Bounces, Shunts, Verticals and Laterals
Hey guys,
Lets see if we can head off the downward trend as I still find this forum a great deal of interest. Please be aware that ALL members are free to post a reply as I (and no doubt others) will get a huge amount of information from it, regardless of whether its from an engineer or a pilot.
One question that defines Helicopters has always been a tricky one to explain. Engineers seem to be able to talk it as a second language (as they should) but when it has come for a young pilot to explain to an engineer what is happening to the machine around them, it has been a case of 'baffle with bul5hit' and hope that you have clouded the scenario enough that the engineer has no idea what is going on and therefore has to fix everything to make everyone feel comfortable.
Can any of you out there define the difference between a Vertical bounce and a lateral one? Always enjoyable.
I will try to start by saying that a lateral bounce is a product of mass, while a vertical is a product of aerodynamics. One is more noticeable in the hover while the other is more noticeable with airspeed.
Another bit of info that may be usefull, is whether one or the other is more dangerous.
We all love stories, and I have one about a crack in the main rotor head of a 47. If it wasn't for the bounce it produced the end result would have been spectacular to say the least.
Any way I hope this sparks off some good responses. Don't hesitate to talk about multibladed systems either cos I think the difference between semi and rigid systems should be compared.
Cheers.