ACS Alignment

FAA-S-ACS-29 — Flight Instructor, Rotorcraft–Helicopter · Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas · Task: F & G — Operation of Systems; Performance and Limitations

HI.II.F.K1 — powerplant, drivetrain, rotor, fuel, electrical, hydraulic systems HI.II.G.K1 — performance factors (DA, weight, wind), charts & the HV diagram HI.II.G.K2 — weight & balance and published limitations HI.II.G.R1 — teaching operation near limits

⚑ FLAG (Walter): combines Technical Tasks F and G — confirm HI. codes against the current FAA-S-ACS-29.

Operation of Systems; Performance & Limitations

Teach the machine and its numbers — systems, performance charts, the HV diagram, and the limits that must not be crossed.

By the end of this lesson you can:

Teach the helicopter systems (engine, drivetrain/clutch, rotor, fuel, electrical, hydraulic if fitted) and their limits.
Teach how density altitude, weight, and wind drive hover/climb performance and how to read the charts.
Teach the height-velocity diagram and weight & balance.
Instruct students to compute performance for the actual day rather than assume.

1 · Teaching systems

Teach the powerplant, clutch/belt and transmission, main & tail rotor, the freewheeling unit (for autorotation), and the fuel, electrical, and hydraulic (if fitted) systems — with the gauges, green ranges, and limits. Have the student explain each system back and state the immediate action for the common abnormals.

2 · Performance & the HV diagram

Teach that density altitude, weight, and wind set hover (IGE/OGE) and climb capability, and how to read the POH charts for the real conditions. Teach the height-velocity diagram as the map of where a safe autorotation is unlikely — and to minimize time there.

3 · Limits & weight and balance

Teach the published limits (V_NE varying with DA/weight, rotor RPM, power) and weight & balance across the flight as fuel burns. Make computing W&B and performance a required habit before flight, not an afterthought.

4 · Watch

Curated reference clip — “Robinson R-22 Rotor System — Online Ground School” · Helicopter Online Ground School (YouTube), verified via oEmbed. Embedded with the creator’s player; we don’t host or alter it.

5 · Reference sources

Use the authoritative references

📄 Helicopter Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-21) — Systems & Performance 📄 Robinson R44 POH — Systems, Performance, Limitations

Your aircraft: all systems, performance numbers, and limits are aircraft-specific — teach from the R44 POH (Systems / Performance / Limitations / Weight & Balance).

✍️ Fill in for the aircraft you fly the R44 limits and performance figures you require students to know/compute (V_NE, RPM, IGE/OGE hover, HV) — look these up in the R44 POH and confirm with your CFII.

⚑ FLAG (Walter): the R44 is VFR-certificated; confirm any aircraft-specific values you teach from the current R44 POH, and confirm all endorsement wording against AC 61-65 and 14 CFR Part 61.

Risk management (the “Consider”): the teaching risk is students who assume performance and don’t respect limits — leading to a marginal OGE hover at high DA or an over-V_NE/over-pitch situation. Make performance computation and limit-awareness a non-negotiable habit, and teach the HV diagram seriously.