Originally Posted by
Commando Cody
I don't know why folks (not just you) focus so much on hover. The facts are simple: A Tilt-Rotor will not hover as efficiently as a comparable conventional helicopter of the same technology level. . Although a Tilt-Rotor can put more twist on its blades than a conventional helo, that's not enough to overcome the weight of the wing and the effects of downwash on it. There's no overcoming the laws of physics. But, so what? The Tilt-Rotor concept is based on the fact that for most missions 85-90+% of the flight is not going to be spent hovering or at very low speed. The question is rather can a Tilt-Rotor do hover/low speed well enough to perform all missions assigned and that its other advantages outweigh that lesser efficiency in that small percentage of time in the real world Clearly, the answer is yes.
As to uncertainty whether the V280 can hover...
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lFAs2mf_e2A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRiZhCAmr6Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUt6asLNaJM
Maybe hover wasn't the right word. Vertical landing and subsequent take off. And I am not talking airport-to-airport flying. Yes, it is less than 5-10% of flight time, but what's the point sending it to some unprepared landing site during combat if it can't land or take off afterwards. And that will be the case sooner or later. Yes, I have seen all those videos.
Now, all this being said, what I said previously is from what I have known before CTR and Sultan gave me some new information. Thx for that.
Another thing I would like to know is downwash? We know V-22 has abysmal downwash. I guess with larger discs Valor less so. But how does it compare to other helicopters (not just Blackhawk)?