helmet fire:
BTW PFan, a stalled aerofoil still produces lift, and it may be because you have never hit the left pedal stop that you got to experience LTE.
In my LTE event, I got the impression that the tail would have spun around even *if* I was at full pedal. It was that abrupt - bordering on violent. I doubt that even full pedal, had I utilized it, would have had any appreciable effect once the yaw rate got started. But back in those days I was so far behind the aircraft that I could barely keep it in sight on a good visibility day.
spag:
The danger area for LTE in the bell 206 is in the sector from approx 240 - 280 degrees relative bearing at wind speeds of 10 to 25kts. This is where the tail rotor can experience vortex ring state. LTA is different as stated above.
I've met and flown with pilots who've said this very thing, in a very worried tone of voice! It's humorous, in a way. Those of us who've got lots of 206 time know...we KNOW that 240 to 280 is not the dangerous place for the wind. In fact, wind off the left assists by providing increased weathervaning stability. Anyone who gets a 206 to actually spin with the wind at 280 just isn't pushing on the left pedal hard enough and that ain't the fault of the aircraft.
Sure, wind from that quadrant will force your feet to dance on the pedals to keep the nose straight as the downwash from the main rotor impinges on the tail rotor. But that's no big deal. It's when the wind gets behind you in a 206 that you are flirting with disaster, especially if you're down low, over the trees and slow.
It provokes one to wonder: If flown in the Scout role, would an Agusta 109 be having LTE accidents since it's got a similarly large vertical fin? Enqiring minds want to know!