THE SAME BUT VERY DIFFERENT - SQUIRRELS ARE NOT ALL ALIKE

The challenges of COVID in 2020??and my work location in Norway mean’t that I needed to find another way to keep my EASA licence open a maintain some degree of flying currency.??Since I had already been speaking to them about Royal Norwegian Navy ship operations I decided that it would venture up to F?rde to renew my Type rating with Airlift, on the AS350, an aircraft I had originally flown as an instructor between 1997 and 1999.??I had also done some refresher flying on the aircraft with the Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) in late 2009.

Now what not be obvious to most is that there are some wide variations in how different variants of the AS350 are equipped and that this can be fundamental to the way the aircraft is operated.??The DHFS aircraft was a AS350BA, with some bespoke MOD required modifications and the Airlift aircraft a B3, again with some of its own mission specific modifications.??Whilst the engine, rotors, flight controls and airframe can be regarded by the pilot in the same way the differences make a real difference to the way the aircraft are flown and more importantly, operated safely.

With a great instructor the Airlift ground school proved interesting and informative with me able to reach the required standard over 2 days. The key differences were highlighted but it was not until we ventured to the hangar that `I realised what a different aircraft the Airlift B3 really was.??No stick trim, a set of VFR instruments and engine controls which I had never seen before were the key elements alongside some of the company related modifications relating to communication and navigation.

I knew the training flight would re-emphasise these differences very quickly and I was a little nervous as we got ready to go in the very mountainous environment around F?rde airfield in Western Norway.??Specifically, I had recognised that the lack of stick trim and stabilisation system would make this a very different, and probably more difficult, aircraft to fly than the DHFS BA variant.

I made sure to set a little friction on the cyclic and, once the engine was started, lifted gingerly into hover.??Given the aircraft is highly response to control inputs with its elastomeric rotor head bearings it was rather twitchy, and I had to remember to use basic flying techniques to keep everything smooth and accurate.??Once established conducting the training circuit I was able to fly reasonably accurately but was always cognisant that I could never really let go of the cyclic.

We then set about looking at the engine control system and its emergency procedures.??Here the aircraft could not have been more different.??On the BA variant the twist grip throttle on the collective was used to control all aspects of of engine control including manual operation whereas on the B3 there was a control in the roof panel.??For emergencies there were new problems to deal with including digitial engine control (FADEC) channel failures and reversionary systems to think about which could really spoil your day if you got the actions wrong – no such problems existed on the BA because everything was a little more manual.

As with most civil aircraft, and unlike the military where every cockpit on a specific type is identical, the instrument panels in a AS350??can have a wide variety of individual displays specific to the company task.??With modern technology this can include LCD replacements of analogue displays some of which are better and others which are worse and Airlifts B3 was no exception.??Also the DHFS BA was fully IFR capable so had a a much more complex suite of displays to meet UK MOD requirements alongside a reasonably good SAS and 3 axis autopilot.

My flight on the B3 after the emergencies included some more traditional confined area operations and hover activities although in rather more challenging terrain than I have been used to.??Hovering with one skid on a rock is something that really put my pilot skills to the test without any systems to help.

What all of this shows though is that the systems and equipment fitted to a specific aircraft type should be very specific to the role requirements.??In a civil context this means only as complex as it needs to be but in the knowledge that if new roles or clearances are required then some form of modification will be required.??For Airlift this means that their current Navy training support task has a number of limitations which reflect the simplicity of the task whereas the equivalent aircraft in Australian Navy service were much better equipped to deal with the offshore operations challenge.