Crucial Speeds Every Helicopter Pilot Should Know

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Once again, I'm Jacob and in this video I'll be covering crucial airspeeds at every helicopter pilot should know. Aside from just aerodynamics, I'd like to start broadening the channel to other areas of interest that can help aviators. With this video I'd like to address important airspeeds and how they influence the way you fly. The first I'd like to highlight is Velocity Best Endurance (VBE). This is also referred to as Max Endurance airspeed and it gives you the greatest airborne time per unit of fuel consumed. This is important because once you begin working as a helicopter pilot, efficiency in time and fuel becomes one of the primary decision-making factors. This airspeed, just like the name implies, gives you the best endurance or the most time in the air. Let's say you fly for a new station and you want to provide the cameraman the most time over head to view a car chase, or traffic footage, or a manhunt, VBE puts you in the most fuel-efficient profile to do so. It's calculated from your cruise charts at the point where fuel flow is the least on you gross weight line.

This also takes place very close to our next airspeed, VY, which is Maximum Rate of Climb airspeed. This is the speed at which the aircraft climbs at the fastest rate per unit of time. This speed is important when you want to expedite climbing to cruising altitude when flying cross country or IFR flights. The key thing to note here is that these 2 speeds take place at roughly the same airspeed. Many manuals lump together both Max Endurance and Max Rate of Climb together and just call it all max R/C/End Airspeed. But it is important to note that this efficiency is due to the aircraft being at the lowest point of drag. For more information on the Drag and what this means check out my video here (   • Types of Drag in Helicopters  ).

The next airspeed is it VX and it applies to a slightly different type of climb performance. VX offers the Best Climb Angle meaning it yields the greatest altitude gain per given distance. This is especially important to consider when obstacles are a concerning factor during takeoff's, such as when in a confined area. It differs from VY in that VY is the best climb over time and VX is the best climb over distance.

Next is the Velocity Best Range (VBR) also known as Max Range airspeed. This is the speed that gives the greatest range per unit of fuel consumed. Think of this as being the speed that gives you the most miles per gallon. Anytime you're transitioning from A to B, this is the speed that's most efficient for getting you there. It's calculated by dividing your airspeed by fuel flow per hour and finding where range per unit of fuel is highest. Let's say as an example at 100 knots the fuel flow is 200 pounds per hour for your aircraft. That comes to a 0.5 nautical miles per gallon. At at 50 knots the fuel flow is 143 pounds per hour, which comes to 0.35 nautical miles per gallon. Whichever airspeed gives you your highest distance per unit of fuel is your Max Range airspeed.

At the very top of the chart is in VH which is the Maximum Speed based on engine performance. This occurs where your maximum torque line intersects with your gross weight line at the top of the chart. VH is sometimes called Velocity Horizontal because it represents the maximum speed you can fly in straight and level flight.

The last speed in the list is VNE. This stands for velocity to not exceed because it can result in retreating blade stall or damage to the helicopter. It's usually only able to be achieved in a dive due to it being higher than VH. For more info on this I have an entire video that covers it. Check it out here (   • Retreating Blade Stall/VNE in Helicop...  ).

That concludes crucial airspeed every helicopter pilot should know. I hope this helps shed light on why it's important to understand how your speed and drag affect efficiency as well as how the way you fly can be dictated by the job you're doing in the helicopter. Thanks for watching! Don't forget to hit like and subscribe below. Be sure to like us on Facebook as well. As always, safe flying!


If you're just getting started and want more information, pictures, and more explanations, I'd recommend reading the Rotorcraft Flying Handbook - http://amzn.to/2ifPlnZ. If you've already got a basic understanding, and want to further your professional helicopter education with advanced helicopter concepts, I'd recommend reading Cyclic and Collective, by Shawn Coyle - http://amzn.to/2ifQGLx