http://www.reuters.com/article/us-maryland-helicopter-crash-idUSKCN0XD0XP&apos ;">The helicopter, operated by a private contractor conducting a land survey for a local electric company, was destroyed in the crash, according to Ariel Jackson, a lieutenant at the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.
When a rotary wing craft crashes, with 3 on board, and there are only minor injuries, they are crashing properly!
I studied rotary wing, in my teens. Went to library. Read about Sikorski. Rotary wings, can land without power. As long as they are high enough, when power quits. There is a "Dead man's curve" for when the engine quits, and rpm's are too low, and then they come down hard. If they have foreward momentum, then this often helps. It's a means of storing energy. Rotary wing, requires a skill, of it's own.
The controls (Generally speaking) are:
Main yoke, right hand, omnidirectional control.
Controls the swash plate. Which, changes the angle of attack, of the blades, depending on where they are, in their cycle, of rotation.
Collective pitch, left hand. This controls your UP and DOWN.
Throttle, left hand, twist.
Tail rotor, constant speed, ratio, to main rotor. the foot pedals control it's collective pitch.
Collective, means "Together".
Tie 3 brains together, to get enough processing power, to run one!
I never learned.
N
It's like balancing a marble on a basketball.
In my youth, I surveyed a lot for heli-remote operations. (By a lot, I mean 300+ hours a year in a chopper, more than most junior pilots) take my time in a chopper and multiply that by the 27 other field staff.
We had 2 chopper crashes in 20 years. Not bad odds, considering the amount of hours, and the fact surveyor's want the very worst things when it comes to helicopters (slow speed, close to ground, landing in small little clearings, landing on uneven terrain, etc.)
My first few years 'surveying' was fire direction with the 101st airborne. All but a handful of field problems we transported by helicopter. We would sling load our flatbed mules to a drop zone then drive to the firing position. I loved every minute.