Originally Posted by
PANews
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With six swivel fans to maintain it will undoubtably be way less complex to look after and operate a Bell 505....
I doubt that this new machine will be as complex as a conventional helicopter. Certainly not as mechanically complex.
A conventional helicopter is very complex hence the high operating cost.
The six fans are on very simple mountings with hovering attitude control being accomplished by simply changing the current supplied to the motors. Other than the rotating engines, generators and motors no moving parts involved. Hopefully it will be possible to avoid variable pitch rotors??
Compare with a conventional helicopter with all its gearboxes, shafts, control linkages, swashplates etc, every part of which has to work perfectly every time. It is possible that this aircraft may well be able to make a safe landing with one (or more?) rotors inoperative. If one fails, shut down the opposite one and carry on...
It may be possible to deal with power peaks with batteries meaning that smaller engines and generators could be utilised. It's just arithmetic and engineering.
Well might soon enough find out.
https://www.verticalmag.com/news/bel...exus-air-taxi/
Just found this - quite a lot of detail here.