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Old 10th August 2001 | 07:04
  #18 (permalink)  
Arm out the window
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 3,008
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From: North Queensland, Australia
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Lu,

I do believe that aerodynamic forces are largely responsible for the motions of rotor blades in response to pitch and airflow changes, and that the 'gyroscopic precession' explanation is just a convenient teaching tool

However, I also think that because rotors are large heavy whirling masses, I would be a mug to discount entirely the effects of gyroscopic forces on how they behave.

So yes, I subscribe to the 'aerodynamics' school of thought on the subject, but I'm sure it's more complex than any of us can understand or describe.

My two objections to your posts above are:

1. You seemed to be telling people that they should lower the collective after an auto to prevent the blades stalling and dropping suddenly. I strongly believe that is bad advice, for the reasons I gave before, and I know from experience that your reasoning is flawed in regard to that point.

2. Your statement about the aerodynamic vs. gyroscopic theories and how they apply to different countries and groups of people is probably broadly true, in that we tend to repeat the things we were taught, but I didn't want to let your sweeping generalisations go unchallenged.

Read back over your statement - how can you possibly guarantee, as you did, that everyone in those groups think as you say they do?

I like reading some of your stuff, but I don't think it's right to pass off your opinions as fact.
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