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Vortex ring state for helicopters
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Description

Reasons:
This will make flying helicopters a much bigger challenge. Adds to the realism of the game. Might of been one of the reasons why one of the helicopters crashed during the bin laden raid.

Definition:
The vortex ring state, also known as settling with power, is a dangerous condition that may arise in helicopter flight, when a vortex ring system engulfs the rotor causing severe loss of lift. Essentially, the helicopter descends into its own downwash. When the condition arises, increasing the rotor power merely feeds the vortex motion without generating additional lift.

Occurrence:
A helicopter normally encounters this condition when attempting to hover out of ground effect above the hovering ceiling for the aircraft, hovering out of ground effect without maintaining precise altitude control, and while making downwind or steep, powered approaches when the airspeed drops to nearly zero.

Detection:
The signs of settling with power are a vibration in the main rotor system followed by an increasing sink rate and possibly a decrease of cyclic authority.

Correction:
In single rotor helicopters, the vortex ring state can be corrected by moving the cyclic control forward, which controls the pitch angle of the rotor blade, slightly pitching nose down, and establishing forward flight. In tandem-rotor helicopters, recovery is accomplished through lateral cyclic or pedal input. The aircraft will fly into "clean air", and will be able to regain lift.

Details

Legacy ID
981817973
Severity
None
Resolution
Fixed
Reproducibility
N/A
Category
Feature Request
Additional Information

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RI_C9cUIYI - An example of VRS on FSX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrsGM0PzQFo - Another example with words and pictures. There is actual video footage of a helicopter crashing because of this too if you need to see how it would be in real life.

Here is that video:((((( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP72wdgq5PU&feature=player_detailpage#t=60s )))))

I got my information from wiki, youtube, and some forums about VRS.

Event Timeline

Blaxican edited Steps To Reproduce. (Show Details)Jul 20 2013, 5:30 AM
Blaxican edited Additional Information. (Show Details)
Blaxican set Category to Feature Request.
Blaxican set Reproducibility to N/A.
Blaxican set Severity to None.
Blaxican set Resolution to Fixed.
Blaxican set Legacy ID to 981817973.May 7 2016, 3:34 PM
mick0n added a subscriber: mick0n.May 7 2016, 3:34 PM

This might be just me, but this belongs in take on helicopters rather than in Arma 3.

Bohemia added a subscriber: Bohemia.May 7 2016, 3:34 PM

Yes it's a shame that helicopters have to be kept so easy so everyone can fly them...only they can't, people crashed helicopters in arma 2 so what difference does it really make. All they do is hold back progress.

Not to mention TKOH was built on the difficulty system so flying with it on the lowest was essentially the same as Arma 2 save for a change in how collective works (IE based on % of power) with higher difficulty adding torque and wind effects, further customizable so that users can find the balance that they want.

It might be just me then because i want the absolute experience when i play and the more challenging it is for me the better. That is one of the reasons why i always play arma 2 ace/acre. Just recently i bought a flight stick and i pretty much got it down in a couple hours of using it and it would of been sooner if the throttle on arma 3 wasn't so weird compared to take on helicopters throttle.

I do not want it to be more simple, I still want it to be the simulator it is with the difficulty that brings. However I do not see the added benefit of implementing such details as this vortex ring state into Arma 3 where focus isn't on helicopters in particular.

Part of the problem with all of this is the existance of take on helicopters. It's sort of common belief when it comes to gaming that games which share engines, especially the flagship of the series, should have all of the capabilities of it's previous spin offs.

oukej added a comment.Jul 22 2013, 3:38 PM

Thank you for your feedback but sadly I'll have to disappoint you.

We won't be implementing the VRS in ARMA3. As mentioned, this ticket would be more related to our dedicated simulator game, Take On Helicopters.

Quick-spamming some links to our forum for more information:
http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?141892-RTD%28-RotorLib-FDM-%29-Question
http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?146949-TOH-flight-model-if-when-how
http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?147740-Helicopter-physics-impressions-simplified

The posts say it will be implement down the line with TOH flight model I think, if I read it right!

gonk added a subscriber: gonk.May 7 2016, 3:34 PM
gonk added a comment.Jul 23 2013, 6:00 AM

the way I read it.... the flight model is staying the same as in arma2

Mass close.