Flying Through the Vortex

[Vlerkies]

An interesting read for the flingwing fans.

 

A new technique allows pilots to fly out of vortex ring state in a powered climb.

 

http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/personal-corporate/personal-ac/Flying-Through-the-Vortex_85872.html#.VhytAlUrKUl

 

Rather than forward cyclic and reduce collective (as I have been teaching and evaluating for years), he actually increased the collective to climb power, added the appropriate left pedal to keep the nose straight and applied right cyclic. The combination of tail rotor thrust and right bank moved the aircraft to the right and almost immediately out of the vortex ring. I was amazed. After a little practice, I was making recoveries from a fully developed vortex ring state with only 20 to 30 ft of altitude loss.

 

Can read the digital issue here.

http://accessintelligence.imirus.com/Mpowered/book/vrw15/i986/p32

Edited October 13, 2015 by Vlerkies

[=Mac=]

I have been in numerous VRS's, primarily due to my inexperience and clumsiness. However, without reading the "standard procedure" and the Vuichard Recovery method, I independently came to the Vuichard on my own. The only change from my way is the heavy use of left pedal. I just used left pedal to keep the nose straight, not to turn into the bank. I also lose quite a bit of altitude, though. Maybe I'll try a more heavy left pedal, tomorrow.

 

Thanks for the link.

[SFC Tako]

Good info! :thumbup:

[Vlerkies]

I have been in numerous VRS's, primarily due to my inexperience and clumsiness. However, without reading the "standard procedure" and the Vuichard Recovery method, I independently came to the Vuichard on my own. The only change from my way is the heavy use of left pedal. I just used left pedal to keep the nose straight, not to turn into the bank. I also lose quite a bit of altitude, though. Maybe I'll try a more heavy left pedal, tomorrow.

 

Thanks for the link.

 

It sounds like an artful balance of just enough climb power and left pedal to keep the heli facing forward, while slipping to the right out of the disturbed air.

 

Will give it a few goes tonight and see.

It looks like, in RL at least in the Robbie's the loss of alt during this manouvre is far less than the conventional approach of reduced power and cyclic forward.

Edited October 13, 2015 by Vlerkies

[Cibit]

My recoveries always find me looking for clean air. Pedals always come into play but not for keeping straight more to give a bit more power to the rotors and a dip of the nose to the right cushion into IGE and alight gently:)

 

Practising autorotations from 1000 feet helps to educate yourself to recover more efficiently certainly in my case;)

[Slazi]

After a lot of practice time, I'm usually able to escape vrs quite quickly as long as I'm focused. Any direction works.

[ESAc_matador]

I try to avoid descent rates higher than 5 or so... when I am flying slow.... just that. When the machine starts to vibrate I put some collective to avoid entering the VR.

[DirtyFret]

Holy mother of .... :bounce:

 

This "Vuichard Recovery"-technique really deserves a short educational video in DCS

 

Reading the article and after practicing literally 10 minutes in the Mi-8 I am now able to recover from VRS in less than 20-40m of altitude loss after initiation of this recovery procedure.

 

Of course the recovery procedure is reversed in the Mi-8 (left cyclic - climb power collective - right pedal) but it works :smartass::thumbup:

 

Great find Vlerkies. Here, have some rep. :yes:

Edited October 13, 2015 by DirtyFret

[AG-51_Razor]

Logging pilots have been using that technique for decades.

[Udat]

So it actually works in game.. That is really cool, if expected. I just attended the Robinson safety course at the factory in Torrance, and was curious if you guys had tried it yet. I'll just add a little clarification: the recovery actually happens as the rotor disc enters the upwards (outer) flow of the tip votice, and not clean air.

I am baffled as to how this is only now starting to become a "big thing" in heli aviation if it has been practiced for decades..

[Kappi]

Remember, it is the tail rotor thrust that helps move the helicopter to the right to enable the recovery, so the left pedal is essential.

 

Haven´t tried it out in game yet, but if I understand it correctly then it doesn´t work for the Ka-50 because of the missing tail rotor? Am I correct?:book:

[Udat]

Haven´t tried it out in game yet, but if I understand it correctly then it doesn´t work for the Ka-50 because of the missing tail rotor? Am I correct?:book:

 

You should try it. The trick is to have climb power ready, and sidestep into the upward portion of the tip vortices. As long as this can be done quickly enough to get there before the vortices follow the fuselage, it should work. The tail rotor makes this easier. My guess is that it will work in the shark, but require more violent maneuvering to achieve.

[j0nx]

I am going to try this in the mi-8. That thing goes into VRS if you look at it sideways. I have hundreds of hours in choppers between FSX and DCS and the mi-8 is by far the hardest one I've ever flown. Much harder and squirlier than the Huey was to learn which is the opposite from what I've read online by people who fly both. The Huey is a breeze in comparison for me.

[AG-51_Razor]

So it actually works in game.. That is really cool, if expected. I just attended the Robinson safety course at the factory in Torrance, and was curious if you guys had tried it yet. I'll just add a little clarification: the recovery actually happens as the rotor disc enters the upwards (outer) flow of the tip votice, and not clean air.

I am baffled as to how this is only now starting to become a "big thing" in heli aviation if it has been practiced for decades..

 

I'm not sure about it's becoming a "big thing", but I can assure you that the logging community has been doing this for a very, very long time. A logging pilot might even go so far as to say that, "I live in settling with power!". Using a long line (50+ meters) and working in a very high production environment, this vortex ring state is encountered with almost every approach to the log landing and there is very little altitude or room available to allow for the FAA's text book maneuver to get out of settling with power - lowering the collective and flying forward out of it. So the answer is to just slip to the side and pull pitch to stop. It works very well! :thumbup:

[Udat]

I'm not sure about it's becoming a "big thing", but I can assure you that the logging community has been doing this for a very, very long time. A logging pilot might even go so far as to say that, "I live in settling with power!". Using a long line (50+ meters) and working in a very high production environment, this vortex ring state is encountered with almost every approach to the log landing and there is very little altitude or room available to allow for the FAA's text book maneuver to get out of settling with power - lowering the collective and flying forward out of it. So the answer is to just slip to the side and pull pitch to stop. It works very well! :thumbup:

 

That is very interesting!

I didn't realize that pilots would fly in conditions as hazardous as that. I am curious as to whether the FAA "knows/cares" about it, and if they have a valid reason not to incorporate it and support it. At the safety course they seemed to have been taken by surprise when learning about the maneuver. I am surprised that they didn't have any prior knowledge of the technique. As a sidenote, they recently incorporated into the R-22/44/66 PoH as Safety Notice SN-22: http://www.robinsonheli.com/service_library/safety_notices/rhc_sn22.pdf

 

I see by your info that you are located in Oregon. Do you fly there? I am currently in CFI training at Hillsboro Aero Academy in Troutdale. Would be funny if you're a DPE and we'd flown together allready :)

[Zimmerdylan]

I am going to try this in the mi-8. That thing goes into VRS if you look at it sideways. I have hundreds of hours in choppers between FSX and DCS and the mi-8 is by far the hardest one I've ever flown. Much harder and squirlier than the Huey was to learn which is the opposite from what I've read online by people who fly both. The Huey is a breeze in comparison for me.

 

 

 

I have been using this technique for some time in the Huey. However.....It's a disaster when I try it in the Mi8. I have yet to do it successfully in that module. It does work in the Gazelle also tho.