Autorotation Photo Sequence

This first photo is about 1/2 mile from the runway. Airspeed at this point is 60 knots, altitude about 700 feet AGL (above ground level).

The next photo shows us over the threshold, at about 200 feet AGL, airspeed 65 knots.

This picture shows us in the flare. Compare the position of the instrument panel in this picture and in the previous picture. The top of the instrument panel in the previous picture is way below the horizon, in this picture it is above the horizon because the pilot has pitched the nose of the helicopter up to slow our descent rate and forward speed. We're at about 25 feet AGL here.

And here we've gotton rid of the flare (note that the instrument panel is back down low in the picture again) and actually touched down on the runway. Depending on the amount of wind, the helicopter will tend to slide somewhere between 0 and 20 feet after touchdown. Normally the touchdown will be very soft, similar to what you experience during a normal power-on landing.

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