Coupled Hover
In the MH-60T helicopter, pilots can utilize the autopilot to fly a coupled hover (at a selected lateral and longitudinal groundspeed and a selected altitude). Because in our community most hovering situations require too much precision for the coupled hover, and pilots rarely harness the equipment in training, operationally it is overlooked. However, like the PATCH, by letting the aircraft do the flying, the coupled hover significantly decreases pilot workload, which increases situational awareness, as both pilots can monitor the hover or air taxi and back up the autopilot, instead of one concentrating on hand flying with limited visual cues.
If a hover does not require precision, it may be advantageous to employ the coupled hover. Here are a few examples:
A poor weather nighttime search where the crew sees something they want to investigate. The pilot flying puts the object out the right side of the aircraft and uses a fair amount of bandwidth hovering the helicopter with minimal visual cues. Engaging the coupled hover allows the pilot more bandwidth to observe the object with the FM.
Similarly, during a nighttime offshore hoist from a deep draft vessel, hovering abeam the intended hoist position with coupled hover engaged, the pilot has more SA to evaluate potential hoist areas, manage risk, and create a plan.
Finally, I have found the most beneficial use of the coupled hover is when air taxiing in the vicinity of obstacles in low visibility and it can be used at the bottom of both a PATCH or a MATCH. For example, to navigate Southeast Alaska, Air Station Sitka uses low visibility routes over water, through channels with rising terrain on both sides that terminate in predetermined MATCHS near villages and airports. Juneau is a cornerstone of their operations because it provides a capable hospital, fuel, a hangar and lodging.
Because Juneau’s IFR infrastructure has no utility for helicopters (e.g., published instrument approach procedure (IAP) minimums for Juneau are 1800’ ceilings), low visibility/ceilings require Coast Guard aircrews to fly a MATCH to the center of a large bay, turn 90 degrees, and air taxi toward a peninsula to a river, then up the river for several hundred yards until the crew can transition to the runway, which runs perpendicular to the river. Engaging the coupled hover at the bottom of the MATCH decreases crew workload and increases crew situational awareness, allowing both pilots to apply more bandwidth to radar navigation, backed up by the moving map, to ensure the helicopter is in the right position, on the right course and at the appropriate groundspeed/closure rates.
