How to avoid the Vortex Ring State

[UNIT23]

Does anyone know how to avoid or manage the VRS with the helicopter?

[Sora]

Basically VRS is a state where the air being pushed down is getting pulled back into the blades from my understanding, thus forcing you down at an exceptional rate. You should avoid vertical only descents, especially at low speeds. Tilt forward or backwards or sideways, and apply a higher RPM (But not max, as then you lose RPM) while trying to get air to flow through the blades to pull out of VRS.

*Edit*
After re-reading my own post, Applying to much of a high RPM will cause the VRS descent to get much worse if you can't power out of it with enough altitude. It is more or less situational and should usually be avoided if you are low altitude, but instead try to gain velocity in any direction as soon as you can.

Here is a VRS Example demonstration of how it flows physically around a helicopter

[Necroth]

avoid: dont drop too fast. manage: build horizontal speed to get out of the vrs

[Meemai]

For the Chicane specifically, avoid descending faster than 4m/s pure vertical, if you want to descend faster, add some horizontal vector.

If in a VRS, raise your collective to 80%~100% then tilt in any direction so you start moving horizontally, the horizontal vector will pull you off the VRS. It is extremely important to add some horizontal vector quickly, because raising the collective will self-feed the VRS otherwise.

Learning to trigger and handle VRS intentionally can be useful for fast risky descents, which is invaluable while attacking enemies from behind cover.

[Matroshka]

Don't descent vertically. Either hold altitude or move forward while descending.

[Meemai]

Never say never though. A controlled VRS, although risky, can be pretty useful to descend quickly back into cover.

I tried to replicate the way shown in the video shared earlier by Sora as similar as possible, having the rotor abandon the vortex ring laterally in order to recover lift.

https://youtu.be/6830O09QA2I

In reality, breaking out of VRS is a small motion and collective push. You just need to know how to coordinate and time it.

This allows for pop-up strike tactics, where you pop up from behind terrain for a brief instant, then drop down behind cover instantly after.

Just make sure you have at least one direction without obstacles in order to break off the VRS once you are low enough.