If there are limits to everything, no one told Chuck Aaron. The 60-year-old is the first and only civilian pilot to be licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration to perform aerobatics in a helicopter, which he does 25 times a year across the U.S. in a tricked up BO-105, courtesy of Red Bull. “People absolutely can’t believe what they’re seeing,” Chuck says, laughing. “How can a helicopter go upside down and flip over backwards and do all those crazy things?”
After flying 33 different helicopter models for more than 18,000 hours of flight time, you’d think Chuck, with his laid-back demeanor, handlebar mustache and surfer blond hair, would have absolutely no fear of flying. “I’m nervous every time I get in an aircraft for an air show,” Chuck says. “I have this ritual where I sit in the helicopter for 30 minutes and redirect my thinking to the maneuvers and the safety mechanics. But risk is what it takes in life.”
He’s been in charge of NASA’s Space Shuttle Air Rescue Program and done stunt flying in films like the Rock and television shows like NCIS. He helped the U.S. Department of Defense develop and test night-vision systems and rebuilt three Cobras from leftover military parts. He’s been a crop duster and traffic reporter and has flown banners at the beach. But it’s what he does these days in a helicopter—back flips, 360-degree rolls, and a heart-stopping combination known as the Chuckcilvak—that has earned him daredevil status.
The future is likely to find Chuck hovering upside-down in the Red Bull helicopter—“I’ve pretty much figured out the mechanics, I just need to convince the pilot,” he says. Whatever we catch him doing next, one thing is certain: The sky is the limit.
Master of His Art
The International Council of Air Shows presents the award each year to the performer or air show act that has best demonstrated those qualities by which Art Scholl himself set the standard for all other performers to try to follow.
Chuck is the only FAA-certified helicopter stunt pilot and is a master at making a helicopter do things ‘it isn't supposed to do’. He taught himself how to fly the aerobatic routine he performs at air shows in the Red Bull helicopter and now has 23 years and over 17,000 hours of experience.
Rated by many as the most talented air show pilot of his generation, Art Scholl was a renowned aerobatic pilot and consummate air show performer. Scholl flew before an estimated audience of around 80 million people over 20 years and he appeared in over 200 films, documentaries and television commercials.
The Selection Committee are therefore tough to impress; just to be in contention for this award, the nominee must fulfill a number of specific criteria, such as: What does the performer do and how has he structured his act to improve its entertainment value? How has the candidate distinguished and differentiated himself from other, more traditional air show performers? What has the candidate done to improve and increase the overall level of showmanship in the air show community? Does the candidate deserve to be recognized in the same context as Art Scholl and the 22 past recipients of this award?
More than 1,500 members of the aviation community were in attendance in Las Vegas at the awards banquet following the International Council of Air Shows’ annual convention on December 9 to witness Chuck receiving his award. His acceptance speech was rounded off with an enthusiastic exclamation of ‘Yeah Baby’, to the delight of the audience.
Helicopters Upside Down?
How Do Helicopters Fly Upside Down?Vizualize Prior to the early 1960s, a suggestion that a helicopter could fly upside down was likely to generate more laughs than serious consideration. However, Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) changed that thinking with its B0-105 "rigid rotor" design. This aircraft was originally developed to meet West German requirements for its military's speedy new Light Observation Helicopter (LOH). To resolve engineering issues associated with power-to-weight constraints, MBB re-engineered a portion of the rotor hub assembly by removing the hinges that helped control and connect the main blades to the aircraft's power shaft.
Semi-Rigid
Semi-rigid assemby: Robinson HelicopterPrior to the BO-105, all helicopters utilized what were referred to as semi-rigid rotor systems. In this configuration, the main rotor blades were connected to a central swashplate by articulating hinges that allowed each blade to flap up under power, while also allowing the blades to move fore and aft to accommodate for the lead or lag. As an assembly the system was heavy, and added significant maintenance complexity.
Rigid
While the original design requirements for the new helicopter were being published, a host of new high-strength, low-weight composite products were beginning to enter the commercial aerospace market. It occurred to MBB that if it could integrate these products within its helicopter, it would be able to generate a significant performance advantage. One of the engineering focus areas was the hefty nature of the hinged rotor assembly and accordingly, it designed and produced a new "hingeless" configuration that was stronger than the original, at a significantly lower weight.
Flopping, Not Flying
Once the aircraft was fully certified as a hingless system throughout its nominal flight regime, the MBB test community decided to see what else it could do with the aircraft and its new system. Since it was clear that the configuration allowed for significant strength under power, it followed that, since the blades were a part of the fully integrated central hub, the aircraft could actually roll inverted without having the blades fold up. The first time one of MBB's pilots took off to attempt the maneuver, there was probably some concern, but the aircraft's roll performance was acceptable at the end of the day. The only downside was that since the aircraft initially carried asymmetric blades it tended to fall, or "flop," through the roll, rather than producing a well-carved rotation. Once the MBB team mounted symmetric blades, the tendency to flop through was nearly entirely eliminated and the aircraft simply just became more and more aerobatic.
The Past Becomes Today
Between the mid-sixties and 1991, when the BO-105 production line was finally closed in favor of a newer light helicopter variant, the aircraft and its rigid-rotor design became one of the most flown and purchased aircraft in history. The helicopter became a favorite among military aerobatic teams along with various commercial airshow teams. Of these, the Red Bull Aerobatic Team is probably best known. Every weekend in the summer, its blue and red helos pirouette across the sky doing seemingly impossible maneuvers.
The Future
As a result of the BO-105 and its original design nearly all military helicopters carry rigid-rotor systems today. The innovation has spawned a host of new ancillary systems including; bent-tipped blades for better speed, better all-round flight characteristics, greater lifting capacities and, of course, more complex aerobatics. In fact, the ability to roll inverted in military helicopter operations has engendered entirely new doctrinal thinking throughout the military helicopter community.source:redbull/youtube/rickcarlton/ehow/
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