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As seen on screen – The JetRanger: Capt. Birgit talks the ‘Belle’ of the blue!

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As you may have seen via our social media we have now added a B206 also known as a JetRanger to our ATO portfolio. So why did we decide to add another turbine to the flying school and what’s the big deal?
They are generally bigger and heavier with the added bonus of carrying more people (but not always). Practically, a turbine helicopter doesn’t fly any differently because it has type of engine powering the rotors but obviously sounds very different. As you may well know, a turbine engine has a distinctive whistling roar like a turbo charger on steroids! The ride is much smoother than a piston engine and once in the cockpit you are transported back to all those blockbuster movies; Bond, Die Hard, Jurassic Park not forgetting every pilots favourite 80s show AIRWOLF! The controls are pretty much identical, but you must be a little more careful at start-up and during flight as it’s easy to over torque the machine or over-temp the engine if you don’t pay enough attention to your flying and the gauges!

My first flight in a JetRanger was a bit nerve wrecking, because I had to bring the helicopter back to the base and the chief pilot was sitting in the other seat, but after the start, I couldn’t really find a big difference in handling it. I had a big smile in my face because I always wanted to give it a go and I really enjoyed the fact that I was able to use my skills to fly another new type of helicopter.  Turbine helicopters are a wonderful piece of engineering, and I am fascinated by the way they work and transform energy into movement. I don’t have a big preference of a type because as an instructor I really enjoy the differences in the way they each fly. But there is one thing that is really fun about turbines… the sound of the start-up 🙂 I can’t wait to get back into the cockpit of the B206 once we are all allowed back to work and get that ‘belle’ up into the blue!

If you would like a trial lesson or to find out more about the B206 then please email training@elstreehelicopters.co.uk

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Capt Corey Smith
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Older Birgit’s flying diary:Two nations separated by common language not always! Converting an FAA to EASA

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