PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Ditching a helicopter: (incl pictures)
View Single Post
Old 20th Nov 2001, 00:22
  #64 (permalink)  
Dave Jackson
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Posts: 452
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Talking

>You're likely to start an argument just by mentioning gyroscopic precession.,< ~ Heedm

OK!

Gyroscopic precession has *virtually* nothing to do with a helicopter's rotor.

Gyroscopic precession is little more than a simplistic means of describing the basic end result at the rotor, after the application of a cyclic input. (i.e. 90-degrees later ~ basically). It is no good for explaining the 'how'.

The simplest argument against the use of 'gyroscopic precession' is to look at its algorithm. Mass and rotational velocity are the predominant variables. The relative mass and rpm in a gyroscope are humoungeous. The relative mass and rpm in a rotor disk are negligible.

The helicopter's rotor disk 'flies' to position. The eventual demise of the sinusoidal swashplate will result in rotor blades that can fly to position in 12.3-degrees or 123-degrees.
Dave Jackson is offline