AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 81
more susceptible as well, unless closure rate
is low enough to where the descent rate is
less than 300 fpm. Helicopter pilots with
mountain experience will be keenly aware
that the helicopter doesn't actually have to
be descending for VRS to occur; a sudden
updraft of at least 300 fpm at airspeed of
less than ETL will have the same effect as
an actual descent. This updraft will create an
upflow of air at the rotor tips and the mast
area, which can induce VRS.
VRS DETECTION
While recognizing the conditions necessary
for VRS is important regarding avoidance,
a helicopter pilot must quickly recognize
when VRS is beginning so as to properly
mitigate the hazard with a proper recovery
procedure. Those who have had the benefit of actual flight training in VRS will know
the helicopter provides feedback through
vibration and the flight controls. The aircraft
will typically shudder laterally with erratic
yaw control, and the flight controls will lag
in response to pilot inputs. Those flying
helicopters with a mast moment indicator
will also note high mast bending. All this is
because of the varying angles of attack across
each main rotor blade, resulting in an unstable rotor disc loading condition. Not every
helicopter operator will conduct flight training in VRS and not every helicopter is even
suitable, so some pilots don't get the benefit of actually experiencing VRS in a training
environment. In addition to the feel of the
flight controls and the lateral/yaw instability, a pilot can detect the early onset of VRS
noting trends with the vertical speed indicator, especially if the aircraft is equipped
with an instantaneous vertical speed indicator (IVSI). While early detection is critical
in all helicopters, it is especially critical with
larger helicopters. A Sikorsky 92 with a
gross weight of 27,700 pounds, though having two engines capable of more than 5,000
horsepower, simply will not recover from a
negative trend in flight as quickly as a lighter
helicopter.
VRS RECOVERY
Until recently, the Helicopter Flying
Handbook and most U.S. military training
procedures still had the VRS recovery procedure as slightly lowering the collective
aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 81
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020
Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - Intro
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - Cover1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 10
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 12
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 18
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 20
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 22
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 24
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 26
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 28
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 30
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 32
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 34
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 36
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 38
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 40
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 42
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 47
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 50
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 58
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 66
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 72
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 81
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 82
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 83
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 87
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 88
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 91
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 94
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 95
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 98
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 99
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 100
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 101
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 108
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - 112
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2020 - Cover4
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