Tips for Learning to Hover?

[AKAAB]

Back when I was instructing, I usually could have a new student in a basic hover and under relative control in about an hour by using the building block method. One control at a time, demonstrate the coupling and let them get a feel for it, then take that control away and give them another.

Three hours was probably the point where the student started to settle down. Soloing takes longer simply because of all the safety/emergency procedures the student must master before being turned loose.

Frankly, I'd prefer to teach hovering technique and auto's all day instead of ever having to risk my neck teaching hovering autos!

 

[Traderd]

As stated, use your pedals for feel; and try to anticipate that right yaw coming as you add power and it gets light on the skids. Don't wait for it start yawing, you know it's coming so keep feeding that left pedal counter-pressure in there as you add power to keep your nose straight. Gentle pressures. It will come and your IP will stop laughing at you as he saves both of your arses yet again.

I anticipated that right yaw for many years. Then after retirement, I was getting checked out in an AS350 and the first pickup to a hover was so dang "foreign"!! That was a really hard habit to break.

 

[schoolio]

Those of use who learned at Mother Rucker in the 80s had the advantage of using a control touch developing device ( a board connected to a cyclic with a marble balanced on top)

Last time I was at Rucker (2003) they still had that device in the learning center. I tried it when I was in flight school, and I sucked at it. When I was in the learning center in '03, I decided to try it for kicks. Got it centered up very quickly and to the point where it wasn't moving at all. Amazing what a few years of control touch refinement will do for you.