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“Use it or lose it” – After 32 years Dr Tony learns to hover again

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15 May 2024

On 13 May 2024

Having retired 3 years ago from a medical specialist career for 42 years, I decided to resurrect my interest in flying. In the past I had obtained PPL licenses in single and multi-fixed wing and rotary in the R22 but work and family commitments resulted in me lapsing these and I last flew 32 years ago. My son Peter had accompanied me on several flights from the age of 6 and flying had clearly installed in him a desire to follow in my footsteps and over the last few years obtained his fixed wing and rotary PPL licences, the latter having trained at Flying Pig & Elstree Helicopters with Capt. White. Peter having obtained his fixed wing instructor rating more recently surprised Capt. White for his birthday last year by taking him for his first official training in a fixed wing flight at Duxford – not surprisingly Capt. White intuitively transferred his piloting skills immediately to the task with great success.

My annoying back seat comments such as “this is what I would do in my day” on most flights with Peter, eventually resulted in him sensitively suggesting a session with his instructor at North Weald to see whether “Dad could still hack it!” The challenge came 2 years ago one blustery afternoon in April setting off from Duxford with a predicted cross wind at Southend for circuits. The result – the instructor was impressed, and Peter surprised that after 32 years – there was little input needed assisting me in the exercise – to be frank – much to my surprise as well!

With my confidence beaming and continuing to be an annoying back seat pilot on flights thereafter with Peter, I asked Capt. White whether he would see how I faired in the R44 which I had not flown before followed by the R22. Straight and level came back reasonably well until the transition to the hover. It was as if I had never hovered in my life! I had forgotten the whole principle of the cyclic, peddle inputs and combining them (the collective was a bit easier thanks to the governor – not a feature in the R22s in my day). Capt. White was supportive, patient and reassuring as always in his reflections but the loss of skills and their degree was a horrific realisation to say the least. My back seat comments thereafter on subsequent flights, fixed wing and rotary with Peter, were silenced over night!

That summer, I was observing a dragonfly hovering over our pool, with a variable and gusting wind with no “windsock” to help I thought other than perhaps the ripples in the water. They are masters of the hover as are other insects and certain birds. In the dragon fly complex eyes, they have molecules called Opsins in their retina that add precision of their position in space and precise differentiation of colour wavelengths. They have 30 of these molecules – we humans have a grand total of 3 – some women can have 4. This reminded me what was the potential mechanism of such complex movements over time – for the Dragonfly, it is their eyesight and the frequency they are forced to hover for survival. Would eating carrots improve my hovering I thought – I thought not !!

I remembered from my Neurosurgery days that a colleague felt that complex movements combining different and simultaneous modalities of movement, through sight and perception was the function of the Red Nucleus in our midbrain and is present in most animals as well. This small nucleus has a complex mosaic of neurological connections to memory areas, thought processes and the orchestration of movement by the cerebellum. Riding a bike, for example, is a skill and a learned pattern of movement that neurologists refer to as ‘procedural memory’, This is a type of unconscious, long-term memory, where a person can recollect something without having to think and have no direct conscious awareness of the process We all remember trying to ride a bike failing initially until one day, as if its magic, you can ride and wonder “how did that happen?”. With few exceptions, often the skill is usually never lost albeit a bit unsteady initially. During my initial hovering training all those years ago, I found it challenging and hovering in half a football field area initially was a good result! Then one day – unexpectedly, after some hours-it came together, and I wondered why that was so difficult at the start.

We may have acquired some skill in childhood or young adulthood but because we have ceased practising the skill (musical instrument, for instance), you find you have lost the ability you once had. As one ages it becomes harder to learn – or relearn skills. Disease, illness, medication and fatigue can also affect the process. If a young person has acquired a skill, they should always be encouraged to keep it up as the Red Nucleus it appears can forget unless it is triggered from time to time.

I had therefore forgotten that in complex movement requirements such as hovering, there are complex neurological processes in action and the more complex such processes are, the greater the likelihood is of losing the fineness of that skill, if not totally, over time if not triggered. A helicopter gracefully hovering, landing and taking off and thinking that its easy is a false assumption and perfection is not easy and quickly lost. Each stage of the flight requires constant control and input from the pilot and such activity requires complex neurological co-ordination it is thought orchestrated by the red nucleus and its connections.

My fixed wing experience and returning to it gave me a false impression of recalling my procedural memory data base for all aspects of flight proficiency including rotary flying. Captain White expected this, but I was in denial. It is no wonder training facilities insist on regular currency – especially in the rotor arena. So… I decided to undergo some hours of hover training again by taking advantage of the ‘buy 10 and get 3 free flight hours’ – starting from scratch as it were and basics. My Red Nucleus eventually woke up again some weeks into training with Capt. White.

I am immensely grateful to Capt. White helping me return to the joys of rotary and resurrecting my hovering skills which had, in essence, disappeared. It has been fun and fulfilling (the windy conditions persistent over the weeks were a bit challenging I must admit). His patience, skill, empathy, tolerance, training style and encyclopaedic knowledge are well known by his students and colleagues. Also, my thanks to the support team at Flying Pig & Elstree Helicopters during my venture in ensuring I am well hydrated with just enough caffeine to amplify my senses before the training sessions.

I now appreciate how the Dragonfly may have felt in the challenges of hovering in gusty conditions, but it appeared not to phase it. Practice and consistency are key. I may have a day when its calm and I will not leave it as long in future!!

As Harry Reasoner said all those years ago… “Flying helicopters is different!”

Dr Tony Yardley-Jones

FRCP (Lond) FRCS (ED) FFOM (Lond) PhD