Many people get worried when they see a police helicopter circling around their home, especially if they are growing illegal plants there. Many forums talk about ways to beat the police seeing into their homes or detecting their illegal operations but what can the police helicopter actually detect?
Police helicopters have a thermal imaging camera that detects areas of excessive heat in a building compared to its surroundings. Hot attics, basements, sheds & outbuildings are easily spotted if they are warm from the activities going on inside. At night these areas are easy to spot from the air.
Aside from the fact that some countries require warrants for the police to go actively look at a home, if a heat source is detected while using the camera on a different operation, it could enable a further investigation from the police department, based on what the officers saw during that flight.
This article is not going into the legalities of what, when, and how the police can come to your home, rather than what can the police helicopter actually see.
What Can Police Helicopters See?
A few years ago I got the opportunity to spend a night shift as a passenger in a police helicopter and it was a great experience to actually see what the helicopter camera system could and could not detect.
Most police helicopters are usually equipped with an integrated camera system that can be maneuvered around by the police camera operator on board the helicopter to see in any direction and up to 120x zoom on some units. The camera turrets usually consist of:
An HD Color Video Camera
An HD Color Stills Camera
An Infrared Thermal Imaging Camera
The camera operator can use this array of cameras in the following ways to detect possible or suspected grow operations:
Looking Through Windows
The HD color camera on the helicopter can easily look through windows that have no blinds or curtains drawn. Generally speaking, if you can see a helicopter through a window, they can see you if the camera was trained on you
To be able to see you there needs to be enough light in the room for the camera operator to see you and then the helicopter has to be low enough to see in. This can be done by positioning the helicopter further away and using the powerful zoom to see into the room.
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At night however, the infrared camera is unable to see through glass. Glass blocks infrared light so the camera is unable to see in, this is why the cover over the IR camera on the helicopter turret is made of Germanium. But, if the lights are on the occupants of the room can be seen at night using the HD color camera. Think of it like you standing on a high-rise balcony and using your phone’s camera to look into windows on adjacent buildings. The police camera is just the same.
Again, we are not talking about the legalities of doing this, just what the capabilities are.
Looking at Heat Sources
The infrared camera in the turret is fantastic at distinguishing between heat sources in an area. Different items give off heat by different amounts and the camera shows this by using cold sources as dark, and hot sources as white, with the varying heat shown as shades of gray in between.
When a grow operation is housed inside a building the heat sources or lights that is used to help rapidly grow illegal plants heat up the walls and ceiling surrounding it. As the walls and ceiling heat up, their temperature will be higher than that of their surroundings, making it highly visible to the camera operator when flying over a city a night.
When all the houses in a neighborhood have dark roofs or basements, but one house is significantly warmer, this will stand out and may give the police the need to further investigate. The same is true for an outbuilding, shed, garage, or any structure that is significantly warmer than the other structures around it.
Looking at Hidden Clearings
Another obvious sign that a grow operation is taking place is when the crops in the middle of a field or wooded area are suddenly different and look out of place from their surroundings. On the ground, the illegal grow operation could be completely out of sight and may require many miles of driving or hiking to reach them.
From the air however, a clearing with ‘Odd Looking’ vegetation in there can easily stand out. A quick pan of the camera to that area can instantly reveal what is being grown. Even installing a camouflage net over the operation can make the area stand out and with enough scrutiny and inspection from the camera operator, it can soon become clear what is hiding underneath.
Illegal Crops Growing with Legal Crops Easily Stand Out in the Air.
In these situations, an undercover operation may ensue to discover who the owner is of the crops to ensure a prosecution can take place.
How Many Plants Can Police Helicopters See?
Unless the plants are growing out in the open then a police helicopter is not able to see individual plants. What they can see is the area that is excessively warm from the operation used to grow the plants.
One or two plants grown in an individual’s home are most likely not going to require the many lights that give off heat to grow them. This will not give off enough heat to warm an area sufficiently to allow it to stand out from its surroundings.
Once an occupant begins to get into large-scale growing using numerous high-wattage lights, this is when the heat signature of the building will begin to rise. It is at this point that a police helicopter may stumble on them while using the camera on another mission.
To Finish
Police helicopters are able to see illegal growing operations via their camera when plants are being grown out in the open, they are in a room with windows that can be seen through, or when the area they are being grown in is radiating much more heat than its surroundings.
Generally, a police helicopter is not tasked to go sweeping the neighborhoods at night to look for suspicious properties that seem to be very warm, but if the camera stumbles onto a building while on another mission, that property can be marked for them to come back and further investigate or sent for officers on the ground to further investigate.
Helicopters have been filmed many times spinning out of control, usually just before they crash. Why do they spin out of control and why don’t the pilots stop it and prevent the crash? There have been a few famous videos of where fatal accidents have followed a helicopter spinning out of control, the most recent was the Leonardo AW169 taking off from Leicester City Soccer Stadium in the UK.
A helicopter may spin out of control when the anti-torque system is unable to counteract the torque being created by the engine. When the torque of the engine is greater than the thrust being produced by the anti-torque system, the helicopter will begin to spin.
Having had the opportunity to practice many different crash prevention techniques in a full-motion simulator I am able to tell you a little bit about why this happens and what the pilots can and can not do about it.
A helicopter going into a spin is one of the most terrifying emergencies a pilot may have to deal with. Depending on where it happens, can mean the difference between a survivable landing or not.
What Makes A Helicopter Spin?
When a helicopter is working correctly the engine drives the main rotor via a transmission. Because of Newton’s Third Law‘For Every Action, There is an Equal and Opposite Reaction’ this makes the fuselage want to rotate in the opposite direction to the main rotor. This is known as ‘Torque’. Think of it like drilling a hole and the drill bit sticks, the drill wants to rotate around and hit you.
When the helicopter is sitting on the ground, the friction of the wheels or skid on the ground prevents the fuselage from spinning in the opposite direction to the main rotor. But when a helicopter lifts into a hover, this friction disappears and without some form of anti-torque system, the helicopter would spin.
On a typical helicopter, the anti-torque system is the tail rotor.
The Tail Rotor – Also Known as an Anti-Torque System
A tail rotor counteracts the torque on the fuselage by producing thrust which pushes the tail of the helicopter in the opposite direction to the way the fuselage wants to spin. When the torque on the fuselage and the tail rotor thrust is equal then the helicopter will not spin.
When the torque is greater than the tail rotor thrust, this is when a helicopter can begin to spin.
The pilot uses the foot pedals in the helicopter to alter the pitch of the tail rotor blades to slightly increase or decrease the thrust produced by the tail rotor system. This allows for fine-tuning of the thrust vs. torque and to turn the helicopter when in a hover.
There are other types of anti-torque systems on a helicopter, but for simplicity, in this article, we will focus on the conventional tail rotor. If you would like to know more about the tail rotor or the different types of anti-torque systems on the world’s helicopters be sure to check out my ‘Further Reading’ section at the end of this article.
There are two ways that this balance of thrust and torque can be imparted on a helicopter:
Loss of Tail Rotor Trust
Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness
What is Loss of Tail Rotor Thrust on a Helicopter?
On a conventional helicopter, the tail rotor airfoils produce horizontal thrust as they spin, just like a fan sitting next to you on a hot day. The tail rotor is driven off the main transmission so when the main rotor turns, so does the tail rotor.
On the Astar that I fly, the tail rotor turns approximately 7 revolutions for every single revolution of the main rotor. The amount of thrust the tail rotor produces is balanced to match the engine torque but when the tail rotor ceases to produce thrust, this is where the spinning begins.
There are usually two ways that prevent the thrust being produced:
Tail Rotor Drive Failure
The tail rotor is connected to the main transmission by a drive tube or series of drive tubes. These drive tubes run along the length of the tailboom to a gearbox which then turns the drive 90° and connects with the horizontally mounted tail rotor at the back of the helicopter.
The Tail Rotor Drive Shaft Running Along the Top of the Tail Boom.
If any part of the tail rotor drive system fails and stops delivering power to the tail rotor, the tail rotor will begin to slow down. The thrust produced by the tail rotor depends on the rpm of it staying constant. If the tail rotor slows down due to its drive system becoming disconnected, the torque of the main fuselage will be greater than the thrust being produced by the tail rotor.
This will then begin to spin the helicopter as the torque and anti-torque are no longer balanced.
If the helicopter is in forward flight the large vertical fin at the back of the helicopter acts like a rudder and can help to keep the helicopter pointing straight and hopefully allow the pilot to complete a run-on landing like an airplane, providing there is a flat, clear area to do so.
If the helicopter is in a hover, or at low speed when the tail rotor loses thrust the only way to remove the spinning moment is to remove the torque creating it. By shutting off the engine the pilot will be able to enter an autorotation and the spin should stop as the engine creating the torque on the fuselage is stopped. Providing the helicopter is high enough and there is a clear enough area to land, this may end up in a successful engine-off landing.
In both situations, if there is no clear area to land or the helicopter is too low a crash is usually inevitable.
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Tail Rotor Collision or Failure
A collision with the tail rotor can damage it and cause it to not produce as much thrust or non at all. When I’m out flying into unprepared areas, confined areas, or any spot that is not open and clear my main concern is making sure my main rotors and tail rotor don’t come into contact with ANYTHING!
Even contacting a small tree could have drastic consequences.
In this spot you can see my tail rotor is in a clear area
In this video below, the pilot gets their water bucket caught in the tail rotor after ignoring the bucket manufacturer’s directions and connecting it to a short line under the helicopter. This short line allowed the bucket to reach back far enough and entangle itself in the tail rotor. This stopped the tail rotor from working and the helicopter was only kept pointing straight by the forward airflow over the vertical fin.
The pilot should have used the road to complete a run-on landing at speed but instead, they slow down too much and the fin loses its aerodynamic capability and the helicopter begins to spin. The pilot was lucky that they were able to keep the helicopter level and get in on the ground before the spin became too fast. A very lucky pilot!
When a component in the tail rotor system fails this can also cause the tail rotor to stop producing the required amount of thrust. This is what happened to the helicopter that crashed at the Leicester City soccer stadium in October 2018.
A component failure of the control system prevented the control inputs from the pilot making it to the tail rotor blades. This loss of thrust control of the tail rotor meant the pilot was unable to balance the thrust vs. torque and a spin began.
Being unable to control the trust of the tail rotor led to the helicopter becoming uncontrollable and the ensuing impact with the ground, unfortunately, claiming the lives of all those on board.
What is Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness on a Helicopter?
The loss of tail rotor effectiveness, shortened to LTE is an aerodynamic situation where the tail rotor is momentarily unable to produce enough thrust to equal the torque of the fuselage and the helicopter begins to spin. For an airfoil to work efficiently, it needs clean, undisturbed air to work on, to turn at a determined rpm, and produce enough thrust when power increases as the helicopter lifts off with a heavy load, or at high altitude.
Let’s look at each of these and see how each can cause a helicopter to spin out of control:
Undisturbed Air
When an airfoil comes into contact with turbulent, fast-moving airflow it can create parts of the tail rotor blades to aerodynamically stall and those areas stop producing thrust. If these areas not producing thrust grow large enough the balance of thrust to torque reduces and the torque will cause the helicopter to spin.
There are three main areas where the pilot has to closely monitor which way the wind is blowing in relation to the helicopter:
Tail Rotor Interference
To create thrust the tail rotor must push air away from it to force the tail boom in the opposite direction. This is like paddling a canoe, oar goes into the water, you pull it back, canoe goes forward.
If a strong wind is blowing into the air coming from the tail rotor, it can prevent the tail rotor from producing enough thrust. Imagine paddling up a river where the flow is too strong for you, you end up going backward.
This wind causes the thrust to be less than the fuselage torque and a spin can begin.
Tail Wind
When the wind is blowing from the rear of the helicopter it flows the wrong way across the vertical fin at the back of the helicopter. This fin wants to weathercock the helicopter into wind.
Careful and timely yaw control is required by the pilot to prevent the wind from starting to rotate the helicopter,
Main Rotor Interference
When the airflow leaves an airfoil it is turbulent and lumpy. If this airflow then passes into the tail rotor the airfoils on the tail rotor are not getting clean, undisturbed air to work on. This can cause them to create areas of stalled airflow mentioned earlier.
Stalled airflow = less thrust produced and then an imbalance against fuselage torque happens, creating a spin.
With all of these areas creating a possible spinning moment of the helicopter, they can feed into one another as the helicopter rotates around. If you follow the diagram sequence, a small rotational moment develops from a tail rotor interference which then turns the tail into the tailwind area which adds to the rotational moment, and then as the fuselage rotates further it then becomes influenced by the main rotor interference.
If the pilot is not quick enough to stop the rotational moment, the helicopter can develop into a full-on aerodynamically induced spin that can lead to an accident if the helicopter is too close to the ground to allow the pilot to recover.
Determined RPM
At the start of the article, I mentioned how the Astar that I fly has a tail rotor that turns 7x faster than the main rotor. The thrust developed by a tail rotor is dependent on its rotation speed or velocity squared, therefore any change in rpm of the tail rotor dramatically changes how much thrust it produces.
The tail rotor is mechanically driven by the main transmission so it cannot change its speed unless the main rotor changes its speed, however, this is where the problem occurs. When the helicopter is lifting heavy loads, at low speed, at high altitude, or a combination of all three the pilot can begin to reach the maximum amount of power the engine/s can produce. Once this maximum power is reached any more demand for power leads to a situation called ‘Overpitching’.
When a helicopter overpitches, the power is not enough to overcome the drag created by the main rotor blades as they turn and this causes the main rotor rpm to drop. Remember, the tail and main rotors are connected so if the main rotor rpm drops by just 1rpm, the tail rotor slows by 7rpm.
Now here is the kicker, because tail rotor thrust produced is velocity2, the tail rotor thrust is beginning to reduce at a rapid rate for every 1rpm the main rotor loses. The helicopter reaches a point where the tail rotor thrust and the fuselage torque are not balanced and a spin begins to develop.
Here is a great video of a Sky Crane getting LTE. It is slow, heavy, and operating in hot conditions because of the fire, and possibly up at altitude in the mountains:
To recover from this spin, the pilot dumps the 10,000 liter load of water, reducing the weight of the helicopter by 22,000 lb, and instantly the power required to keep the helicopter flying is almost halved. This allows the engines to restore the main rotor to its correct RPM, allowing the tail rotor to go back to its correct RPM and the thrust and torque once again become balanced.
To Finish
Helicopters spin out of control when an issue arises from the anti-torque system on the helicopter. Be it a mechanical failure, the pilot hits something or the helicopter is being operated in conditions that can lead to the onset of it losing its effectiveness. Any condition that prevents the thrust being produced by the system to equal the torque imparted onto the fuselage from the engine will result in a spin starting.
Good piloting and thinking ahead can identify when some of these hazards may become a potential threat but when a helicopter suffers a component failure like what happened at Leicester City soccer stadium, that is just pure bad luck.
Depending on where the helicopter is when this imbalance occurs dramatically alters how successful the outcome of the incident becomes. If the pilot has some space, altitude, and time then they may be able to get the helicopter down safely, if not then all bets are off.
When looking to book a helicopter flight for a gift, a trip, or begin flight training, knowing how much a helicopter costs is one of the first questions most customers wish to know. Helicopters are not cheap, but once the cost is known and how far the helicopter can travel in that time, can really make renting one seem very affordable.
A small two-seat helicopter with a pilot will cost around $300 per flight hour to rent. For 4-6 seats between $500-$3,000. For 6-12 seats between $2,000 – $10,000. The bigger the helicopter, the more it costs per hour. Tour helicopters usually sell at a set price, per seat for a given tour route.
Here is a rough pricing guide for some of the worlds most popular chartered helicopters:
Most Popular Helicopters Hourly Charter Rate:
Helicopter
# of Passengers
# of Engines
Average Hourly Rate USD
Robinson R22
Pilot + 1 Passenger
Single Engine Piston
$260 – $290
Robinson R44
Pilot + 3 Passengers
Single Engine Piston
$470 – $540
Robinson R66
Pilot + 4 Passengers
Single Engine Piston
$990 – $1100
Cabri Guimbal G2
Pilot + 1 Passenger
Single Engine Piston
$300 – $350
Bell 206 Jet Ranger
Pilot + 4 Passengers
Single Engine Gas Turbine
$1,200 – $1,300
Bell 407
Pilot + 6 Passengers
Single Engine Gas Turbine
$2,000- $2,700
Airbus AS350/H125 Astar
Pilot + 6 Passengers
Single Engine Gas Turbine
$1,700 – $2,100
Airbus EC120/H120
Pilot + 4 Passengers
Single Engine Gas Turbine
$1,100 – $1,200
Airbus EC130/H130
Pilot + 5/6 Passengers*
Single Engine Gas Turbine
$1,800 – $2,100
Airbus AS355 Twinstar
Pilot + 6 Passengers
Twin Engine Gas Turbine
$2,100 – $2,600
Airbus EC135/H135
1/2Pilots + 5/6 Passengers*
Twin Engine Gas Turbine
$2,100 – $3,000
Leonardo A109
1/2Pilots + 6/7 Passengers*
Twin Engine Gas Turbine
$2,100 – $3,000
Sikorsky SK76
1/2Pilots + 5/12 Passengers*
Twin Engine Gas Turbine
$5,200 – $6,000
* Depends on Aircraft Seating Configuration
The hourly rates listed above are based on the aircraft rental with a pilot and is per hour of time in the air. Once the helicopter lifts off the clock starts ticking. Once the helicopter lands the clock stops and this is known as ‘Air Time’. Some companies charge for something called ‘Flight Time’ which is slightly different and is covered further on in this article. This is one thing you will want to enquire about at the time of booking the flight.
Can You Rent A Helicopter By The Hour or By The Day?
Helicopters are mainly charged by the hour when someone charters them or if they are on a tour helicopter it is usually a set price for that tour route. When you are privately chartering a helicopter the helicopter operator will most likely be charging you by 1/10s of an hour, with a minimum charge that varies from company to company.
A Robinson R22. One of the world’s most popular training & privately owned helicopters
For instance, if you rented a helicopter and the trip there and back took 1 hour 40 minutes, that would be a flight of 1.7 hours. If the helicopter rental cost was $800 per hour, then you will be looking at a final bill of $1360.
If you plan to take a helicopter in the morning, have it wait for you all day, and then return you home in the evening, the helicopter company may charge a loiter or daily fee on top of the flight time cost. This can range anywhere from zero to a few thousand dollars, so it’s worth asking if this is a trip you plan to do.
The same goes for staying away from base overnight. Expenses for the pilot’s hotel, meals, and aircraft parking will be passed on to the customer just as any loiter fees.
What Factors Affect Helicopter Rental Cost?
When you are looking to rent a helicopter there are a few factors that can significantly bump up the rental cost and if you only wish to take a simple tour flight of your home then a smaller, cheaper helicopter, like those towards the top of my list above will usually be best.
Here are a few things to be aware of when looking to rent a helicopter:
One Engine or Two
This is by far the biggest cost-increasing factor on a helicopter. When renting a helicopter for learning to fly, taking a scenic tour, or a simple charter to go for lunch at a fancy restaurant, then a single-engine helicopter is perfect and keeps the hourly rental cost down.
A Bell 206 Jet Ranger. A Single Engine, 4 Passenger Helicopter – Source: James
Most single-engine helicopters are either piston-powered or gas-turbine powered, with the pistons being a lot cheaper to rent. Most single-engine helicopters will take anywhere from 1 – 5 passengers plus the pilot, so if you wish to fly more passengers then you will be heading into a helicopter with two engines.
Twin-engine helicopters have lots more power and therefore most of the bigger helicopters have two gas turbine engines onboard. This allows passengers from 5 – 20 to be flown depending on the size of the helicopter used.
The second benefit of a twin-engine helicopter is that they are able to fly in poor weather and have a second engine in case a problem develops with the other. Having a second engine though dramatically increases the rental cost, but may be your only option, especially if you need to land on a rooftop helipad in a downtown location.
The helicopter charter company will be able to fit the best helicopter type for your rental requirements.
Many of the larger, twin-engine helicopters may or can come with two pilots. When the charter is to be flown at night or in poor weather the helicopter company may mandate that two pilots be sat upfront. This increases safety but can also increase the cost.
We all heard the story of the tragic Koby Bryant helicopter accident and by having a second pilot on board the poor decisions made by the single pilot on that flight may have been avoided. Having a second pilot may increase the hourly cost, but the cost of safety really is a no-brainer.
Sales Tax
Some states in the U.S. have no sales tax and if you live close to the border of one of these states, renting a helicopter from a company based in this state can save you some money. Taxes added to a bill of several thousand dollars can sting, but if a helicopter company is located close by in the other state then definitely give them a call.
Helicopters are not bound to state lines, they are free to fly anywhere in the country. If you wish to cross the international border then this is something you will have to discuss with the helicopter company as the necessary paperwork will have to be filed and this may incur an additional fee.
Wet Rate Vs. Dry Rate
Wet Rate is the hourly rental cost with fuel included. Dry Rate is the hourly cost without fuel included. If you are unaware of this it could come as a nasty surprise when the visa card machine gets handed to you.
A Leonardo A109. A Fast, Twin Engine 5/6 Passenger Helicopter – Source: James
At the time of writing this the average cost of jet fuel, for example, is around $1.65 per liter. If you rent an Astar that burns 180l/hr you can have an additional $300 on your bill for each hour you fly. This is how helicopter companies may seem to be able to rent you a helicopter for cheaper than everyone else, so be aware and ask if it’s a wet or dry rate!
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Air Time Vs. Flight Time
Briefly mentioned earlier Air Time is when the billing clock starts when the helicopter lifts off the ground to when it lands back on the ground. Flight Time billing starts as soon as the engine/s starts to when the engines stop.
This may not seem a lot but it can add up especially if the helicopter is at a bust airport and has to ground taxi on its wheels for some distance before taking off, or is delayed because of air traffic control.
The difference in billing could be substantial, especially if you are sitting in a Sikorsky S76 that is costing you $100 for every minute the clock ticks!
Landing & Parking Fees
Many airports and heliports charge the helicopter companies every time one of their helicopters lands there. Again, this could not be much but it’s a fee that is usually always passed on to the customer, especially if it’s not at the helicopter’s home location.
Helicopter Landing & Parking Fees Can Be Expensive – Source: Beyond My Ken
Charges can range anywhere from free, to $50, to several hundred dollars, so another question to ask at the time of booking if your destination is another airport or helipad.
Loiter & Overnight Fees
Depending on the company, a fee may be charged for having their helicopter and pilot/s spend the day/night waiting for you. This may be a set daily rate or may be based on the amount of time they have to wait for you. Taking a helicopter to a river fishing for the day, for example, may have no fee, especially if the helicopter owner loves fishing and joins in!
I have flown many groups of young ladies, gentlemen, and couples into their prom, and it’s always a fantastic experience, especially for those who have never flown in a helicopter before. I remember one young lady had made her entire dress out of Duct Tape! It was incredible and had taken her days to create!
The most popular helicopter rented for prom is a Robinson R44. It is a 4 seat helicopter costing around $500 per flight hour and is able to fly the pilot and 3 passengers. If there are 4 passengers, then a Bell 206 Jet Ranger is a great option but will cost around $1200 per hour.
Depending on where the prom is taking place will dictate if a helicopter is able to land close enough to ensure the entrance pizazz that many promgoers wish to seek. Some venues will prevent a helicopter from landing at all so a simple phone call with the helicopter charter company will start the planning.
Here are a few tips you will need to be aware of when planning your prom flight:
Prepare the helicopter booking weeks ahead of time
Schools and venues are usually private property and may require the helicopter company to get permission to land there – If you have any contact details for the school or venue you can pass them on to the helicopter company to assist them
Some venues or the local aviation authority may not grant the helicopter permission to land there, so be prepared
Ensure you have someone to take photos of you with the helicopter – It’s a memorable occasion
If you wish to have drone footage of your landing, ensure the videographer liaises with the pilot before the flight commences
Pick a helicopter company close to the event’s location to save flight time
The rental cost will include the flight there AND back to the hanger
See if any other friends wish to fly to prom and see if you can strike a deal with the charter company. Some helicopter companies have a minimum flight time rental cost
Plan for an alternate means of transport to Prom in case the weather is too poor to fly
If you have an extravagant dress, have a practice session with the helicopter in the hangar before the event for getting in and out of the machine gracefully!
Liaise with the helicopter company and venue staff about where to land the helicopter. Walking across a muddy field is not the entrance many passengers wish to have!
Allow plenty of time before your scheduled arrival time at prom. A safety brief from the pilot will be required before the flight commences
Flying to prom is a great way to increase the memories of such a special event and with a little forward planning, a helicopter ride is a great option. Many of the prom flights I have done have been arranged by parents and have come as a complete surprise to the young guests, just be sure none of them have a terrifying fear of flying before booking!
The helicopter company will take care of all the aviation permissions but if you have the contact details of the landowner this can save them time and working with the company weeks in advance will ensure there are no last minute hiccups before the big day!
When that extra special touch or that extra mile is required for the big day then a ride to the alter in a helicopter is a great solution! Whether the helicopter ride is to be used before the wedding ceremony, after the ceremony, or a combination of, there is a helicopter that can meet those requirements.
The most popular helicopter rented for weddings is a Robinson R44. It is a 4 seat helicopter costing around $500 per flight hour and is able to fly the pilot and 3 passengers. For more passengers, helicopters start to cost from $1000 per flight hour and up. The more seats, the more it costs.
The Bride & Groom Off To Start Their Honeymoon – Source: Helenser
Some of the most common scenarios that helicopters are used for weddings are:
Moving passengers to the wedding venue before the ceremony. The bride, bride’s father, and maid of honor are typical passengers.
Used to ferry the bride and groom away to a separate location for the celebrations or to begin their honeymoon.
Passenger ferrying. For the ultimate luxury, a helicopter or helicopters can be chartered to fly guests from A to B. This is especially popular if the wedding venue is on an island!
Flying in a helicopter to a wedding is a fantastic memory to add to that special day but like a prom, there are a few things you need to be aware of to ensure the special day goes without a hitch:
Get planning the helicopter ride weeks in advance to allow enough time for all the details to be arranged
If you have property, a helicopter can be arranged to pick up passengers there and take them to the ceremony
Ensure the wedding location will allow a helicopter to land and park for however long you require
Many venues have had a helicopter land there before and may have a designated area that helicopters can land at
Have the helicopter company inspect the proposed landing area/s before the wedding day to look for potential hazards
Helicopters create ALOT of wind. Tables, chairs, flowers, decorations, and gazebos can be ruined by the presence of a helicopter – Ensure the landing area is far enough away!
If the ground is soft or mushy see about getting a walkway placed so the passengers can walk from the helicopter and remain pristine
Ensure the landing area is not dusty. Parking lots, yards, and fields can turn your guest’s perfect attire and hairstyles into sand and grass-filled disasters.
Connect the pilot with the photographers’ details. A keen photographer can cause so many problems to the pilot!
If the bride’s dress has lots of volume, be sure to have a trial run at getting into and out of the helicopter at the hanger before the big day – A dress may be too big or awkward to fit!
Ask the pilot to dress in a suit and look like a wedding guest – Dirty jeans and a T-shirt are not appropriate!
Have a backup on how to get to the venue in case the weather turns poor at the last moment and the helicopter cannot fly
Leave lots of time before the helicopter is due to lift off to ensure there is no rush and the flight is as memorable as the rest of the day!
I have flown many guests into weddings and these are some of the best tips I have found to help the day go as planned and to not have the helicopters’ rotor wash destroy the immaculate venue! Also, keep uncle Dave and his ‘wig that everyone knows he wears’, away from the helicopter – I have seen more than one hairpiece dislodged on approach, and it’s always an histerical moment for everyone but the poor fella!
I was going to have my best man fly my wife and her father into our wedding at a beautiful golf course, but the course manager would only let him land in the driving range and not on the course. Because he was my best man it would have meant leaving the helicopter in the driving range and the course manager would not keep the range closed for the ceremony. Because of this, we had to scrap that idea!
Just like the example for my own wedding, sometimes a helicopter ride to a wedding is just not meant to be. If it can be worked into the day then perfect, if not, then other modes of transport can be just as memorable.
To Finish
Renting a helicopter can cost as little as $250-$300 an hour which makes this great for training. The cheaper the helicopter the more basic it is, the fewer people it can carry, and the slower it flies, but you get to experience the thrill of flying.
Depending on your needs and budget you will always be able to find a helicopter to suit. They are not cheap, but they serve a purpose and when time or no other means are available then renting a helicopter may be the better option.
It is well known that all fighter pilots wear helmets when they fly, but have you ever seen a pilot flying a large military cargo plane wearing a helmet? Nope, me neither. So why do fighter pilots have to wear helmets when cargo pilots do not and what is the purpose of the flight helmet?
Helmets provide fighter pilots with protection from banging their heads on the aircraft canopy during abrupt maneuvers or turbulence. Protection when ejecting, noise reduction for hearing protection, and a place to mount the oxygen mask, radio, sun visor, weapons, navigation & targeting displays.
The cockpit environment that the two pilots sit in are very different from one another and the addition of a flight helmet plays multiple roles for the fighter pilot. Cargo pilots sit in a large, open, pressurized cabin without an ejection seat system. Because of this, the details covered in this article do not pose a problem for the cargo pilot but do for the fighter pilot. Read on to find out what these problems are:
Do Fighter Pilots Wear Helmets For Protection?
No matter what size of fighter jet the pilot sits in the space inside can be small, especially for those pilots at the taller end of the height limits, hence why there are height limits for certain job positions in the military.
By far the main job of the helmet is to give the pilot’s head protection from impact. During abrupt flight maneuvers or even turbulence, some pilots can bang their heads on the canopy or supporting structure. Without a helmet, these bumps can be enough to disorientate or knock a pilot unconscious, usually with dreadful consequences.
This is the reason why I personally wear a helmet when I’m flying in my helicopter, and I’m only a 5’6″ Umpa-Lumpa!
The other protection a flight helmet offers is during an ejection of a pilot. Not all fighter jets eject the whole canopy. Some of the smaller jets have explosive strips within the glass above the pilot’s heads that detonate just before the seat fires. This breaks the glass creating a hole for the pilot and seat to punch through. Without a helmet, this could get ugly.
The Explosive Strips Can Be Seen in this Jet’s Canopy
The helmet also helps protect the head and face from wind rush during high-speed ejection and during landing under a parachute. Even a small impact to the head from landing on a rock or trees can be enough to harm the pilot. By wearing a helmet, head trauma can be greatly reduced, hence the reason why cyclists and motorcyclists are advised to wear helmets.
Do Fighter Pilots Wear Helmets For Noise Reduction?
Gas turbine jet engines are loud, over 150dB loud and the high-frequency noise they generate is deafening. Sitting only a few feet from one or two of these engines is enough to permanently damage a pilot’s hearing. To overcome this the helmets are fitted with internal ear cups to help reduce the noise level to a safe limit.
Once the helmet is on, the ear cups gently seal around each ear creating an effective noise barrier. In addition, small speakers are mounted into each ear cup to allow the pilot to hear all the radio and aircraft communications.
To further enhance hearing protection pilots can now be fitted with custom silicone earmolds that have tiny integrated speakers. By inserting these ear molds into the ear canal, putting on the helmet, then plugging in the earmold speakers into the helmet’s communications system the pilot can enhance their hearing protection and the clarity of the heard communications.
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The custom ear molds can reduce noise by an additional 30dB on top of the helmet which makes them a great addition. I personally use these on my helmet and it’s incredible how well they work. Even a passenger sat 3 feet from me talking without the gas turbine engine running cannot be heard once I have just the earplugs in!
If you wish to find out more about these custom earmolds, check out Westone.com in the link below. They do hearing protection for not just aviation, but to wear when hunting, doing construction, or playing music. If you wish to find the earmolds for aviation, check in their Military section.
Do Fighter Pilots Wear Helmets as a Mounting Platform?
One of the added benefits of wearing a hard ‘Brain Bucket’ or ‘Bone Dome’ as they are commonly referred to is that it is a solid foundation on which to mount equipment that helps the pilot fly better and more efficiently. There are several pieces of equipment that are mounted to most fighter pilots’ helmets:
Communication Systems
To be able to talk to either their crew, ground personnel, other pilots, or air traffic control, pilots need a microphone and speakers. Once the engine is running the ability to talk without an amplified communications system is practically impossible. Most microphones that pick up the pilot’s voice are mounted in the face mask which also doubles as the oxygen mask.
In the side of each helmet is the noise-reduction ear cups mentioned earlier. Within each ear cup is a small speaker that projects the communications audio into the pilot’s ears. Once the helmet is on and the face mask is fitted the pilot can talk at a normal volume and they can be clearly heard and they can clearly hear.
The helmet also makes sure the comms system stays in place during the roughest flight maneuvers!
The microphone can be seen under the nose bridge on the mask
Sun Visor
All pilots need eye protection from the sun’s harmful UV radiation. UV radiation increases by 5% with every thousand feet climb in altitude. Without the ability to close a sun visor on the pilots’ helmet, they would soon start to become affected by the radiation and begin to lose visual acuity, not good for a pilot!
By having a sun visor that can be moved up and out of the way with a simple thumb and finger movement it gives the pilot the opportunity to ‘Don Their Shades’ as they wish. Some helmets can also come with an automatic sunglass protection visor that operates very similar to Transitions lenses on everyday glasses. This makes the need to move the sun visor unnecessary.
Oxygen Mask
Once a pilot begins to climb above 10,000 feet the effects of hypoxia can begin to set in and cause the amount of oxygen being received into the lungs of the pilot to decrease. Left long enough, the pilot will become unconscious. To prevent this a dynamic oxygen pressurization system is fitted to the pilot’s mask to help maintain the correct amount of oxygen delivery to the pilot no matter what altitude the aircraft is at.
Due to the sheer speed at which a fighter jet can climb and descend the system is required to operate rapidly to ensure the pilots’ oxygen level in the blood is perfect. By mounting the oxygen mask to the helmet it ensures this system works flawlessly without any second thought from the pilot and it also aids in maintaining oxygen supply when the pilot ejects at a high altitude due to a seat-mounted oxygen bottle which automatically activates once the pilot ejects.
Heads-Up-Display (HUD)
On today’s modern fighter jets, navigation, targeting, flight, and weapons data can be projected onto the visor of the pilot. This allows the pilot to see all the necessary information at all times no matter which way they are looking. Before this invention, the pilots had to scan their instrument panel or look at the HUD mounted in a fixed location on the top of the cockpit panel.
The technology has come along so far that now the pilot’s helmet for the F-35 Raptor is estimated to cost around $400,000 and projects imagery onto the visor so the pilot can even look ‘through’ the floor of their aircraft to see enemy positions below!
F-35 Raptor Pilot Helmet
By having all the information the pilot needs in view at all times can make the difference between life and death when the time taken to move their head to glance at a fixed display could be a split-second delay that the pilot cannot afford!
To Finish
Fighter pilots wear flight helmets for protection, communication, and flight efficiency because of the small, enclosed space in which they sit. Unlike cargo transport pilots who have lots of room and a more controlled, pressurized environment, the fighter pilot needs this equipment to help keep them safe.
Without a flight helmet, many a pilot would not have made it back to base and this small, but sometimes expensive piece of equipment can be just as important as the aircraft itself because without the functioning pilot, the aircraft is not going to be able to do its job properly!
Further Reading:
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I’m sure we have all seen a police helicopter flying or circling over our heads, but the question always pops up as to what are they actually doing up there. For the vast majority of society, the police helicopter being overhead is just something that may invoke curiosity, for those who are doing something they shouldn’t, the feelings could be very different!
Police helicopters are mainly used for observing and managing pursuits, crowds & investigations as well as suspect tracking, speeding, and restricted airspace enforcement, or to quickly deploy officers and specialist teams. Some may also double as an additional air ambulance and search & rescue aircraft.
Throughout my career, I’ve had the pleasure of knowing many police helicopter pilots as well as flying in one for a shift to get a real understanding and appreciation of how typical police forces use this expensive, but essential asset.
Police helicopters range from one end of the scale to the other all over the world. Depending on the budget and mission capabilities, a police helicopter can be a small machine like a Robinson R44 or MD 500 all the way up to a Leonardo AW139 or Airbus H225, but they all play a vital role within the communities they serve.
Here are some of the main roles a police helicopter can be called upon to assist with:
Pursuit Recording & Management
By far one of the most well-known uses of the police helicopter is filming pursuits. We have all seen the video footage on YouTube and TV shows of suspects being chased by a line of police cruisers while being spied upon from above.
The benefit of getting the police helicopter overhead is that it allows the ground crews to back off from the pursuit reducing the pressure on the driver and forcing them into making poor decisions in their attempt to get away. Many times the suspect is unaware the police helicopter is on the scene and because of their height above the ground, the officers on board the helicopter have a great view of the entire area.
By liaising with the ground crews via radio, the police helicopter crew relays the suspect vehicle’s turns and directions to aid in setting up a blockade, ‘Stinger‘, or help to divert the suspect away from populated areas. The helicopter can allow the pursuit to continue at a reduced risk and give the suspect/s the chance to ditch the vehicle and proceed on foot. This dramatically reduces the risk to the public.
By recording and managing the events from the air it not only provides essential evidence from the camera but also allows for effective asset management from the radio officer on board the helicopter as they can see the ‘Bigger Picture. This allows for much more efficient use and control of other units to aid in apprehending the suspect/s.
Tracking Suspects, Vehicles, Boats & Aircraft
Following on from the pursuit is asset tracking. Many times the helicopter is used to track suspicious vehicles whether they be on land, sea, or in the air. Again, most of the time the persons being tracked are unaware of the helicopter and this allows for them to continue on their business allowing the pilots to gather crucial video evidence or lead them onto higher prized targets.
The zoom capability of the cameras onboard most police helicopters allows the aircraft to be great distances away from the subject being tracked and still have excellent visual contact.
Overwatch for Specialist Operations
When building breaches are about to take place of known criminals that will not give up easily, the helicopter can be used to provide overwatch. This eye in the sky allows the entire area/building to be covered visually with a live downlink to the officers on the ground who can then see what’s going on.
By providing overwatch, the helicopter crew can call out any suspects escaping from rear doors, jumping over walls, and also see through windows with the color camera to help identify any threats that may be waiting inside. By having a real-time feed available to officers and management on the fly decisions can be made quickly and the opportunity to cancel the breach made if the immediate risks appear to be too high.
Rapid Specialist Deployment
One thing helicopters can do is move low and fast. This makes them perfect for fast insertion of specialist teams like SWAT or dog handlers. By landing or roping officers onto rooftops, bridges, boats, or other inaccessible areas it allows the police force to quickly get assets in the right area before the situation changes.
The police forces that utilize the larger helicopters for specialist deployment train often to allow the highest standards of efficiency and safety to be maintained.
Here is a great example of how police use a helicopter to insert a four-legged ‘Fur Missile!’
Speed Limit Enforcement
Helicopters can be used to monitor traffic for speeding. Although it is rarely done because of the high hourly cost of the helicopter, it does not mean that while en route back to base, a vehicle spotted traveling way over the speed limit can be tracked.
Painted markers on the roads can be filmed as the car passes between them and because they are a known distance apart, the police can easily present video evidence to prove the vehicle was breaking the speed limit. A quick zoom of the camera onto the license plate seals the deal, even sometimes a shot of the driver may be taken too. The other alternative is the radio operator calling in ground units to intercept the speeding vehicle.
I had to laugh on the night I was riding in a police helicopter when two motorcyclists were seen ‘Going For It’ on the highway. It was so obvious to see they were speeding so the civilian pilot and camera/radio officer quickly tracked onto them. As the motorcyclists pulled off the highway and stopped at a set of lights, the officer lit them up with the helicopter’s 30 million candle power ‘Nitesun’ spotlight. Just his way of saying “We see you boys, now behave!”. It did the trick as they rode off and proceeded within the speed limit.
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Search & Rescue
One of the great features of the police helicopter is the HD color and thermal imaging cameras. Using this gimbaled tool to help locate a missing person can mean the difference between a good or a bad outcome. Young children, people with mental issues, and older folks with Alzheimer’s who have gone off wandering are common subjects that police helicopters get called upon to help look for.
Depending on the size and capabilities of the helicopter, they may just be used to help search and locate a person if the helicopter is small, then call in ground crews, mountain rescue, national guard, or a larger helicopter to help extract the person. If the police helicopter is larger, with a winch and trained crews then the extraction can be done right then.
Even having 2 or 3 pairs of eyes over a scene can allow a vast area to be covered in a short space of time, then add the capabilities of the thermal imaging camera picking up glimpses of a heat source through a tree canopy can really help direct ground crews to quickly investigate.
I have been part of some police search operations and when the person is found alive it’s a great feeling, however when you are one of the first people to find a body, the feelings are very different!
Aerial Evidence Gathering
The camera on most police helicopters is utilized to film video and take still photos. This makes them a great tool for gathering evidence of accident scenes, crime scenes, potential threats, or anything else the police force deems necessary. By taking a photograph from above it allows scene investigators a much better idea of what happened at a car accident for instance when they can see where a trail begins and how everything lay in the aftermath.
Skid marks, bent barriers, bends in the road, etc can all be shown in relation to one another and can make an investigation so much simpler. In recent years the introduction of drones into crime scene vehicles is making this job less and less common, but it can be asked for, especially if the helicopter is on the scene or passing by on the way back to base.
Airspace Enforcement
Airspace can be temporarily shut down for any reason the FAA deems necessary. These are known as TFR’s – Temporary Flight Restrictions. When scheduled and active these TFR’s are published and no pilot is allowed to enter without authorization. A police helicopter, along with the military can be utilized to enforce this TFR to escort aircraft out of the restricted airspace should a pilot wander in.
Whenever the U.S. President flies there is a TFR issued around the airport in which he lands and departs from, natural disasters, large gatherings like the Super Bowl are all occasions where the FAA does not want ‘Looky-Loo’s’ wandering around the sky creating a security threat or getting in the way of rescue efforts.
Take a look at the next Super Bowl and see if you can see a police helicopter cruising around!
MedEvac
Some of the larger police helicopters can also be called upon to act as Air Ambulances as a secondary role. Having the capability to install a stretcher or multiple stretchers into the cabin can allow for more patients to be rapidly transported, usually from scenes with a large casualty count.
In cases like this, the doctor or paramedics that are on the scene will escort the patient in the police helicopter as the police crew is not trained to deal with this type of medical emergency. Having a helicopter with this multirole capability can make a real difference in getting as many injured people to the hospital and is a great asset for the local community.
To Finish
There are many roles that a police helicopter is used for and depending on the size of the aviation budget for the police force, the number of roles it can be utilized for increases. The more versatile the police helicopter becomes, the more it benefits the community in which it operates.
Just being the ‘eye in the sky’ is not enough for today’s police helicopters and many forces need to justify the large expense of these much-needed tax-payer tools. Having a police helicopter in your community helps to keep you safe and there to assist should you ever need one at one of the worst times of your life.
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It seems to be common knowledge that airplanes are flown from the left seat, but what about helicopters? There are helicopters with pilots sitting in the right seat, some in the left seat and some have pilots in both seats. So which seat is primarily used for flying a helicopter?
Most helicopter pilots are right-handed & find controlling the helicopter easier as the first helicopter designs made the cyclic the stiffest and hardest control to manipulate. The first generation of pilots set this tradition, thus allowing the left hand free to operate buttons, switches & radios.
The first helicopters were flown right seat when only one pilot was in the cockpit, but today there are various helicopters that can be flown left or right, and some that are limited to only left or right. Let’s take a look at how and why I sit right seat every time I fly…
Early Helicopter Pilot Seating Arrangements
The very first mass-produced helicopter was the R-4 by Igor Sikorsky at Sikorsky Helicopters. The helicopter design was so underpowered that it had to be kept as light as possible. This meant that the helicopter was designed with only one Collective mounted between both pilot seats, but a cyclic for each pilot. The cyclic’s were mounted between the knees of each pilot.
The Cyclic controls the helicopter’s position over the ground in a hover and its pitch and roll attitudes when in forward flight. Today it is held with the right hand
The Collective controls the helicopter’s power and height above the ground. Raising the collective causes the helicopter to climb, lowering causes it to descend. Today is it held with the left hand
The design allowed the instructor and the student to fly at the same time, but the cyclic control was so stiff to manipulate, but also the most sensitive and critical. At that time the majority of the students were right-handed, thus elected to sit in the right seat and control the cyclic with their right hand. If they sat in the left seat, they had to control the cyclic with their left hand and operate the shared collective with their right hand instead.
This led to the first generation of helicopter pilots of the U.S. Army Airforces, Coast Guard, Navy, and also the British Fleet Air Arm and Royal Air Force all learning to fly from the right seat. This set the tradition of a helicopter to be flown from the right seat, however, it could be flown from either seat depending on which hand the pilot preferred to control the cyclic with.
After the second mass-produced helicopter, the Sikorsky R-6, helicopters were manufactured with both a collective and a cyclic at each pilot seat. This is now how all helicopters are built, however, most helicopters are able to have the left-hand pilot flight controls removed so passengers can sit in the front left seat and not interfere with the flight controls.
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Operational Limitations
The second major reason why the right-hand flying position has remained is due to the instability in a helicopter as it flies. An airplane is known as ‘Dynamically Stable’ and this means that if the pilot were to take their hands and feet off the controls, providing it was trimmed out, the airplane would fly straight and level, due to its aerodynamic stability.
Helicopters, on the other hand, are ‘Dynamically Unstable’, meaning that if the pilot were to take their hand off the cyclic, the aerodynamic instability of the helicopter would cause it to pitch and roll by itself. If left to continue the helicopter would end up in an unrecoverable attitude that would overcome the strength of the fuselage and/or rotor system leading to a catastrophic component failure, or if low enough, an impact with the ground.
Because of this dynamic instability, the helicopter pilot must keep their hand on the cyclic at all times – Newer helicopters have hydraulic trim systems and autopilots to allow for hands-free flying, however, the early helicopters and today’s smaller, light helicopters need the hand to remain on the cyclic at all times.
Collective Friction of an Astar AS350 Helicopter
Just as with the early helicopter graduates, most people are still right-handed thus controlling the cyclic is done with their right hand, while allowing the left hand to leave the collective to manipulate switches, buttons, radios, navigation systems, write and hold charts. The collective is far less sensitive and when in cruise flight it can have a ‘Friction’ applied to hold it in position.
Helicopter Center of Gravity Limitations
In smaller, lightweight helicopters the positioning of a person within the aircraft can have a drastic effect on the balance of the helicopter when it leaves the ground.
For example, the Robinson R22 helicopter has a passage in the Limitations section of its flight manual that states that when flying the helicopter by yourself the pilot MUST sit in the right seat only.
Because this is in the Limitations section it must be complied with to ensure the safety of flight.
The main reason for this is to ensure the helicopter has enough control movement within its cyclic range to ensure the aircraft can be kept upright and be able to roll out from a turn.
Due to aerodynamic forces acting on the helicopter (For another article) all helicopters will sit in a hover with one skid lower than the other (Left skid low for North-American-made helicopters, right skid low for European-made helicopters).
The R22 for example sits left skid low, if a 200lb pilot then sits in the left seat this puts the center of gravity of the helicopter way out to the left of the main rotor mast.
Robinson R22 Limitation
If the pilot then puts the helicopter in a left banking turn the center of gravity moves even further left. It can reach a point where there is not enough control movement to turn the helicopter back to the right and thus the helicopter will not be able to be placed back into level flight and an unstoppable left-hand turn will end up with the helicopter impacting the ground at some point.
By limiting the pilot to sitting in the right seat, this keeps the helicopter’s center of gravity within limitations to allow the helicopter to remain under full control no matter what movement the pilot puts in.
Robinson R22 Lateral Center of Gravity Limits
Here you can see that the helicopter’s lateral center of gravity goes out of limit at 2.2″ inches on the left, but 2.6″ on the right. This is because of the ‘Left Skid Low’ attitude that the helicopter sits in. Larger helicopters have a much wider center of gravity envelope making the seating position of the pilot far less critical.
Operational Benefits
When the helicopter’s center of gravity allows, there are some operational benefits that allow the pilot to sit in the left seat makes sense. Some of the more common reasons why a helicopter is designed for the flying pilot to sit in the left seat are:
Tours
When the collective is mounted in between the front seats it can pose a risk to unknowing passengers. An accidental drop of a camera or a passenger using their hands to press down on something ( ie. the nice handle that is the collective) to readjust their seating position has happened with terrifying effects! Both happened to me!
By moving the pilot to the far left seat, the collective and all the other flight controls are moved well away from the passengers, this can also free up room for an additional seat to be installed in the front, thus increasing the carrying capacity of the helicopter – Great for a tour business.
The Airbus H130 is a Great Tour Machine
MedEvac
For smaller helicopters that are utilized for MedEvac operations, the patient’s legs and feet need to be slid down next to the pilot for transport. This places a potential threat close to the collective and fuel control levers that are mounted in between the pilot and patient.
To help increase safety all patients’ legs and feet are secured, but if the patient does manage to get free during a seizure for instance, it could present a problem. Guards are usually placed around the collective to help prevent any inadvertent and accidental interference.
The other way is to place the pilot in the left seat, just like the tour machine keeping the controls out of harm’s way.
Vertical Reference
When conducting external loads, vertical reference work, or firefighting using a long line under the helicopter the pilot needs to look straight down to see the load and the area below. When sitting in the right seat the pilot has to lean out to the right and stretch their left hand to meet the collective. Sometimes the visibility is not the best, especially for short pilots like myself!
By far the most comfortable helicopter to do external load operations with are those that are flown from the left seat. This puts the collective right under the pilot’s left arm as they lean over it to look outside. This video gives you a good view:
To Finish
Most helicopters are flown from the right seat when there is just one pilot on board. Mainly due to the traditions set forth by the first generation of pilots, but sometimes because the design of the helicopter dictates so. Having the left hand free to operate cockpit equipment is always welcomed by the majority of right-handed pilots. Having the pilot sit on the left and having to reach across the instrument panel with their left-hand makes some items unreachable in big cockpits. This is the main reason why helicopters today are flown from the right seat.
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