Flight Performance During A Retreating Blade Stall
As the aircraft approaches retreating blade stall conditions, it will shudder and the nose will begin to pitch up. The resultant upward pitching of the nose will naturally begin to correct the situation as it results in slowing the aircraft. If forced to continue the acceleration via flight controls (forward cyclic + collective), it may roll to the side of the retreating blade. This can still be compensated for with more flight controls (left/right cyclic) to a degree, but at this stage, catastrophic rotor damage is imminent.
Recovery involves lowering the collective pitch, relieving forward pressure on the cyclic or more commonly, both. Either of these control movements should restore the proper laminar airflow over the retreating blade thus generating lift again. This is normally an automatically corrected condition if one just 'lets go' of the controls.
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