A turn, or a series of turns, can be made during an autorotation in order to land into the wind or avoid obstacles. The turn is usually made early so that the remainder of the autorotation is the same as a straight in autorotation. The most common types are 90° and 180° autorotations. The technique below describes a 180° autorotation.

Establish the aircraft on downwind at recommended airspeed at 700 feet AGL, parallel to the touchdown area.

In a no wind or headwind condition, establish the ground track approximately 200 feet away from the touchdown point. If a strong crosswind exists, it will be necessary to move your downwind leg closer or farther out. When abeam the intended touchdown point, reduce collective, and then split the needles. Apply proper antitorque pedal and cyclic to maintain proper attitude.

Cross check attitude, trim, rotor r.p.m., and airspeed.

After the descent and airspeed is established, roll into a 180° turn. For training, you should initially roll into a bank of a least 30°, but no more than 40°. Check your airspeed and rotor r.p.m. Throughout the turn, it is important to maintain the proper airspeed and keep the aircraft in trim. Changes in the aircraft’s attitude and the angle of bank cause a corresponding change in rotor r.p.m. Adjust the collective, as necessary, in the turn to maintain rotor r.p.m. in the green arc.

At the 90° point, check the progress of your turn by glancing toward your landing area. Plan the second 90 degrees of turn to roll out on the centerline. If you are too close, decrease the bank angle; if too far out, increase the bank angle. Keep the helicopter in trim with antitorque pedals.

The turn should be completed and the helicopter aligned with the intended touchdown area prior to passing through 100 feet AGL. If the collective pitch was increased to control the r.p.m., it may have to be lowered on roll out to prevent a decay in r.p.m. Make an immediate power recovery if the aircraft is not aligned with the touchdown point, and if the rotor r.p.m. and/or airspeed is not within proper limits.

From this point, complete the procedure as if it were a straight-in autorotation.

Power failures in a hover, also called hovering autorotations, are practiced so that you automatically make the correct response when confronted with engine stoppage or certain other emergencies while hovering.

The techniques discussed in this section refer to helicopters with a counter-clockwise rotor system and an antitorque rotor.

To practice hovering autorotations, establish a normal hovering altitude for the particular helicopter being used, considering load and atmospheric conditions.

Keep the helicopter headed into the wind and hold maximum allowable r.p.m.

To simulate a power failure, firmly roll the throttle into the spring loaded override position, if applicable. This disengages the driving force of the engine from the rotor, thus eliminating torque effect. As the throttle is closed, apply proper antitorque pedal to maintain heading. Usually, a slight amount of right cyclic control is necessary to keep the helicopter from drifting to the left, to compensate for the loss of tail rotor thrust.

However, use cyclic control, as required, to ensure a vertical descent and a level attitude. Leave the collective pitch where it is on entry.

Helicopters with low inertia rotor systems will begin to settle immediately. Keep a level attitude and ensure a vertical descent with cyclic control while maintaining heading with the pedals. At approximately 1 foot above the surface, apply upward collective pitch control, as necessary, to slow the descent and cushion the landing.

Usually the full amount of collective pitch is required.

As upward collective pitch control is applied, the throttle has to be held in the closed position to prevent the rotor from re-engaging.