literally any Vietnam documentary would prove that wrong. what does "moving forward" even mean when you're spinning? also, forward movement doesn't give the tail rotor any more "bite" ... if anything, it would get less. moving in a consistent direction would tend to orient the body of the helicopter to face into the wind because of the wind vane effect.
As a sibling comment said, forward movement does indeed give the tail rotor more authority because it has "cleaner" (less turbulent) air to work in. This makes it more effective. For a source, see [1], pages 2-21 through 2-23, subsection "Translational Lift", and Figures 2-39, 2-40, and 2-41, as well as [2], pages 11-18 through 11-21, section "Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness".
"Moving forward" means tilting the rotor disk. Even when spinning, this will induce a little thrust, which will help clear the "dirty" (turbulent) air from the tail rotor, and as you said, induce a wind vane effect, which would stabilize the spinning a little, which would then allow more forward airspeed, and it would compound. I could see the helicopter flying a widening spiral as it gained forward airspeed until it fully stabilizes in straight-and-level flight.
Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness is a big deal in most helicopters where the tail rotor is not big relative to the size of the helicopter. In Robinson helicopters, the typical trainers, the tail rotors are massive for the size of the helicopter, and you will almost never run into Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness.
> the tail rotor is placed specifically so that it is outside of the main rotor airflow. takeoff and landing require that the tail rotor be in relatively calm air.
Did you read the references I provided? The tail rotor can absolutely be in the turbulent air generated by the main rotor disk on takeoff and landing.
> No, "moving forward" means "moving forward." "tilting the rotor" means "tilting the rotor." those are very different things, as any helicopter pilot would know.
Do you have any training in helicopters? I do.
I used the terms I did because I was making a comment meant to be read by people who don't know the terms. I was trying to make it accessible. When I said that moving forward means tilting the rotor disk, I was saying that that's what I actually meant, but again, I used "moving forward" to make it understandable to others. In essence, I was providing a translation of the layman terms I used.
> I cannot discuss this with someone that doesn't understand English well enough to speak it.
It's not enough to "understand English"; you have to communicate too. That's what I was doing. I'm sure you understand the difference.
> I have no need to prove anything to you, anyway.
No, you don't, except now I think that you are only claiming to know what you are talking about, where I actually have time in a helicopter.
Unless you prove otherwise, I'm just going to think that naikrovek is someone who talks the talk and puts others down for not doing the same while naikrovek can't walk the walk.
While hovering, the tail rotor is pushing air into a dirty vortex. A small amount of speed, even just 20kt, will clear that vortex and give more authority. Even today helicopters will begin pitching nose down immediately on takeoff to get airflow cross both the main and tail rotor to clear those vertices.
That being said, I've talked to a few Vietnam helicopter pilots and all of their stories were ... well, exaggeration is a common theme.
pitching the nose down certainly does one thing: it pushes air backwards, meaning the helicopter starts moving forwards. the air moving across the body of the helicopter, rather than down it, is what starts the wind vane effect.
if the pilot tipped the helicopter to the right after leaving the ground, and then continuously held the control stick in the direction of the movement of the helicopter, the body of the helicopter would begin to face the direction of travel unless the pilot actively countered that turn via the tail rotor.
> if the pilot tipped the helicopter to the right after leaving the ground, and then continuously held the control stick in the direction of the movement of the helicopter, the body of the helicopter would begin to face the direction of travel unless the pilot actively countered that turn via the tail rotor.
Yes, which is why it would work to just push the stick forward, even if the helicopter was spinning.
