Ex. 1 Familiarisation with the Aircraft

This is an opportunity to introduce ourselves to the pre flight checklist. It may seem daunting at first, however in a short space of time the terminology, acronyms and abbreviations soon become clear.
A type external check will involve start at the nose of the aircraft and visiting every major component as we walk around the aircraft in one direction. Typically items checked include fuel and oil levels, aircraft components for signs of wear or damage, engineering equipment still present after maintenance (which should be removed). It is impossible to give an exhaustive list here, each aircraft type is different.

Although the different types and variants of helicopter can differ greatly, most have similar instrument control layouts. It is essential to know which buttons, switches and levers control which functions, and which gauges indicate which values.
Some typical instrument panels can be found via the links below.

• Hughes / Schweizer 300
• Robinson R22
• Bell 206 Jetranger

It is common practice to use checklists for most actions involved in preparing for, during and after flight. This may seem alien to students at first, and some may find reading checks aloud to be quite daunting, gentle encouragement and watching their instructor do this is usually enough to get the point across.
Now is a good time to introduce ourselves to some helicopter specific systems such as

• Main And Tail Rotor Systems.
• Fuel And Oil Systems.
• The Electrical system and Radio Equipment.
• The hydraulic system (if applicable).
• Emergency procedures appropriate to aircraft type.