Originally Posted by
jimjim1
As
mindsweeper alluded to if they are electric many of these objections turn into advantages.
Much fewer parts, especially moving parts, and possible redundant operation. Losing a singe motor is not necessarily a catastrophe. I have no idea how the number might work out for such a drive system but it doesn't seem completely ridiculous anymore. If it were possible to get rid of variable pitch blades then such a system would be even more attractive, however that may be straying into the ridiculous
From the Vertical Magazine article...
“In a nutshell, we removed all of the conventional mechanical anti-torque components — which is gearboxes, driveshafts and tail rotor hub and blades — and replaced it with four electric motors and fans,” Eric Sinusas, program director of light aircraft at Bell, told Vertical. “They are fixed-pitch blades and they’re changing rpm constantly.”