Short video about the correct technique for a vertical landing in ground effect (IGE) in the Mi-24P. All according to the manual. Some questions and answers below:

Q. When is a vertical landing IGE recommended?
A. You can consider it to be the standard technique. It keeps your speed up at about 40kph until you reach ground effect and an air cushion builds below the helicopter. This way, you require less power for your landing. However, if conditions are hot and high - or if the helicopter is loaded to it's maximum weight, then a running landing is recommended.
If there are close-in obstacles on approach, a vertical landing "out of ground effect" (OGE) must be flown.

Q. What are the main points of this approach again?
A.
1. Starting at 1000m distance / 100m height / 80kph.
2. Descend at 80kph / with about 2m/s / Maximum allowed 3m/s!
3. At 50m lower landing gear and begin speed reduction.
4. At 25m be at 50kph
5. Come into a hover 2-3 meters above the ground
6. Slowly descend to the ground, center cyclic, lower collective, wheel brake on

Q. How do I make my flying and hovering smoother and more stable?
A.
1. Hardware: Buy, mod or build proper helicopter controls. It's essential. Don't use curves or deadzones.
2. Carefully trim the helicopter. On the Mi-24, I recommend to use the second trim variant via the HAT switch. It allows you to adjust the cyclic position stepless.
3. Be ahead of the aircraft. Know how much power you will need in the next 5-10 seconds. Pull collective in advance. If you do it smoothly, you can also work the anti-torque pedals smoother.

Q. How do I keep speed, altitude and vertical speed constant?
A.
1. Manage speed by adjusting cyclic. Manage descent rate by adjusting collective.
When you notice that your speed is dropping, push the cyclic forward slightly and keep it there, until you have reached your desired airspeed. Then pull the stick slightly aft again. If you are using a joystick with springs, I highly recommend the HAT switch trim buttons for this!
When you notice that vertical speed is dropping, adjust collective.
Of course this also works the other way around (if speed or vertical speed increases).
2. Scanning your instruments is very important. But try not to fixate on one specific gauge. Rather do it this way: Look outside - Check forward speed and altitude - Look outside again - Check vertical speed - Look outside...

Q. Is the Autopilot Yaw channel used during approach?
A. No! It does help to stabilize the motion of the helicopter. But it comes with one major drawback: You can not (quickly) tell how much right pedal travel is available during critical phases of flight. Using AP YAW channel on approach can result in the following situation: You are trying to enter a hover, but the helicopter is too heavy. As you pull in more collective, the AP YAW channel runs out of travel and the aircraft starts spinning to the left.

Q. Why do I tend to fly backwards when I start my hover?
A. The Mi-24 hovers "nose low", which is a bit unusual, as most helicopters hover "nose high". Coming from one of these other types, you might be used to this hovering attitude. Try to get used to the visual picture in the Mi-24 and "retrain" your muscle memory!

Q. Why are there no control indicators in the video?
A. In about 99% of the video the control inputs are so small that you would not even notice any movement on the indicator. So, for the immersion I prefer to keep it off.

Q. Which manual is this procedure based on?
A. It's based on the "Mi-24P helicopter crew instruction book 1" in Russian language. I can not share the file, but you will find it, if you search for "Ми-24П Инструкция экипажу". I recommend yandex.ru for searching Russian documents.

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