Jcooper.
This test is good but not quite testing the scenario we are discussing.
You are starting from a steady state of equilibrium so after the turn, if you alter nothing the equilibrium is bound to return.
Your test does prove that a turn increases the autorotational force to exceed the drag. If you watch your VSI you will see the penalty is an increased rate of descent. At the end of the turn you unload the disk, the autorotational force decreases and as the drag has not changed the RPM must fall. You have wasted the energy you put into the disk by keeping the drag high. Actually you get something back in reduced rate of descent until the equilibrium returns.
The scenario to test is
1) fat dumb and happy
2) Oh !!!!, I've got 75%RPM, loads of pitch on and no power
3)What do I do now?
Hint - The answer is not establish a steady state at 75% and then do a turn.
A more relevant test is to establish auto at the bottom of the green. Bottom the lever and see how quickly the RPM will rise to the top of the green with and without a turn. When you roll out of the turn the RPM will not drop unless you increase the drag with collective.
Remember that the intention is to recover RPM. You are not going to have the lever anywhere but glued to the floor if you have 75% RPM!
Also the difference in autorotational force is huge between the stalling point of the rotor and the bottom of the green (Lift proportional to RPM squared) so you are not getting anywhere near testing that aspect. Nor do you want to.
Point to take is if you can get RPM up near the green by doing a turn/flare, if you have the lever down the RPM will not go down again.
Last edited by Gaseous; 25th May 2004 at 22:30.