ACS Alignment

FAA-S-ACS-16 — Commercial Pilot, Rotorcraft–Helicopter · Area of Operation IV. Hovering Maneuvers · Task: A–D — Vertical Takeoff/Landing, Hover Taxi, Air Taxi & Wheel-Type Taxi

CH.IV.A.S1 — vertical takeoff to a stabilized hover & vertical landing CH.IV.B.S1 — hover taxi within tolerances CH.IV.C.S1 — air taxi at a safe height/speed CH.IV.A.R1 — rotor wash, obstacles & dynamic rollover risk

⚑ FLAG (Walter): combines hovering Tasks A–D (including Taxiing with Wheel-Type Landing Gear, which does not apply to skid-equipped R44) — confirm codes and which Tasks apply to the aircraft flown.

Hovering: Vertical Takeoff/Landing, Hover & Air Taxi

The core helicopter skills — smooth vertical control, a stable hover, and safe hover/air taxiing.

By the end of this lesson you can:

Perform a vertical takeoff to a stabilized hover and a controlled vertical landing.
Maintain a hover within commercial tolerances (position, heading, altitude).
Hover taxi (in ground effect) and air taxi (out of ground effect) at appropriate heights/speeds.
Manage rotor wash, obstacles, wind, and dynamic-rollover risk near the ground.

1 · Vertical takeoff & the hover

From flat pitch, raise the collective smoothly to lift vertically, leading with pedals for torque and using cyclic to stay over the spot; arrive at a stabilized hover with small, anticipatory inputs. Hovering is a continuous correction — look well ahead, not down. Commercial tolerances are tighter than private; hold position, heading, and altitude precisely.

2 · Hover taxi vs. air taxi

Maneuver	Description
Hover taxi	In ground effect (IGE), slow, typically below ~25 ft, for short repositioning.
Air taxi	Out of ground effect (OGE), usually around 40 ft (AIM ceiling 100 ft), for longer moves — verify OGE power available.

Choose the method for the distance, surface, obstacles, and traffic; avoid overflying people and light aircraft with your downwash.

3 · Hazards near the ground

Near the surface, beware dynamic rollover (a skid/strut contacting the ground or an object while you apply lateral cyclic — covered in Lesson 22), obstacles within the rotor arc, slope, and loose debris (FOD) in your rotor wash. The R44 is skid-equipped, so the wheel-taxi Task does not apply to it.

4 · Watch

Curated reference clip — “Helicopter Training 101 — Vertical Takeoff to a Hover” · SUU Aviation (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) — Hovering 📄 AIM — Helicopter Operations (air taxi)

Your aircraft: hover power required and OGE capability are aircraft-specific and vary with DA/weight — note your R44’s hover performance from the POH (Performance).

✍️ Fill in for the aircraft you fly your R44 IGE and OGE hover capability at today’s weight/DA, and the power available margin — compute from the R44 POH and confirm with your CFI.

⚑ FLAG (Walter): the R44 is a VFR-certificated piston helicopter; confirm the aircraft/figures the student actually flies and that all numbers come from the current R44 POH.

Risk management (the “Consider”): the hovering trap is over-controlling and losing the spot, or attempting an OGE air taxi the aircraft cannot sustain at high DA/weight. Make small anticipatory inputs, confirm OGE power before air taxiing, keep clear of obstacles and people, and stay alert to dynamic-rollover cues near the ground.