NCHF — Private Pilot (PPL-H) Oral Exam PrepACS-aligned · print-friendly
Likely DPE questions by Area of Operation, with concise model answers and what to cite.
Private Pilot–Helicopter Checkride: Oral Prep
Use this to rehearse out loud. Answer in your own words, then cite the source. "Cite" lines point you to the regulation/handbook/POH to reference — confirm the exact paragraph as you study. Aircraft-specific numbers are flagged for you to fill from the R44 POH.
✍️ My aircraft (N-________) — look these up in the R44 POH and confirm with your CFI (leave blank until verified)
Max gross weight:
VNE (never-exceed):
Recommended climb airspeed:
Normal approach airspeed:
Autorotation airspeed & rotor RPM:
Rotor RPM green / low-RPM warning:
Max slope angle:
IGE / OGE hover ceiling (today):
Usable fuel & burn / endurance:
ELT type & location:
These are aircraft-specific and vary with weight & conditions — fill them in from the R44 POH and confirm with your CFI. Don't quote numbers from memory on the checkride.
I · Preflight Preparation — Certificates, Currency, Medical, Documents, Weather
What certificates and documents must you have to act as PIC?
A pilot certificate, a valid medical or BasicMed qualification, and a government photo ID. The aircraft must carry its Airworthiness cert, Registration, operating limitations (POH/placards), and W&B data.
Cite: 14 CFR 61.3, 61.23; ARROW (91.9, 91.203).
What currency do you need to carry passengers?
Three takeoffs and landings in the preceding 90 days in category/class (and type if required); a flight review within 24 calendar months; night passenger currency for night.
Cite: 14 CFR 61.57.
What inspections make the helicopter airworthy?
Annual; 100-hour if for hire/instruction; ELT; transponder (24 mo); plus airworthiness directives and Robinson's mandatory items (e.g., 12-year/2,200-hr overhaul).
Where do you get weather, and what makes it a no-go?
A standard briefing (1800wxbrief / ForeFlight): METAR/TAF, winds aloft, AIRMET/SIGMET, NOTAMs, PIREPs. No-go on personal minimums, icing, low ceilings/vis, or winds beyond limits.
Cite: AIM Ch 7; PHAK weather chapters; NCHF personal minimums.
How do you conduct the preflight, and what are the rotorcraft-critical items?
Use the POH checklist, same flow every time. Pay special attention to rotor blades, control rods/links and hardware, drive belts, fluid levels, fuel sumped, and tail rotor.
Cite: R44 POH Section 4; HFH Ch 8.
How do you brief passengers?
SAFETY brief on the ground, engine off: Seatbelts, Air/environment, Fire/exits, Emergency equipment, Traffic/talking, Your questions — plus rotor safety: approach/depart in the pilot's view (front/sides), never the rear; stay low; downslope side on slopes.
Cite: HFH Ch 8; AIM.
What do you confirm during run-up before takeoff?
Gauges in the green, governor holding RPM, hydraulics checked, controls free and correct, area clear, briefing complete. Any abnormal gauge/light/noise = shut down and investigate.
Tower shows a steady green light in flight — what does it mean?
Cleared to land (on the ground it means cleared for takeoff). Know the full light-gun table cold.
Cite: AIM 4-3-13.
How does a helicopter traffic pattern differ, and where do you find the numbers?
Lower and tighter, terminating to a spot other than the active runway, often opposite the airplane direction. Pull the field's pattern altitude, direction, and frequencies from ForeFlight (Chart Supplement/sectional).
Cite: HFH Ch 9; AIM 4-3-14; ForeFlight.
Lost communications VFR — what do you do?
Squawk 7600, watch for light-gun signals, remain clear of traffic, and land where you can do so safely.
Cite: AIM 6-4; 91.185 (IFR context).
IV · Hovering Maneuvers — Hover, Hover Taxi, Air Taxi
What do the three controls do in a hover?
Collective = power/height; cyclic = position over the ground; pedals = heading (antitorque). Small, anticipatory inputs; look well ahead.
Cite: HFH Ch 3 & 9.
Difference between a hover taxi and an air taxi?
A hover taxi is flown in ground effect (IGE), slow, normally below ~25 ft AGL for short moves. An air taxi is flown out of ground effect (OGE), typically around 40 ft AGL (AIM ceiling 100 ft), for greater distances — avoiding overflight of others.
Cite: AIM 4-3-14; HFH Ch 9.
What is ground effect and why does it matter?
Within about one rotor diameter, a cushion of air reduces the power required to hover (IGE) versus OGE. A hover you can hold IGE may be impossible OGE or at high density altitude.
Cite: HFH Ch 2; R44 POH Section 5.
V · Takeoffs, Landings & Go-Arounds
Describe a normal takeoff and what you anticipate.
From a stable IGE hover, accelerate with forward cyclic through effective translational lift (~16–24 kt, expect a pitch-up/climb tendency), then establish a coordinated climb at the POH airspeed, staying clear of the H-V avoid areas.
Cite: HFH Ch 9; R44 POH Sections 4 & 5.
When do you go around, and why early?
Any unstable approach, unsafe spot, gust, or sink you can't comfortably arrest. Early decisions preserve energy and options; a late, low, slow go-around — especially at high DA — is the dangerous one.
Cite: HFH Ch 9.
Walk through a slope landing and its main hazard.
Lower the upslope skid first with cyclic into the slope while smoothly lowering collective, holding heading. If you run out of cyclic before the downslope skid is down, the slope is too steep — abort. Main hazard: dynamic rollover.
Cite: HFH Ch 9; R44 POH slope limit.
VI · Fundamentals of Flight / Aerodynamics
Explain dissymmetry of lift and how it's resolved.
In forward flight the advancing blade sees more relative wind than the retreating blade. It's equalized by blade flapping — the advancing blade flaps up (less AoA), the retreating blade flaps down (more AoA).
Cite: HFH Ch 2.
What is effective translational lift?
Around 16–24 kt the rotor moves into clean, undisturbed air and becomes more efficient — felt as a climb tendency and smoother ride; anticipate the pitch-up with cyclic.
Cite: HFH Ch 2.
Define density altitude and its effect.
Pressure altitude corrected for non-standard temperature; rises with heat, altitude, humidity, and low pressure. High DA reduces engine power and rotor thrust — compute performance from the POH.
Cite: HFH Ch 2 & 7; R44 POH Section 5.
VII · Performance Maneuvers — Rapid Deceleration (Quick Stop)
Describe the rapid deceleration and its hazards.
Smooth and coordinated: aft cyclic to slow, lower collective to prevent ballooning, pedal to hold heading, then raise collective to settle into a hover. Hazards: tail strike (too much nose-up too low) and low rotor RPM/ballooning.
Cite: HFH Ch 9; R44 POH Section 2 limits.
VIII · Navigation — Pilotage/DR, Systems & Radar, Diversion/Lost
Pilotage vs. dead reckoning?
Pilotage = navigating by visual landmarks matched to the chart. Dead reckoning = computing position from time, airspeed, distance, and heading (corrected for wind). Use both and cross-check with GPS.
Cite: PHAK Navigation chapter.
What is VFR flight following and its limits?
An optional, workload-permitting ATC radar traffic-advisory service. It does not relieve the pilot of see-and-avoid, and ATC can drop it when busy.
Cite: AIM 4-1.
You're unsure of position — what do you do?
Fly the aircraft, then the C's: Climb, Communicate, Confess, Comply, Conserve. Use landmarks, time/heading since last fix, GPS, and ATC. Ask for help before fuel/daylight is critical.
Cite: AIM 6-2; PHAK ADM.
IX · Emergency Operations
Engine failure in cruise — first actions?
Lower collective immediately to enter autorotation, establish autorotative airspeed and rotor RPM, pick a landing spot, then run the POH flow to the flare and touchdown. Protect airspeed and rotor RPM first.
Cite: HFH Ch 11; R44 POH Section 3.
What three conditions cause settling with power (VRS), and how do you recover?
High rate of descent, airspeed below ETL, and significant power applied. Recover by reducing collective and gaining airspeed (forward cyclic) to reach clean air; adding collective makes it worse. Prevent with stabilized approaches.
Cite: HFH Ch 11.
Low rotor RPM recovery?
Lower collective and roll on throttle (aft cyclic in forward flight) — instantly. Low RPM near the ground can stall the rotor in seconds.
Loss of tail-rotor effectiveness — a wind-induced uncommanded yaw, not a failure. Worst at low airspeed, high power, OGE, in wind. Recover with pedal against the yaw and gain airspeed; reduce power if able.
Cite: HFH Ch 11; AC 90-95.
How do you avoid dynamic rollover?
Keep the aircraft level and drift-free near the ground, never force a hung skid, and smoothly lower collective at the first sign of an uncommanded roll about a skid.
Cite: HFH Ch 11.
X · Night Operations
How should you scan and protect your vision at night?
Use off-center viewing (look 5–10° off) with a slow scan because of the night blind spot; protect dark adaptation (~30 min) with dim red/low light and by avoiding bright white light.
Cite: HFH Ch 13; PHAK aeromedical.
Name common night illusions.
Autokinesis (a fixed light seems to move), false horizons, and the black-hole approach over unlit terrain. Back up vision with instruments.
Cite: HFH Ch 13; PHAK.
XI · Postflight — Securing & Records
What's critical about securing the helicopter?
Follow the POH cool-down/shutdown, let the rotor stop, install blade tie-downs/covers — and remove them before the next start (a blade tie-down left on can cause severe damage).
Cite: R44 POH Section 4; HFH Ch 8.
What do you do with a discrepancy after flight?
Write it up clearly (squawk) and log time accurately. An open, unaddressed squawk can make the aircraft un-airworthy until resolved or properly deferred. Don't normalize defects.