Folks,
An interesting discussion.
I think you should be very cautious about considering ship-borne antics as any reliable indicator of the theoretical aerodynamics of our rotor systems. I had a particular interest in this topic many moons ago (1977!) and sought advice from ETPS and Westlands as well as Pax River: the considered view was that deck edge effects invariably masked the classic aerodynamic responses and, given the dreadful recirculation environment that surrounds vessels under way, no one was prepared to commit to give me the numbers that I sought.
At that time, I was working at very high altitude to small pads on extremely steep slopes and I thought that any research on boat and oil-rig operations might have been relevant. Practically, I learnt to be extremely careful because the helicopter's behaviour was fairly inconsistent - even 2-3 knots of wind created huge controllability effects.
Lu, I love your thoughts...
Like Thomas C, I have come along-side, stabilised OGE and transitioned sideways across the deck to park on quite small civil and military vessels. I always departed much the same way and never crashed or sensed the "great suck" that you suggest. Find another theory.
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Stay Alive,
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