Originally Posted by
DuncanDoenitz
There's minimalist, then there's Minimalist.
If you're intending to explore M. Sablier's altitude envelope, I'd suggest tweeds and stout walking shoes.
Thread drift, but can anybody work out how the George Sablier personal rotorcraft was supposed to work? There are some cryptic references to how the torque from the rotor was counteracted but all I can see is a small fin/rudder behind the operator which seems to be oriented at the wrong angle to counter any torque in any case. This item also casts doubt:
https://elpoderdelasgalaxias.wordpre...ter-rotorhead/
Only photos I found are of it demonstrated on the ground, not flying. So did it ever fly? Some photos like the above seem to show a pulley arrangement below the rotor but lacking any drive belts. So was the rotor only spinning in the photos due to autorotation in wind? There is no hint it had any tip jets to drive the rotor.
Back to the OP: what a complicated and precarious looking drivetrain!