point the nose of the aircraft into the wind so the airplane is coming into land with an offset angle. This ‘crabbed’ angle allows the plane to be flying forwards and into the wind, and if the pilots match the crab angle to the wind speed correctly, the shadow of the airplane over the ground will be in line with the centerline of the runway during its approach.
This is done by using the rudder to control the heading of the nose of the aircraft. The tricky part comes to touching down as the aircraft is now pointing off the side of the runway. The use of a rudder is required to steer the nose towards the runway centerline as the friction of the tires begins to take effect as the airplane touches down.
In windy conditions, this can really make the pilots work hard on all the flight controls, not just the rudder.
In this video, you can see the two-part rudder working hard to keep the Airbus A380 on the runway. This is completed by a combination of pilot control and the advanced autoflight control systems working in unison:
Trim
Trim is the fine-tuning of an aircraft control surface. Trim tabs on the vertical stabilizer are like a small rudder within the rudder. These trim tabs allow the pilot or flight control system to adjust as necessary to keep the aircraft’s nose pointing in the desired direction during flight.
After takeoff, the pilot will ‘Trim’ the nose of the aircraft to ensure it maintains the desired heading the pilot wishes to fly. The trim tabs are also used in the event of an engine failure in flight.
The Yaw Trim Tabs on the Trailing Edge of the Rudder on this CL-215 – Source: Olivier Clenyon
Once the aircraft has been brought under control after the initial loss of power the pilot can trim the yaw axis to maintain heading without having to constantly ‘fly’ the aircraft.
Why Are Vertical Stabilizers So Big?
Some aircraft seem to have very large vertical stabilizers in comparison to other aircraft of a similar size. Short aircraft have less yaw stability compared to long aircraft. To create enough yaw control the area of the vertical stabilizer needs to be larger than those on longer aircraft.
Think of this analogy:
When trying to push open a door, it is harder to push it open close to its hinge compared to pushing it open by the handle. More force is required the shorter the distance is to the hinge.
Aircraft are the same. When an aircraft has a short body the distance between the vertical stabilizer and its center of yaw is quite short. To maintain stability and controllability the vertical fin needs a large surface area. Because of this, the vertical fins can seem overly proportionate compared to other aircraft.
On longer aircraft, the distance or lever from the center of yaw to the vertical stabilizer is much longer, thus less force is required to maintain stability and control. Hence, a smaller surface area is required.
Boeing 747
Boeing 737
When looking at the two aircraft above the vertical stabilizer on the Boeing 737 seems overly large for the size of the airplane compared to the Beoing 747.
Careful design is required to create a vertical stabilizer that is of the correct size, strength, and efficiency without being too heavy or affecting the flight characteristics of the entire aircraft.
Further Reading
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