ENGINE FAILURE EXERCISE · PROFILE VIEW
ENGINE OUT
You are flying an invented light single-engine helicopter over flat ground, in calm wind. Choose where the engine fails, then fly the autorotation to the ground.
Fuel sets the weight: more fuel, a heavier helicopter and a higher rotor rpm with the collective down. Starting slow and low puts you in the area a height–velocity diagram tells you to avoid.
Only the collective and the fore-and-aft cyclic matter in a side view. The cyclic sets a pitch attitude and stays where you leave it.
On a Mac, Ctrl with the up or down arrow is a Mission Control shortcut, so use S for collective down there. On Windows, pressing Shift five times in a row can open Sticky Keys; hold it instead of tapping, or use W.
A joystick, throttle or game controller works too: select Joystick and move the axis you want for each control.
Connect a controller and press any of its buttons.
Select Set, then move that lever or stick through its travel. The axis sets the control's position directly, so a throttle lever suits the collective and a stick the cyclic. A self-centring thumbstick holds the collective at mid travel when you let go.
Limits and cues belong to this invented helicopter and exercise. A real helicopter's flight manual gives its own autorotation airspeed, rotor rpm range and flare technique.