Quote:
Originally Posted by Sanjuro
Best guess so far for the cause of the helo crash is "vortex ring"- where, when descending in the hover, the air that goes down through the rotors cannot disperse (trapped by a confined space, for example) and flows up and around the outside, then back down again, so the helicopter rotor is trying to fly in a column of air that is falling much faster. Think of it like trying to actually gain height on a Stairmaster and you've got the picture...
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I think they had this problem with some of the early Osprey test flights didn't they? Lost several aircraft to it in fact.