Huey correct cruise speed

[atsmith6]

Hey all

 

Right, after HUUUUGE amounts of practice I can finally fly the Huey in all phases in a way that feels right. No more wobbling / oscillating etc. and my take-off, accelerate, cruise, decelerate and land are all nicely controlled. The only jerky bits come from the fact that my stick is a little sticky around the centre (I know, annoying right?!)

 

This leads me to an interesting question though. I have absolutely no idea what the proper cruise speed for the chopper is. I tend to stick to around 100 on the speed-o to avoid the buffeting but that's based purely out of ignorance.

 

So does anyone know (bonus points if you are - or can ask - a real Huey pilot) what speed is normal for a flight where you need to settle in to a straight line for a good few miles?

 

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

Happy flying everyone!

[Flagrum]

According to the DCS manual ... 90 - 120 kts

[sondo214]

I would say 60-80 KIAS. Just an intuition...

Edited June 11, 2014 by sondo214

[SUBS17]

At a very uncomfortable and shaky 120kts.:thumbup:

[atsmith6]

Thanks guys. I think I've decided that my "happy" cruise speed in the Huey is around 105kts.

[GunfighterSIX]

90 is a great curse speed. Military used that a lot. Depending on how it is configured the VNE can be 108 KIAS or lower. I say108 KIAS because that's what comes up if u do a performance planing card on a standard day with combat load.

 

In Vietnam u would see 80 KIAS a lot, more effect from environmental factors, and it allowed Huey gunships to keep up. I am sure people will argue with me because they fly the Huey flat and level at 125 with out looking at or understanding the TRQ, TGT or NG gauges.

 

Note:

90 KIAS is also good because it makes math easy. 2/3 the distance equals the time it takes for you to get there. 60 miles x 2/3 = 40 minutes flight time.

120 knots use half the distance, for the flight time.

[scrtagnt69]

85 KIAS w/ doors open

 

90-95 KIAS w/ doors closed

 

VNE 120 KIAS

Edited June 11, 2014 by scrtagnt69

[b00ce]

85 KIAS w/ doors open

 

90-95 KIAS w/ doors closed

 

VNE 120 KIAS

Like Gunfighter said, the -10 answer isn't always the "right" answer. Those numbers are partly arbitrary*. In the UH60 -10 there are airspeed limitations that you will never ever come close to if you tried. There's a lot that goes into the actual "VNE" (By that I mean airspeed the helicopter cannot exceed, no matter how hard you push it); like temperature, altitude and overall weight.

 

 

*A lot of limitations are there to help with the longevity of the airframe and increase the lifespan of parts. You're going to have to replace your door tracks more often if you exceed the 85 KIAS limitation and the airframe guys will hate you, or you'll loose some soundproofing and your crew-chiefs will hate you.

 

In other words; in a simulator, it matters not. Fly it like you stole it. :pilotfly: Just like doing an engine HIT and testing all of the various systems is a pointless gesture. You can do all the tests until you're blue in the face, but you aren't accomplishing anything other than making your runup take longer. But I digress.

 

[Aginor]

Note:

90 KIAS is also good because it makes math easy. 2/3 the distance equals the time it takes for you to get there. 60 miles x 2/3 = 40 minutes flight time.

120 knots use half the distance, for the flight time.

 

Wow, that's cool, thanks!

Never noticed that.

[cfarsr]

I tend to cruise right at the end of the green arc on the exhaust temp gauge. Depending on configuration that usually puts me between 80-90 kt.