Most of the time when you see a helicopter flying overhead, they are usually not that high up in the sky. But can they go higher? Like above the clouds? If you are wondering, can helicopters fly above clouds, this is the article to read.
Yes, Helicopters can fly above clouds, given that they are lower than the max altitude of the helicopter. However, to be allowed to fly above clouds pilots must be IFR-rated, meaning that they rely on flight instruments to attain safe flight.
Besides low visibility, there are plenty of other issues a pilot will have to face if he or she chooses to fly at or above the cloud level. In this article, I’m going to discuss in detail everything about flying helicopters at extreme altitudes.
Table of Contents
Can Helicopters Fly into Clouds?
Helicopters are just like any other machine with mechanical limits. Although helicopters can handle some bad weather, it is not advisable to fly helicopters right into clouds. This is for a couple of reasons.
Low Temperature: First up, the temperatures, as mentioned, can be detrimental for the machinery and the rotors of the helicopter at extreme altitudes.
Low Visibility: Another reason a pilot might avoid flying into clouds is the lack of visibility. To pilot a helicopter safely, good visibility is crucial. And as you and many others may know, clouds give you anything but good visibility. This can cause you to bump into obstacles or hit hills depending on where you are flying. Or even hit other planes/helicopters in the air.
Spatial Disorientation: A loss of visibility during the night time especially, is one of the most unideal situations for a pilot. Pilots flying under visual flight rules rely on a visible horizon to help orient themselves when airborne.
If you find yourself inside of clouds, the lack of visibility and certainly not having a clear horizon in sight, can cause what is known as ‘spatial disorientation’.
Spatial disorientation is essentially when a pilot is not able to determine the altitude, speed, or even the angle during flight. All of which are very important for a safe flight.
Navigating in The Clouds – A Test of Skills and Technology
Pilots are trained rigorously before they are allowed to take flight. Most flights ensure the flying conditions are safe before taking off. However, things can be unpredictable and helicopter pilots can find themselves in the clouds.
This is where pilots make use of their training and the instruments at hand to navigate bad weather conditions like cloudy skies. To understand how pilots navigate these conditions, you need to grasp two key concepts. VFR and IFR.
VFR and IFR:
VFR stands for Visual Flight Rules and IFR stands for Instrument Flight Rules. Both of which are a key component in a pilot’s arsenal. There are a couple of reasons which may prompt the pilot to choose either of the two.
Weather conditions are one of them. If pilots choose to fly VFR, some critical conditions need to be met. One of them is that pilots are not allowed to fly through clouds. Another condition that needs to be met for VFR is minimum horizon visibility.
When flying VFR pilots are also required to scan the airspace for other aircraft to avoid collisions.
IFR, on the other hand, relies on the instruments during flight. This is used when proper visual conditions are not met. Thus, if a flight ran into clouds, pilots can use IFR to safely navigate out of it.
Flying IFR requires special training. Pilots need to be rated to be able to fly IFR. It is also important to note that IFR in most cases will require filing a flight plan to maintain proper safety precautions.
ATC (Air Traffic Control) will also be ready to assist pilots flying IFR with extra information to further increase the chances of a safe flight.
Can Helicopters Land and Takeoff in Foggy Conditions?
Helicopter flights are of course optimal when weather conditions are ideal. In many cases, if the conditions are not ideal before a flight, the flight itself can be canceled.
While helicopters can take off in foggy conditions, it does not mean they should. The lack of visibility is the main danger here.
Landing is another issue. The dangers are the same here. The lack of visibility, depending on the severity of the conditions may make it difficult for the pilot to see the ground.
A harsh landing can cause damage to the helicopter as well. Even taking off during foggy conditions and running into clouds can cause some damage if the clouds had ice forming in them. These damages can range in the millions – so it is not an insignificant amount.
How Ice Build-Up in Clouds Might Affect the Helicopter
We touched on the lack of visibility as being a major safety hazard. Another factor pilots need to keep an eye on is ice buildup. Ice buildup in the clouds and in places where it is naturally very cold, can be very detrimental to helicopters if not handled properly.
Flying in freezing conditions can cause ice to form on the fuselage and rotors, which increases drag and makes the airframe less aerodynamic. If enough ice is allowed to build up the effects on performance could bereave a helicopter of its ability to create lift, consequently causing it to crash. If the helicopter is equipped with anti-icing equipment it can, however, be used to tackle the problem in most cases.
Depending on the helicopter, ice, therefore, can be quite fatal for helicopters. In fact, just in the US alone, 800 fatalities and 583 accidents were reported due to airframe-icing over a course of 19 years.
Bad visibility can be dangerous and fatal in the worst of cases. It increases the chance of collision and spatial disorientation, which is another factor to consider. But ice buildup can be equally as dangerous as shown by the data.
Conclusion
Flying a helicopter or even riding on one as a passenger, can be a thrilling experience. Safety is always crucial though. Hopefully, this article has helped shed some light on helicopter flight safety and answered the question “can helicopters fly above clouds?”.
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