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#1
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New helicopter designs
There are several firms offering either plans for, or kits, for homebuilt
helicopters that have little if any supporting actual flite test data. Yet apparently there are willing buyers out there willing to part with their money for these subjects of marketing rhetoric. Even EAA gave some notice of one of the offerings which adds or implies some credibility to the offering. In this case, the aircraft has demonstrated flight but is not mechanically capable of autorotation. Am I missing something? Are there that many people out there that just believe the marketing rhetoric without having seen a demonstration or having access to an independent test report? I know that I don't part with tens of thousands of dollars just based on the advertising. |
#2
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New helicopter designs
"Stuart Fields" wrote in message
... There are several firms offering either plans for, or kits, for homebuilt helicopters that have little if any supporting actual flite test data. Yet apparently there are willing buyers out there willing to part with their money for these subjects of marketing rhetoric. Even EAA gave some notice of one of the offerings which adds or implies some credibility to the offering. In this case, the aircraft has demonstrated flight but is not mechanically capable of autorotation. Am I missing something? Are there that many people out there that just believe the marketing rhetoric without having seen a demonstration or having access to an independent test report? I know that I don't part with tens of thousands of dollars just based on the advertising. Frightening, isn't it! :-o |
#3
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New helicopter designs
Remember the words of PT Barnum?
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#4
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New helicopter designs
Flyingmonk wrote:
Remember the words of PT Barnum? Well there is that angle as well. However..... Perhaps the interest, down payments, etc., show that there is a viable market pool of people with enough money to enter the helicopter market at the low end dollar level. Two hundred thousand for a clapped out whatever may be way out of their financial ballpark but fifty grand for a kit of brand new parts is something else. It appears that in that particular market level that there are people with both the money and the dream. |
#5
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New helicopter designs
Stu,
"....has demonstrated flight but is not mechanically capable of autorotation. Am I missing something?" Re autorotation; It might be of interest to know that the first production helicopter, the Flettner FL-282 had a rotor governor. In addition, Igor Sikorsky's chief rotor designer, William Hunt, invented a rotor governor for the R-5. The rotor governor provides automatic entry into autorotation. Perhaps an article on this subject in your 'Experimental Helo' magazine would be of interest. Dave "Stuart Fields" wrote in message ... There are several firms offering either plans for, or kits, for homebuilt helicopters that have little if any supporting actual flite test data. Yet apparently there are willing buyers out there willing to part with their money for these subjects of marketing rhetoric. Even EAA gave some notice of one of the offerings which adds or implies some credibility to the offering. In this case, the aircraft has demonstrated flight but is not mechanically capable of autorotation. Am I missing something? Are there that many people out there that just believe the marketing rhetoric without having seen a demonstration or having access to an independent test report? I know that I don't part with tens of thousands of dollars just based on the advertising. |
#7
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New helicopter designs
Dave: I looked at your site on the Unicopter and Sychrolite and saw the
references to the rotor governor, but couldn't tell just how this device was supposed to work. I cautiously assume that it senses rotor speed and collectively adjusts pitch to keep the blade speed at some pre-selected rpm? I also assume that the pilot would have an override for this feature? Do you know where I can read up on the use of the governor and why that device hasn't continued to this day? It seems the R-22s might like to have one if the downside was not too steep. An aside issue, you state that the need for yaw control of the Unicopter would be more like a fixed wing. With the exception of hovering, I find the yaw control on my helicopter to be less than that required by the fixed wings that I have flown. e.g. no need to lead the turn with pedals to keep the ball centered. A lot of the multi rotor systems supporters seem to think that the use of the anti-torque pedals requires a lot of training. I did not find that to be true at all. Even in the hover. Are you helo rated? -- Stuart Fields Experimental Helo magazine P. O. Box 1585 Inyokern, CA 93527 (760) 377-4478 (760) 408-9747 general and layout cell (760) 608-1299 technical and advertising cell www.vkss.com www.experimentalhelo.com "Dave Jackson" wrote in message news:ePhtf.222047$Gd6.115880@pd7tw3no... Stu, "....has demonstrated flight but is not mechanically capable of autorotation. Am I missing something?" Re autorotation; It might be of interest to know that the first production helicopter, the Flettner FL-282 had a rotor governor. In addition, Igor Sikorsky's chief rotor designer, William Hunt, invented a rotor governor for the R-5. The rotor governor provides automatic entry into autorotation. Perhaps an article on this subject in your 'Experimental Helo' magazine would be of interest. Dave "Stuart Fields" wrote in message ... There are several firms offering either plans for, or kits, for homebuilt helicopters that have little if any supporting actual flite test data. Yet apparently there are willing buyers out there willing to part with their money for these subjects of marketing rhetoric. Even EAA gave some notice of one of the offerings which adds or implies some credibility to the offering. In this case, the aircraft has demonstrated flight but is not mechanically capable of autorotation. Am I missing something? Are there that many people out there that just believe the marketing rhetoric without having seen a demonstration or having access to an independent test report? I know that I don't part with tens of thousands of dollars just based on the advertising. |
#8
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New helicopter designs
Stu;
A gentleman sent me three pages out of William Hunt's book. The pages cover his patent for this rotor with torque-pitch coupling. He also suggests that the collective lever could be eliminated. I will attach the three pages to an e-mail to you. The technical and anecdotal information on these few pages was so interesting that the book is now on order. Dave "Stuart & Kathryn Fields" wrote in message ... Dave: Thanks for the idea for an article. I'll look into that. On the other hand if there is no collective pitch control available to the blades, autorotation is going to be at least problematical. -- Stuart Fields Experimental Helo magazine P. O. Box 1585 Inyokern, CA 93527 (760) 377-4478 (760) 408-9747 general and layout cell (760) 608-1299 technical and advertising cell www.vkss.com www.experimentalhelo.com "Dave Jackson" wrote in message news:ePhtf.222047$Gd6.115880@pd7tw3no... Stu, "....has demonstrated flight but is not mechanically capable of autorotation. Am I missing something?" Re autorotation; It might be of interest to know that the first production helicopter, the Flettner FL-282 had a rotor governor. In addition, Igor Sikorsky's chief rotor designer, William Hunt, invented a rotor governor for the R-5. The rotor governor provides automatic entry into autorotation. Perhaps an article on this subject in your 'Experimental Helo' magazine would be of interest. Dave "Stuart Fields" wrote in message ... There are several firms offering either plans for, or kits, for homebuilt helicopters that have little if any supporting actual flite test data. Yet apparently there are willing buyers out there willing to part with their money for these subjects of marketing rhetoric. Even EAA gave some notice of one of the offerings which adds or implies some credibility to the offering. In this case, the aircraft has demonstrated flight but is not mechanically capable of autorotation. Am I missing something? Are there that many people out there that just believe the marketing rhetoric without having seen a demonstration or having access to an independent test report? I know that I don't part with tens of thousands of dollars just based on the advertising. |
#9
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New helicopter designs
Stu,
I looked at your site on the Unicopter and Sychrolite and saw the references to the rotor governor, but couldn't tell just how this device was supposed to work. I cautiously assume that it senses rotor speed and collectively adjusts pitch to keep the blade speed at some pre-selected rpm? I assume that you are reffering to page http://www.unicopter.com/0575.html, which is a sub page to http://www.unicopter.com/Governor.html. Actually, it senses the torque to the rotor. By doing it this way, the application of more torque from the engine to the rotor will immediately increase the collective pitch. Conversely, the loss of engine torque lowers the collective pitch to its autorotative setting. In other words, varing the torque will vary the collective pitch. You will notice that Hunt's idea has no provision for collective. I also assume that the pilot would have an override for this feature? Yes, on the idea in my web site, the pilot could still have a collective stick. A primary difference is that the pilot would have to take action to stop from going into autorotation, instead of having to take action to go into autorotation. An aside issue, you state that the need for yaw control of the Unicopter would be more like a fixed wing. The UniCopter is a unique rotorcraft, in that the rotors and blades have 'absolute' (actually ~ as close as is reasonably possible to absolute) rigidity. In other words, the relationship of the blades and the fuselage is 'theoretically' similar to that of an airplane's wings and fuselage. The technical chalange is the consideration of yaw during hover, which of course the airplane does not have to consider. Are you helo rated? No. Only fixed wing. Dave |
#10
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New helicopter designs
Shiver wrote:
However..... Perhaps the interest, down payments, etc., show that there is a viable market pool of people with enough money to enter the helicopter market at the low end dollar level. Yes, but who will be the one that will be able to finance a new start up? I'm thinking of reviving the XROE-1. I think that will sell like hotcakes. The Monk |
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