Can a helicopter hover over water?

Ground effect definitely exists when flying a fixed-wing aircraft close to water. From our research, hovering a helicopter over water can be problematic. As the water’s surface is disturbed, the “effect” is reduced as the air’s behavior no longer is uniform. More power may be required to maintain the hover.

Why would a helicopter hover over the ocean?

If they are searching for something/one close to the surf/shoreline, they will sometimes fly directly over the beach.” He noted helicopters are required to observe Visual Flight Rules, meaning they must “remain clear of clouds.”

Which helicopter can land on water?

The CH-46 Sea Knight and its Canadian variant, the CH-113 Labrador, can land on water and rest for up to two hours in calm water.

Can some helicopters land on water?

Only helicopters with specially designed & sealed fuselages, or helicopters fitted with fixed or emergency popout floats can land on water. Helicopters have a high center of gravity caused by the engine & transmission which cause them to topple over. Only helicopters with fixed floats do not topple.

Why can’t helicopters fly far from land?

The real reason helicopters don’t routinely fly to those altitudes is that they’re not designed to. As with everything in aviation, performance is a trade off between engineering, aerodynamics and commercial pressures. There’s a big market for helicopters that can fly up to, say, 12-15,000ft (3600-4500m).

How fast does a helicopter sink in water?

Within seconds of impact the helicopter will be upside down, flooded, and heading for the bottom, sinking at a rate of nine to 13 feet per second.

Can a Chinook float on water?

The Boeing made CH-47 Chinook can float on the water for a minimum of 30 minutes, even with the engines turned off.

How does a helicopter hover in the air?

When a helicopter hovers, it’s basically is sitting in its own wash. By pushing air down, it creates a low pressure region above itself, and a high pressure area below it. To stay hovering, it has to draw air from the low pressure area and push it into the high pressure are below it, which takes a lot of energy.

How high should a helicopter hover over a residential area?

I observed a helicopter hovering over a residential area/houses for more than 20-30 minutes. I would guesstimate about 500 feet altitude or more for the helicopter. The low altitude and long duration of the hovering created lots of what I would call unpleasant “noise pollution”.

What are the rules for flying over water?

The pilot in command of the aircraft must not fly over water at a distance from land greater than the distance from which the aircraft could reach land if the engine, or, in the case of a multi-engine aircraft, the critical engine were inoperative (CAR 258).

What is the ENR for flying over water?

AIP ENR 1.1 The pilot in command of the aircraft must not fly over water at a distance from land greater than the distance from which the aircraft could reach land if the engine, or, in the case of a multi-engine aircraft, the critical engine were inoperative (CAR 258).