Flight Instructor for Rotorcraft Category Helicopter Rating › VI. Airport and Heliport Operations › Task C. Traffic Patterns

HI.VI.C.S3

Skill

Correct for wind drift to maintain the proper ground track.

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Get a short, cited explanation of this element written from the FAA handbooks: the core idea, the numbers that matter, common test traps, and a quick self-check.

From the FAA library

Helicopter Flying Handbook p. 9-9
Chapter 9: Basic Flight Maneuvers › Hovering—Sideward Flight › Technique
maintain the proper operating rpm. Be aware that the nose tends to weathervane into the wind. Changes in the pedal position will change the rpm and must be corrected by collective and/or throttle changes to maintain altitude. Figure ... hovering sideward is establishing at least two reference points that help maintain a straight track over the ground while keeping a constant heading. To stop the sideward movement, apply cyclic pressure in the direction opposite to that of movement…
Helicopter Flying Handbook p. 9-14
Chapter 9: Basic Flight Maneuvers › Ground Reference Maneuvers › Technique
proper ground track. Keep in mind that in order to maintain proper ground track the helicopter may have to be flown almost sideways depending on the amount of wind. The forward cyclic that is applied for airspeed will ... downwind corner of the field. However, since the wind is now pushing the helicopter away from the field, establish the proper drift correction by heading slightly into the wind. Therefore, the turn should be greater than a 90° change…
Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge p. 16-10
Chapter 16: Navigation › Effect of Wind
flight. (If proper correction has been made for the wind, track and course are identical.) • Drift angle—angle between heading and track. • WCA—correction applied to the course to establish a heading so that track coincides with course. • Airspeed—rate ... rate of the aircraft’s inflight progress over the ground. Figure 16-17. Establishing a wind correction angle that counteracts wind drift and maintains the desired course. Basic Calculations Before a cross-country flight, a pilot should make common calculations…
Helicopter Flying Handbook p. 9-16
Chapter 9: Basic Flight Maneuvers › Common Errors › S-Turns
bank to correct for drift in order to maintain the proper radius of turn, the helicopter must also be flown with a drift correction angle (crab) in relation to its ground track; except, of course, when it is on direct ... upwind or downwind headings or there is no wind…