Free Commercial Pilot Helicopter Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Commercial Pilot Helicopter practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1A commercial helicopter pilot plans a daytime passenger flight under Part 91, outside any certificate-holder exception. The pilot will meet the takeoff-and-landing currency requirement by acting as sole manipulator in an appropriately rated helicopter. What is the minimum number of takeoffs and landings required within the preceding 90 days?

   1. A. Two takeoffs and two landings
   2. B. Three takeoffs and three landings
   3. C. Four takeoffs and four landings
   4. D. Six takeoffs and six landings

   Answer: B

   Explanation: Section 61.57(a)(1) requires "at least three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days". The stipulated category, class, type applicability and sole-manipulator conditions must also be met; three is the minimum count for this passenger flight.

   Reference: 14 CFR 61.57 — Recent flight experience: Pilot in command — § 61.57(a)(1)(i)–(ii)

2. 2A helicopter has just been released from scheduled maintenance. As the crew prepares for departure, who remains responsible for ensuring that the aircraft is in an airworthy condition for the flight?

   1. A. The pilot in command
   2. B. The maintenance technician
   3. C. The aircraft manufacturer
   4. D. The airport operations manager

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The FAA states, "it is the responsibility of the pilot in command (PIC) to ensure the aircraft is in an airworthy condition." A maintenance release does not transfer the pilot’s preflight responsibility to maintenance or airport personnel.

   Reference: Helicopter Flying Handbook — Chapter 8: Ground Procedures and Flight Preparations — p. 8-2, Preflight

3. 3A wheel-equipped helicopter must stop short of a runway holding boundary. Its nose extends 5 feet ahead of the nose-wheel reference point, and the forwardmost rotor-tip envelope extends another 3 feet beyond the nose. What minimum nose-wheel setback keeps that forwardmost point from extending past the boundary, before adding any extra operating margin?

   1. A. 2 feet
   2. B. 3 feet
   3. C. 8 feet
   4. D. 5 feet

   Answer: C

   Explanation: The AIM requires stopping "so that no part of the aircraft extends beyond the runway holding position marking." The forwardmost rotor-tip envelope is 5 + 3 = 8 feet ahead of the nose-wheel reference point, so the reference point must be at least 8 feet back before adding any extra margin. Subtracting the distances or using only one of them underestimates the overhang.

   Reference: Aeronautical Information Manual — Section 2-3: Airport Marking Aids and Signs — § 2-3-5, Runway Holding Position Markings on Taxiways

4. 4During a slow vertical liftoff, a helicopter becomes light on its skids and begins to roll instead of rising vertically. What immediate collective response does the FAA recommend while the pilot determines the cause?

   1. A. Increase collective to complete the liftoff
   2. B. Decrease collective to arrest the developing tilt
   3. C. Hold collective while accelerating forward
   4. D. Hold collective while applying opposite lateral cyclic

   Answer: B

   Explanation: The FAA states, "If a roll or tilt begin, decrease the collective and determine the cause of the roll or tilt." The pilot should unload the developing condition rather than force the helicopter airborne; hung gear, loading, or control issues may be involved.

   Reference: Helicopter Flying Handbook — Chapter 9: Basic Flight Maneuvers — p. 9-6, Vertical Takeoff to a Hover, Technique

5. 5During a normal helicopter takeoff from a hover, increasing translational lift produces a tendency for the nose to rise. Which cyclic response does the FAA describe while the pilot establishes normal climb power?

   1. A. Apply right lateral cyclic, coordinated with the other flight controls
   2. B. Apply aft cyclic, coordinated with the other flight controls
   3. C. Apply forward cyclic, coordinated with the other flight controls
   4. D. Apply left lateral cyclic, coordinated with the other flight controls

   Answer: C

   Explanation: The normal-takeoff discussion directs the pilot to "apply enough forward cyclic to overcome the tendency of the nose to rise." This permits smooth acceleration toward climb airspeed instead of an excessive pitch-up.

   Reference: Helicopter Flying Handbook — Chapter 9: Basic Flight Maneuvers — p. 9-12, Normal Takeoff from a Hover, transition through translational lift

6. 6A pilot is setting up a helicopter quick-stop training maneuver in a suitable clear area. What relationship to the wind does the FAA specify for conducting the training maneuver?

   1. A. With a direct tailwind
   2. B. With a direct left crosswind
   3. C. With a direct right crosswind
   4. D. Into the wind

   Answer: D

   Explanation: The handbook directs, "During training, always perform this maneuver into the wind". Entry height and speed must also respect manufacturer recommendations, tail-rotor clearance, and the height/velocity diagram.

   Reference: Helicopter Flying Handbook — Chapter 10: Advanced Flight Maneuvers — p. 10-4, Rapid Deceleration or Quick Stop, Technique

7. 7A helicopter pilot confirms the route by matching a distinctive lake, a highway intersection, and a railroad junction to features on the sectional chart. Which navigation method is the pilot using?

   1. A. Dead reckoning
   2. B. VOR navigation
   3. C. Satellite navigation
   4. D. Pilotage

   Answer: D

   Explanation: The FAA defines pilotage as "navigation by reference to landmarks or checkpoints." Matching identifiable ground features to the chart is pilotage, even when other navigation methods are available.

   Reference: Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge — Chapter 16: Navigation — p. 16-12, Pilotage

8. 8A pilot practices an engine failure from a normal low hover in a helicopter with a counterclockwise main rotor and antitorque rotor, following the FAA’s described technique. At entry, as the throttle is closed to idle, what should happen to the collective before the later landing-cushioning application?

   1. A. Raise it immediately to full travel
   2. B. Do not adjust it on entry
   3. C. Lower it immediately to full travel
   4. D. Lower it partway from the hover setting

   Answer: B

   Explanation: For the described hovering autorotation entry, the FAA states, "Do not adjust the collective on entry." Cyclic and pedals maintain a level vertical descent and heading; upward collective is timed later to cushion touchdown. This low-hover technique differs from an engine-failure entry at altitude.

   Reference: Helicopter Flying Handbook — Chapter 11: Helicopter Emergencies and Hazards — p. 11-8, Practicing Power Failure in a Hover, Technique

9. 9During the low reconnaissance for a confined-area helicopter landing, the pilot checks for hazards missed from above. By which point does the FAA say the decision to land or go around should be made?

   1. A. After descending below the barriers but before touchdown
   2. B. Before decelerating below ETL or descending below the barriers
   3. C. After decelerating below ETL but before reaching hover height
   4. D. After reaching a stationary hover but before touching down

   Answer: B

   Explanation: The handbook directs that the decision be made "prior to decelerating below effective translational lift (ETL), or before descending below the barriers surrounding the confined area." The pilot should decide while the approach still offers the earlier escape options, rather than postpone commitment until inside the site.

   Reference: Helicopter Flying Handbook — Chapter 10: Advanced Flight Maneuvers — p. 10-2, Low Reconnaissance

10. 10A pilot parks a helicopter on an offshore helideck approved for two-helicopter operations. Conditions do not require a greater margin. Under the AIM’s recommended baseline criterion, what is the minimum distance between the parked helicopter’s skid/wheel assembly and the deck edge?

    1. A. 2 feet
    2. B. 3 feet
    3. C. 4 feet
    4. D. 5 feet

    Answer: B

    Explanation: The AIM recommends parking "with a skid/wheel assembly no closer than 3 feet from helideck edge." This is the FAA’s recommended offshore multi-helicopter criterion, not an assertion of a universal statutory distance; deck limitations and conditions can require greater clearance.

    Reference: Aeronautical Information Manual — Section 10-2: Helicopter Special Operations — § 10-2-1, Two (2) Helicopter Operations on Offshore Helidecks, Recommended Criteria, Three foot parking distance