HELICOPTER VORTEX RING STATE : Understanding the Dangerous Phenomenon

To be a good helicopter pilot and to avoid accidents, you need to know the hazardous flight conditions well. This is the first video in the series of "Hazardous Helicopter Flight Conditions". We study the Vortex Ring State, also previously referred to as Settling with power.
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The links to the demonstrations in full :
HTV :
• Helicopter Vortex...
• Helicopter Vortex Ring...
www.HelicoperTrainingVideos.com
VRSAF :
• Vuichard Recovery...
• Vuichard Recovery Tech...
www.vrasf.org
A huge thank you to Helicopter Training Videos, Vuichard Recovery Aviation Safety Foundation and AERIAL STAGE for their video clips.
Your comments, questions and suggestions are always welcome.
In future episodes we will study :
LTE (Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness)
Mast Bumping
Ground Resonance
Dynamic and Static Rollover
Carburetor Icing
Rotor Stall
Music:
Mechanolith by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
0:00 intro
0:45 Vortex Ring State
1:12 accident
2:37 analysis & explanation
4:47 dangers
5:18 avoidance
6:37 solutions
6:50 autorotation
7:08 exit forward
8:59 exit sideways
10:17 outro

[@robertbeltowski2819]

That was a great explanation, very will said...thank you. As a private owner/pilot of a R22 Alpha, I can also add that hovering over water can cause the same problem and the helicopter will sink into the water. Add some cyclic in any direction to move the helicopter before it is to late. Unless you have floats.

[@flyhighytb]

Thank you for your helpful contribution 😀

[@dchampagne1000]

Great video! You should do a video on helicopter safety briefings. Like inflating the life jacket

[@flyhighytb]

That’s an excellent idea. Noted 👍

[@dchampagne1000]

@@flyhighytb thank you 🙏🏻

[@richardwallinger1683]

great info .. I am / was a super experienced R/C helicopter pilot .. after a demo flight the approach was compromised by the tailwind with high buildings making an into wind approach not an option . my 1.6 m rotor dia Jet ranger model entered a vortex ring decent . Thankfully I had been in David Nieman,s Robinson R44 when he showed me an autorotation and a vortex ring recovery .. his method which worked for me with my R/C model .Was to dump the collective and get rid of the dirty air . I loved the lama smoke effects .

[@flyhighytb]

Fab Richard. It takes a lot of skill to fly those ! 😄 Thanks for thé contribution !

[@user-bh7um7ih3b]

Very nice- I have about 90 hrs' in an Ultralight, never flown rotary wing. everything you explained made sense, tho it took me a bit to grasp.. TY for the info

[@flyhighytb]

Cool, thanks

[@RCCopterLove]

You are explaining very well why most pilots react in the first monent in the wrong way raising the collective pitch when they feel a sudden loss of altitude. Good to know how to avoid a Vortex Ring State situations with avoiding too few airpeed, too how decending rates and tailwind. And it was amazing to see how fast you can end this state with flying out forwards or sideways. I am just flying RC helis, and they have so much power in relation to the weight that we don't experience such problems. But even though I am avoiding tail wind landings and take offs because I feel much less control.

[@flyhighytb]

Excellent. 👍

[@pabloalvarez5405]

Again, well done Caroline👍

[@flyhighytb]

Thank you so much 🙏

[@JeffreyRassas]

Beautiful job on this video, especially adding the context of a real life situation and trip to the country with a friend. Well done! Cheers.

[@flyhighytb]

Thanks Jeffrey. Glad you found it useful 😊

[@itsjustbonnie6418]

amazing lesson today looking forward to the next one

[@flyhighytb]

Thank you ! 😊

[@haiderk3246]

Hey from Texas love your channel 🥰

[@flyhighytb]

Howdy !! Welcome on board. New video coming shortly 👍😊

[@SammYLightfooD]

Thanks for the nice explanation. Today I flew my mini drone. Battery was slowly getting low as I was high, directly above me so I put it into sports mode and pulled the left (throttle) stick totally down. It descended a bit shaky but well and quickly. I was surprised that I was totally unable to recover the descent although timely trying to add thrust. I crashed but thankfully into the grass and nothing broke. My first thoughts were about software (feedback and control), battery having less power/voltage, hot esc's (speed/motor controller) and stuff like that. But maybe it just was some kind of vortex ring state. Guess I will compare to what happens when i apply forward speed in one of my next flights.

[@flyhighytb]

Thanks for the feedback SammYLightfooD Super interesting comment. I’d be interested to find out more 😊

[@mahanehsani1246]

❤

[@flyhighytb]

🙂

[@douglasreagan4979]

You should do a video on Loss of Tail Rotor Effect.

[@flyhighytb]

Will do, it’s on the list 😊

[@YinYangDPW]

I have asked on other channels explaining VRS before, but never got an answer.
How does VRS act in a coaxial rotor design ? Since each rotor is rotating in the opposite direction, would the vortexes cancel each other out, making VRS impossible in a coaxial rotor design ?

[@flyhighytb]

That’s a very good question. I would imagine that VRS is still possible in a coaxial rotor design because there is still a downwash and VRS happens when the rotors get caught up in this turbulent downwash.

[@daronnecalvin2917]

What are the real chances of recovery from a vortex ring state❓

[@flyhighytb]

If you have been well trained and you are high enough you have an excellent chance to recover bit it all depends on the circumstances. However the best is to remember the golden rule and never get into the vortex ring state in the first place.

[@greysheeum]

One note: The Vuichard method should ONLY be used BEFORE entering VRS. If you increase power after developing VRS, you will accelerate downward dramatically. It’s possible to reach rates of descent over 6000’fpm within a couple of seconds. I have not seen a video that actually shows a fully developed VRS from in the cockpit on any of these teaching channels and it’s unlikely that any will ever surface since most instructors have never experienced fully developed VRS themselves. If you ever truly experience VRS and attempt to raise the collective first to get out of it, you will vow to never attempt that action ever again.

[@flyhighytb]

Thank you greysheeum for your valuable input. 🙏

[@GyrocopterGirl]

I can demonstrate with a R66, that I will recover by just raising the collective only. Weight and DALT are factors too. Some Situation you don't have time to lower the collective first, you pull and at the same time you give the cyclic the impulse where you have space. If doing Vuichard know which side to recover is very very important. But always do as you were taught at school and never try something else without a instructor.

[@flyhighytb]

Wise words 👍

[@hashcr2]

hot

[@flyhighytb]

🙂

[@sicsempertyrannis3251]

How come every time when hovering you don’t go into VRS?

[@flyhighytb]

In a hover, you have the advantage of ground effect and you are not descending into your turbulence.

[@anapaulasilvamouradeolivei5633]

HELLO
GOOD MORNING.
NÃO.BRAZIL

[@flyhighytb]

Good morning to you ! 😃

[@gavnonadoroge3092]

lets continue this lesson in the bedroom

[@flyhighytb]

😂