Private Pilot for Rotorcraft Category Helicopter Rating › VII. Navigation › Task A. Pilotage and Dead Reckoning

PH.VII.A.K5c

Knowledge

Plotting a course, including:

Estimating time, speed, and distance

Study note

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

Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge p. 16-13
Chapter 16: Navigation › Dead Reckoning › Wind Triangle or Vector Analysis
time, airspeed, distance, and direction. The products derived from these variables, when adjusted by wind speed and velocity, are heading and GS. The predicted heading takes the aircraft along the intended path and the GS establishes the time to arrive ... dead reckoning. The wind triangle is a graphic explanation of the effect of wind upon flight. GS, heading, and time for any flight can be determined by using the wind triangle. It can be applied to the simplest kind…
Helicopter Flying Handbook p. 13-4
Chapter 13: Effective Aeronautical Decision-Making › Aeronautical Decision-Making (ADM) › Defining the Problem
what the aircraft “felt like” at a hover? All these factors go into recognizing a change and the timely response. While doing a hover check after picking up firefighters at the bottom of a canyon, a pilot realized that ... helicopter accelerated slowly during the takeoff, the distance between the helicopter and the ground continued to increase. However, when the pilot attempted to establish the best rate of climb speed, the nose tended to pitch up to a higher-than…
Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge p. 16-12
Chapter 16: Navigation › Distance D = GS X T › Fuel Consumption
there should be sufficient fuel for reserve. When estimating consumption you must plan for cruise flight as well as startup and taxi, and higher fuel burn during climb. Remember that ground speed during climb is less than during cruise flight ... safety measure. Flight Computers Up to this point, only mathematical formulas have been used to determine such items as time, distance, speed, and fuel consumption. In reality, most pilots use a mechanical flight computer called an E6B or electronic flight…
Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge p. 16-17
Chapter 16: Navigation › Flight Planning › Assembling Necessary Material
wind triangle (using the scale employed for drawing the diagram) • Estimated time en route (ETE)—total distance divided by GS • Fuel rate—predetermined gallons per hour used at cruising speed NOTE: Additional fuel for adequate reserve should be added…