Helicopters and VTOL planes suffer from something called ground effect the closer they come to… the ground. It’s one of the most difficult things to manage as a pilot.

I’m not saying what we’re looking at is pilot error, I’m just saying that landing is more like a hurricane than a breeze.

[–] SorosFootSoldier@hexbear.net 15 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Shit, TIL, my ass thought it was easier than a traditional landing.

[–] invalidusernamelol@hexbear.net 5 points 3 weeks ago

There's supposed to be tons of autopilot/assist that kicks in. If this was a test flight then they probably hadn't quite got it fully functional yet. Even with the assists though, a sudden gust can massively change the ground effect dynamics.

That's why ekranoplanes usually have hydrofoils or absolutely massive surface areas.