Glen wrote:From a pilots viewpoint, I would have thought the backdraft from the walls, sun shades, etc would have made it very risky going so close? Or is the zone of influence not very large for the blades?
The main issues are physically hitting something (wires, something blowing off, etc), and what's called "vortex ring state." VRS is where you are flying through your own downwash. What happens in confined areas is that your downwash hits the ground, goes out, travels up the walls, trees or whatever, then gets immeditely sucked in the top of the rotor disc. You end up churning the same air faster and faster, and you drop like a stone. Pulling more pitch doesn't make you go up, it just makes the air circulate faster and down you go. It's also called "settling with power."
obzelite: I'm not sure why the photos are timing out. If symptoms persist, please PM me with your IP and I'll check the logs.
firsty: He landed in there to drop of the loadmaster (the guy in the orange overalls in the second photo.) I have no idea why the loadmaster didn't arrive in a taxi. Then again perhaps they considered a Sydney taxi ride a higher risk than landing in a school courtyard!
sydneywebcam: Yes, and it's got a very impressive wire strike kit on it too!
Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 1:49 pm
Great work if you can get it.