PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Tailrotor failure - is it always unrecoverable ?
Old 23rd Sep 2017, 21:44
  #59 (permalink)  
Thomas coupling
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: UK
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Crab - howdie.
Have you been on the crystal meth too?

Just picture a running landing at 160mph - just for a few seconds will you?

Picture a runway of - on average 2 miles long. You can't use brakes at that speed and as you lower the lever you will need someone standing between the pilots bringing the SSL's back at a very co-ordinated and precise rate according to your instructions.
The helo presently is travelling at 2.7 miles per minute. You have 80 seconds to stop before you run out of runway. Any side slip will result in a catastrophic rollover. Once the cab starts to deviate from anything other than straight ahead at any considerable speed, your corrections will almost certainly cause divergence and pilot oscillations.

You would only survive because of pure unadulterated luck. Choosing to do this voluntarily is crass stupidity and gross ignorance of the limits of your a/c.
Low speed handling checks at height (1000') would offer you the ability to atleast halve this speed whilst still maintaining directional control.
The comment from Shy that it "started to go wrong when he slowed down", suggests mishandling.
Next time you're airborne, shoot an approach to your runway at your Vmax and let me know what it feels like if you had to follow thru and land without brakes and a dodgy steering wheel!!!!!
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