Zentaos Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 (edited) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_ring_state Wiki actually has a very good explanation. From what I understand from the rotorcraft flying handbook, you encounter settling with power after entering VRS. Settling with power does not imply that the helicopter does not have enough power (torque) to slow a decent. It is the addition of power (torque ie: adding collective pitch) that aggravates the condition. As more pitch is pulled the vortex generated increases and in turn increases the rate of descent. It only occurs at little to no forward airspeed, as the helicopter descends into its own downwash. The only way to recover is to move the ship out of the downwash. It is not like a power on descent in fixed wing aircraft. I only have a few hours of fixed wing and rotor flight training, so I am by no means an expert. Hopefully some of the more experienced pilots can help clear it up. "Vortex ring state describes an aerodynamic condition in which a helicopter may be in a vertical descent with 20 percent up to maximum power applied, and little or no climb performance. The term “settling with power” comes from the fact that the helicopter keeps settling even though full engine power is applied." - Direct excerpt from the FAA Helicopter Flying Handbook Edited April 29, 2013 by Zentaos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris CDN Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 My observation is that the difference between the two is that you could, in theory, get out of settling with power if you just had more power. In vortex ring state, more power just makes it worse. Nailed it. I've been a commercial helicopter pilot since 2002. I have flown piston, turbine and twin turbine helicopters all over the world. I can absolutely promise you guys that VRS and SwP are two different things. I know the FAA doesn't academically recognize the difference (although any non-US publication does), but if you ask any helicopter pilot in the real world to explain the difference to you, they will. NSDQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zentaos Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 (edited) I fully understand VRS, but I guess I'm not getting SWP. How does it occur? I want to fully grasp the aerodynamics. As an aspiring pilot and student, I want all the information I can devour. Edited April 29, 2013 by Zentaos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tusler Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 About "Mast bumping" Will be my theme song while learning to fly:music_whistling: Ask Jesus for Forgiveness before you takeoff :pilotfly:! PC=Win 10 HP 64 bit, Gigabyte Z390, Intel I5-9600k, 32 gig ram, Nvidia 2060 Super 8gig video. TM HOTAS WARTHOG with Saitek Pedals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyromaniac4002 Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I fully understand VRS, but I guess I'm not getting SWP. How does it occur? I want to fully grasp the aerodynamics. As an aspiring pilot and student, I want all the information I can devour. I think it's hard to grasp when you would actually experience it because you figure if a helicopter were unable to maintain altitude with full power, it wouldn't have gotten off the ground in the first place, but when you think about specific conditions it makes more sense. If you flew a fully loaded Huey from the beach in Iraq up to the mountains in Afghanistan, you might experience SWP because of the difference in air density. Namely, you were able to lift X amount of weight at sea level safely, but at altitude you exceed the ability of your engine to churn out enough downforce to keep in the air. Like VRS you address it the same way, by increasing your forward momentum, and that will give you lift much in the same way that a regular airplane wing will, and that lift will supplement what you can get with power alone. It seems to me like VRS is something you have to keep an eye on at all times, while SWP will only really occur when you're pushing the limits either weight-wise or altitude-wise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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