Rotorcraft
Dispelling Common Misconceptions on Vortex Ring
Canada's helicopter training manual distinguishes between vortex ring and other situations.
Vortex ring state. (Photo: By U.S. Dept. of Transportation, FAA, Flight Standards Service - Helicopter Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-21A)
Vortex ring state. (Photo: By U.S. Dept. of Transportation, FAA, Flight Standards Service - Helicopter Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-21A)

The Canadian Helicopter Flight Training Manuel (TP 9982 Exercise 26), published in 2006, makes a distinction between vortex ring state and settling with power, stating: “There are some uninformed pilots who use ‘settling with power’ to describe vortex ring, in fact, some publications use the terms interchangeably. Confusion results when symptoms are related that do not describe true vortex ring, but rather describe ‘settling with insufficient power.’ This may occur when a pilot attempts to arrest a rapid, low power descent only to find that he has insufficient power available to bring the helicopter to either a hover or a no-hover landing without exceeding the engine limits. However, this is not a vortex ring situation.”