Power Checks

[MINI]

Im just curious.How often do most of you do pwr. checks? After inspections,every few hours,just when ya feel like it,when the wrench wants one,when the boss wants one.And for all the 206 drivers out there do ya do the vertical 0 airspeed one or the cruise flight one.Just curious.Hope every one is having a good summer!

 

[100ft]

....every take-off not IMMEDIATELY following the previous landing and once my skids clear that concealed loop of barbed-wire sticking out of the ground. And the TOW hasn't knowingly increased.

Hopefully a few experts weigh in here too.

100'

 

[rotrhd1]

Anytime you come on shift before accepting the machine from the pilot on shift. Sometimes this isn''t possible or practicle, but it should be the first thing you do. This ensures he/she didn''t leave you any nasty suprises or just didn''t realize the machine wasn''t performing.

Once the engine passes this initial test, each subsequent flight can be metered against your first few normal hover checks. If you notice the TOT increasing with similar ambient conditions when taking off using 100% then, something''s afoot.

I''ll try to do one the day before I shift out also. Just so I don''t get blamed for leaving any nasty surpises for the next guy/gal.

I always use the 0 airspeed configuration. Remember anti ice, bleed heater and gen off. And remember to use the appropriate chart for part. sep and reverse scoops or snow baffles if installes.



Regards,

 

[downwash]

You''ll no doubt get a variety of opinions, Mini, (What! On THIS forum??) but if you''re doing them less frequently than every 25 hours, and if you''re not keeping your own records so you can make comparisons and spot trends, you''re almost wasting your time. This can become even more important in a multi-crew situation but, even if you''re all by your lonesome, avoid ugly surprises when you least need them. Keep on checkin.''

 

[Commodore64]

is what you''re talking about the whirly bird equivalent to a run-up?

 

[407 Driver]

Much more than a run up Commodore, we're talking a precise set of Turbine measurements (OAT, Alt, Temp, Ng, N2, TOT, Q), plotted on a graph, to determine the output of the engine in relation to factory specs.
We do it monthly, and as Downwash says, you have to watch the trend over time.

It's easy in a 407, just cruise at your target Alt at 100 Kts, and let the LapTop computer do the rest...

 

[MINI]

Wow, come on guys and girls,there has to be more input than this on such an important issue!!100 ft. what was that all about and what did you really say.Im totaly confused.

 

[Commodore64]

oh, we call that ''trend monitoring''. The crew to fly her first thing every morning does one during cruise.

 

[Blackmac]

----------------
On 7/10/2003 12:15:48 PM Commodore64 wrote:

oh, we call that ''trend monitoring''. The crew to fly her first thing every morning does one during cruise.

----------------​

The best system out for a "multi aircraft operation" is any type of Health Usage Monitoring System or H.U.M.S.

These sytems have been out for years and actually pay for themselves, but most operators are to dumb to use them.

Everybody knows the story of the overtemps on start-up and or over torque with an overweight sling load so as not to go into the tree''s, etc.,etc.

Enuf said.

P.S. The same thing happens with fixed wing on take-off. Trend monitoring will not tell you how many times an engine has been over temped or over torqued, you will only find that out when the turbine blows apart.

 

[downwash]

Mini, 100'' must be busy. I think what he was referring to was a practice many pros have of doing at least a form of power check on every t/o where you''ve been shut down or idling a long time or, even for a takeoff right after a landing, if your all-up weight has been increased (like more fuel and load) PLUS you''ve ensured there''s nothing interfering with a safe departure from the surface.

Some might consider this a bunch of overkill, but it''s a pretty personal thing and who''s to say what''s too much? As in so many things, better too much than too little.

 

[MagSeal]

ok, early on in my illustrious career, I was working in the mountains on an L1. Never worked on one so my experience was limited. I think the pilot had as much experience as I did too. He dragged me out to do a power check since he didn''t like writing numbers down while flying, or maybe he didn''t have a good long term memory. Anyway, off we go, and proceed to about 1000'' agl and enter a hover. Things didn''t seem right from the get go, and the famous last words of "oh Sh*t" were heard over the intercom. and thus the whirly merry-go-round ride started. After that, the pilot decided it would be a good idea to read the flight manual, and we thus realised our mistake. Live and learn...
Who knows all of the factors that played a role that day, I''m guessing there were a number of them.

 

[MagSeal]

sorry double posted

 

[MagSeal]

and guys, practice makes perfect too. A good smooth powercheck is preferable over one where you''re bouncing around the sky trying to keep the oily side down.

Relax, take your time, it''s not your gas money.

I''ve been up with a pilot doing a power check where three attempts gave three different readings.
I''ve also experienced loss of tail rotor authority trying to do a power check in a hover in the mountains, both pilot and I were doing the tree/hill/tree/hill/tree... and I also had a recovering alcoholic pilot nearly have a heart attack and banked us out at high g''s while doing a powercheck in a 500 because he didn''t like going that fast. Scared him first, me a close second. I needed a drink after because he stressed me out.

 

[407 Driver]

....in a hover in the mountains, both pilot and I were doing the tree/hill/tree/hill/tree...."


Hmmm, interesting...tell us more, inquiring minds want to know.

 

[frenchwrench]

unless you can confirm that the guages are accurate also, you are wasting your time , as I have seen OAT guages several degrees out .lots of loose antiice levers. All NR/N2 guages are off. You need a digital reading to confirm the TOT and N2 guages and the tower to get an accurate OAT, and a magnifing glass to read some charts. Guages are allowed a 2% error when calibrated. Every 2X6 N2 reads 1-2 % off, usually low on the vibrex 2000. Astar also.TOT is allowed about 10 degrees also.