VRS (Vortex Ring State)?

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Since reading about VRS, I'm sure I've seen it occasionally with my Phantom, before and after removing the prop guards.

Wind gusts seem to be characteristically different than VRS. I've noticed it most when descending straight down. So now I tend to avoid vertical descents.

Has anyone had a quad drop from VRS?

It was interesting to learn that one of the copters involved in the mission which got Bin Laden apparently crashed due to VRS.
 
Narrator said:
Since reading about VRS, I'm sure I've seen it occasionally with my Phantom, before and after removing the prop guards.

Wind gusts seem to be characteristically different than VRS. I've noticed it most when descending straight down. So now I tend to avoid vertical descents.

Has anyone had a quad drop from VRS?

It was interesting to learn that one of the copters involved in the mission which got Bin Laden apparently crashed due to VRS.


I've never had a VRS crash, but I had a number of pucker inducing VRS incidents early on. I didn't know any better and had no idea what was going on. Luckily I was on this forum at the time and that got sorted rather quickly... Just thinking about it now... I'm amazed by so many things that I do while flying that have become automatic. Most of them have come from more experienced fliers on this forum. Thank you, all... :D

-slinger
 
The new firmware updates should pretty much eliminate VRS, although I still see it to a slight degree when maxing out the descent on a windy day.

Best technique is to have lateral movement while descending. Virtually impossible to get into "VRS Fall of Death" that way.
 
TimmyG94 said:
The new firmware updates should pretty much eliminate VRS, although I still see it to a slight degree when maxing out the descent on a windy day.

Best technique is to have lateral movement while descending. Virtually impossible to get into "VRS Fall of Death" that way.

I have a new style TX... Interesting thing about this TX is that the left stick clicks down and locks in the bottom position. This is absolutely awesome if you hand catch. You click it down and let the TX just hang on your neck, hands off while you catch the aircraft...

Is it designed so that if you click it down you don't need to move forward/backward/left/right in order to avoid VRS?

-slinger
 
TimmyG94 said:
Best technique is to have lateral movement while descending. Virtually impossible to get into "VRS Fall of Death" that way.
I go one step further. I turn the Phantom into the wind then do that.
If you have the wind at your side and you bank left and right as you descend, your downwind banking can actually induce VRS.
 
Narrator said:
TimmyG94 said:
Best technique is to have lateral movement while descending. Virtually impossible to get into "VRS Fall of Death" that way.
I go one step further. I turn the Phantom into the wind then do that.
If you have the wind at your side and you bank left and right as you descend, your downwind banking can actually induce VRS.

Hadn't thought of that... Excellent point...

Thanks...
-slinger
 
gunslinger said:
I've never had a VRS crash, but I had a number of pucker inducing VRS incidents early on. I didn't know any better and had no idea what was going on. Luckily I was on this forum at the time and that got sorted rather quickly... Just thinking about it now... I'm amazed by so many things that I do while flying that have become automatic. Most of them have come from more experienced fliers on this forum. Thank you, all... :D

-slinger
I had it show up just a little when coming down fast at the beach before the upgrade. So the quad could come down fast. Came down fast because of the low battery alarm. It wobbled a few times but never dropped. Did not know about VRS at that time. I think now what saved it was the slight wind at the time. :shock:
 
Happyflyer said:
I had it show up just a little when coming down fast at the beach before the upgrade. So the quad could come down fast. Came down fast because of the low battery alarm. It wobbled a few times but never dropped. Did not know about VRS at that time. I think now what saved it was the slight wind at the time. :shock:
mhm.. Same for me.. I remember seeing the strange wobbles.. and then learning later about VRS.
 
Before the 2.0m/s descent limit was added to the firmware, there were Phantoms falling out of the sky from VRS every day.

P.S. Prop guards make your Phantom much more vulnerable to VRS. Best to lose them.
 
ianwood said:
Before the 2.0m/s descent limit was added to the firmware, there were Phantoms falling out of the sky from VRS every day.

P.S. Prop guards make your Phantom much more vulnerable to VRS. Best to lose them.
Maybe I was twice as lucky that day. I just checked that days video and I did have them on at that time. Now that I think about it I was testing if they made the quad fly differently. It was only my 5th flight so I really did not see much of a change. I really do not have a problem with them. Used at house due to many trees not at all in the open unless testing. But I do agree they can add to the VRS problem.
 
Happyflyer said:
ianwood said:
P.S. Prop guards make your Phantom much more vulnerable to VRS. Best to lose them.
Maybe I was twice as lucky that day. I just checked that days video and I did have them on at that time. Now that I think about it I was testing if they made the quad fly differently. It was only my 5th flight so I really did not see much of a change. I really do not have a problem with them. Used at house due to many trees not at all in the open unless testing. But I do agree they can add to the VRS problem.

You'll notice Phantom will be more agile inflight without propguards. Guards catch wind and can make it fly like a kite & your flight times will be shorter using them due to resistance.
 

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