How dangerous are helicopters to fly in compared with fixed-wing aircraft?

Question

I don't know if its true that they're much more dangerous but give me a Cessna any day.

Answer 1

i wouldnt any more dangerous.but they are alot harder to fly!..

Answer 2

They are not any more dangerous, it's just you can put yourself in more dangerous situations in Helicopters.

Fix wings transition through the "Red area", Helicopters continuously operate in that area.

Answer 3

Both are safer than other forms of transportation but relatively, the helicopter is dangerous. The heli is not only harder to fly but if u lose your main engine (main rotor), you cannot glide as compared to a fixed wing.

Fixed winged aircrafts usually fly very high that usually when you lose lift or something like that, you have some altitude to recover. Not so much for the heli.

But the heli can take you more places the fixed wing cannot.

Answer 4

It depends on what type of machine you are talking about and what the flying conditions are.

A Bell 214 doing heli logging is far more dangerous than a Cessna 172 doing circuits.

A Cessna 172 doing low-level survey work is more dangerous than a Bell 206 cruising along at 2000ft AGL.

Helicopters can autorotate if they are out of the dead man's curve in the Height vs Velocity diagram which is just as safe if not safer than gliding.

However if a dynamic component fails in a helicopter (like a main rotor, transmission, mast, etc) the results are usually fatal.

Answer 5

How dangerous?

Well it is hard to tell. They both have quite different applications, they should both be use for the purpose they are designed for.

Most important thing about any flying object is the fact that they need to be inspected and reinspected from time to time. If that is done on time then they are safe.

Helicopters, as a rule have two major weakness, all the load goes through main rotter bearing, and they cannot glide.

Most of the failure are attributed to the main rotor bearing failing in the flight. Then there are hazards such as high tension wires and the other obstacles. If the rotter bearing fails then it will come down like a rock.

Answer 6

i dont know how thez are doing in statistics, but both means of transport are much safer than travelling by car. obviously it depends from the territory of operations, since helicopters in the battlefield are in a higher threat enviroment than fixed wing crews. Speaking of civil aviation, unless you have a pilot that is decided to kill himself , both means are comparable in safety ratings.

Answer 7

helicopters are the most exiting means to fly, i have flown both fixed wing and helicopters and believe me they are so much fun and great visibility all round. You can recover from most mechanical failures nowdays and land safely. They are as safe if not safer than fixed wing. You have to try it out! About £200 for a trial lesson.