CAL FIRE Super Huey Helicopter Emergency Procedures - Autorotation

CAL FIRE Pilot Tom McConnel and Bell Helicopter Master Flight Instructor Kevin Brandt practice autorotations at McClellan Airfield near Sacramento, CA. The training is part of the annual emergency procedures training with Bell Helicopter. In this straight-in approach, the pilot is aiming for a small white box in the middle of the airfield. As you can hear in the background, he makes it look easy and puts the idled helicopter right in the middle of the box.
/ henry1media

[@DavidSmith-mk7qo]

One of the most precise autos I have seen on the tube. Looked almost like a normal landing.

[@WillaHerrera]

I live across from a CalFire HeliTack and watch these guys practice all the time. VERY impressive

[@defconklaxon]

Which base?

[@WillaHerrera]

@@defconklaxon Vina

[@defconklaxon]

@@WillaHerrera nice! I have driven by Vina on my way to Chico and back more times than I can count.

[@WillaHerrera]

@@defconklaxon lol me too back when my girlfriend lived in Red Bluff. Vina Helitak recently got a rebuild that i think was $12m and a new chopper. The plans were in a nice video on youtube I'll see if i can find it and I'll post it here

[@WillaHerrera]

@@defconklaxon the video is called. Preliminary Design of Vina Helitack

[@CorpusGigantus]

Nice to see full-down autorotations practiced.

[@EditGuy6610]

Inspiring to see the pros at work! Nice job.

[@CMH-aviation]

thats such a sweet sound, the whiskey model super cobras had that sound too

[@265justy]

That there is the legend.... Love the Huey.

[@723ml]

Looks like he was trained by HeliStream!

[@batkizoltan]

Very nice! Thanks video!

[@Liusila]

Elegant.

[@Explorer_Camargo]

10/10 landing That was beautiful

[@Afrayd]

Landed like a plane lol

[@mudkow5092]

Nice auto...

[@frisk151]

Cute power on faux auto....

[@thisiconisactuallygoofysfa9960]

Not a superhuey but still cool

[@billsmith3981]

A. w. s. o. m. e.

[@coskuarsiray]

as if they are doing this all the times. saving fuel.

[@lamarrhymes475]

bxrn

[@halidharis]

Good prank

[@schwappingmags1008]

"that is beautiful" indeed

[@Defender78]

kind of cute how it skidded to a stop

[@defconklaxon]

1. Tom McConnel is the fucking best. 2. Eric Lian is the fucking best. 3. Interesting that the tail rotor has been modified to be a tractor, but no FastFin or strakes at this point. 3a. Checking out air attack training over the years at the Buckhorn Incident, I've seen the progressive upgrades of FastFins and tail strakes.

[@kathrinkitzka661]

Ich liebe Helikopter.

[@threestarsandasun204]

2004 Bell Uh-1h Huey Helicopter

[@CapFreddy]

Really amazing.

[@CapFreddy]

Really amazing.

[@SoCalCode3]

Great video!

[@corycoyle2657]

Nice! SDSO's 205A1++ is pretty fun to watch as well.

[@Orc-icide]

+Cory Coyle How was that fun to watch? It just landed and took off. Get a life.

[@corycoyle2657]

+Michael Hunt Maybe you didn't realize that that was an engine out landing which takes skill, discipline and perfect timing?

[@jamesvandoren545]

What means "idled helicopter"?

[@Dalemoooooon]

James Van Doren An engine is idle when it's running(generally fairly slowly) but there isn't any input. Aka, in a car when the engine is running but your foot is off the accelerator, at a red light for example. Similarly, "idled helicopter" means the throttle is lowered down all the way but the engine is still running.

[@ryanhruska6667]

Damn, beautiful EP 👍👍👍

[@erikm9768]

I still hear the engine running....was this really auto rotation?

[@ET_Don]

+Sephiroth S Yessir. We roll the throttle to idle when we practice autorotations. Technically, whenever the needles (engine and rotor) on the dual tachometer are split, even a little, you are autorotating.

[@erikm9768]

Cool. I heard the engine so i wasnt sure. I did a few autorotation landings with my old Nexus30 :) works about the same, in smaller scale ofc

[@18dmedic]

this is not a super huey. this is a uh-1 huey. plain old jane. single engine. two bladed main rotor. not a super huey. even the faa database says its a plain jane huey. it is a military surplus huey that is part of the usda forest service fepp program.

[@gregvetch7494]

Nope for commercial use the aircraft has to be converted. It may have started Life as a uh-1h but it has been converted and upgraded.

[@courtneyknox9091]

you are incorrect. All cal fire uh1h are super hueys. They have an upgraded 1800hp motor 212 rotors ,mast and tail boom and other modifications as well. Not even close to your standard huey

[@juliogutierrez1438]

excelente

[@dilligafdude9434]

Super Huey is a quad blade rotor.

[@wallabing]

In a real emergency autorotation, the heli is going to hit the ground hard, and the entire bottom of the heli will get trashed.

[@andrewjackson7476]

IDIOT !!!

[@rronmar]

Only when attempted outside the height/speed envelope, which is why that area is avoided by all helicopter pilots as much as possible, particularly in single engine aircraft... most autos end just like this...

[@chris22capt]

If the heli is too low that could happened. But if it's quiet high, has enough room with properly trained pilot, for sure there will only little to zero chance for the heli to be damaged on touchdown...