60 SA Flyer Magazineinstead to
reduce pilot workload.
Pilots stepping up from a Hughes,
Schweitzer 269/300CBI, or Enstrom 280
will have no problem with that. It’s the same
principle and cockpit ergonomics: using a
‘Chinese hat’ that one swivels around with
the thumb on top of the cyclic. Robinson
and Jetty drivers take a bit of time to get the
concept but once it is learned it is loved by
most. It makes for very direct controllability- not masked by any servos.
The stick forces are well-balanced and,
by trimming her out like a fixed-wing, allow
the pilot to free up his or her hands at times.
Responsiveness is superb, conveying a
feeling of being in full and instant control.
For even the most minute adjustments
there isn’t any lag or mushiness. It’s what
makes hovering the MD so remarkable.
Transition to forward flight from a
steady hover is easily achieved without
adding extra power: Lift her slightly above
the normal one-foot hover height and
then push her gently forward. Effective
translational lift and inflow-roll kick in
almost instantly, with little to no sink, but
requiring the feet to be wide awake to avoid
yaw. She then climbs away,
while you hold that hover
power steady.
Piston heli pilots
tend to over control
collective and under-
control the pedals, but
after repeating it a
few times it becomes
second nature to be
judicious with the
power/collective
management and
proactive with the
feet.
In forward
flight, the main
difference from the
other machines
in its class is the
nippiness and
agility of the MD.
Like any racing
machine, it’s
not the most
comfortable, but
it responds well
to the pilot’s
commands, in
particular with
regards to
acceleration
and top speed.
When ATC asks you to expedite, she
obliges like no other.
The factory test pilot will also tell you
that she ‘speaks’ to you. What he means
is that the MD will warn you when you
are about to abuse her. It comes with the
directness of the controls and the force
feedback not masked by a hydraulic
system.
If you feel the collective getting heavy
in your hand in a rapid steep turn or steep
climb, you are about to exceed pitch
angle and angle of attack, which, if you
apply more force (i.e. continue lifting the
collective or holding it up against its ‘will’)
will lead to an unpleasant retreating blade
stall and commensurate roll.
In some quarters, the autorotations in
the MD500 have a fearsome reputation.
It probably stems from the high rate of
descent, which is closer to 2,000 feet
per minute than the more pedestrian
1,500 feet per minute in a Robinson 44 or
JetRanger. The other contributing factor is
the pronounced nose-dip of the MD when
lowering the collective, all of which is easily
taught.
I’ve found that once made aware ofboth issues, most conversion students
enjoy the MD autos. They are easy to set
up, and once speed and RPM are settled,
the machine is easily manoeuvred towards
the chosen touch down spot, without
needing much management to keep RPM
and forward speed in check. The best
part is that, in most cases, there is plenty
of rotor energy available, so you could
actually flare and touch down without power
recovery.
So, except for applying brute force,
there are no nasty surprises when flying
the MD500. In fact, the opposite is true. In
describing its flight characteristics, Hughes
chief test pilot Bob Ferry, a retired US Air
Force lieutenant-colonel, was quoted in
the 1960s as saying, “The OH-6 (military
designation for the MD500) handles very
much like an agile fighter plane. It climbs
and rolls into banks much like a P-51
Mustang. Bank angles of 60 degrees are
normal flight practice.”
Chin Tu, another well-known MD
supporter who became a production test
pilot for Hughes after a tour in Vietnam in
the 1970s, is still enamoured with the 500:
“I love lots of different helicopters, but if you
strap on a 500 – and notice I said ‘strap
on’ – it’s like a robotic extension of your
body. You can think about doing something
with your body and it’s like the 500 knows
exactly how to execute it. When I fly a 500,
my heartbeat goes up. I come alive! It’s like,
wow, this is what a helicopter should be like.
I don’t feel that with any other helicopter.”
For me the last quote sums it up the
best. There is nothing bland about the 500.
It’s a pilot’s helicopter and it should be on
each pilot’s bucket list of ratings to hold.The author is a fulltime freelance
fixed-wing and rotor-wing instructor
with close on 4,000 hours across 40
different types. He holds ATPs and
instructor ratings (A+H) both with the
CAA and FAA. You can contact him to
make arrangements for intro-flights,
charter flights or conversions using
the legendary MD500 on a case by case
basis. He also is the local representative
for LA Helicopters in southern Africa,
helping pilots with all matters relating to
obtaining and maintaining FAA licences.
He can be reached on 082 372 3641 or
[email protected]j
flight test
SPECIFICATIONS
Crew:^ one/two
Seating: five total
Length:
30.81 ft (9.4 m)Rotor diameter:
26.4 ft (8.1 m)
Height:
8.4 ft (2.6 m)Disc area:
586.8 ft² (54.5 m²)
Empty weight:
1,481 lb (672 kg)
Max. takeoff weight:
3,000 lb (1,361 kg)
Powerplant:
1 ×^ Allison 250-
C20B^ Turboshaft, 420 hp (313 kW)
PERFORMANCE
Max. speed:
152 kt (282 km/h)
Cruise speed:
135 kt (250 km/h)
Range:^
232 nm (429 km)Service ceiling:
16,000 ft (4,877 m)
Rate of climb:
1,770 ft/min