I wish to get training and a helicopter pilot license. Will I use any REAL algebra on written work or tests?

Question

I wish to get training and a helicopter pilot license. Will I use any REAL algebra on written work or tests?

Answer 1

In forty years of flying, nine of them in helicopters, I cannot recall ever using algebra. Not once.

Answer 2

The answer would be...yep...but not a lot.

I'm a fixed wing pilot, not rotorcraft, but we all get similar tests when going for the private pilot certificate. Typically, the algebra needed is not much more things like:

150(75)= 16X. (Don't check my answer! I just spit the numbers out of my head!!)

That would be like something you'd figure for doing weight and balance. Shouldn't be much more complex than that. Math in aviation is pretty easy and tends to look like the above, whether it's weight/balance or fuel calculations, etc. Heck, you can use a flight computer on the tests, so as long as you know how to work the flight computer, you can potentially not have to worry about the math.

If a rotorcraft pilot tells you otherwise, listen to them. Could be things about helo's that I'm not aware of.