To: Helisphere
Once again you have let your alligator mouth overload your hummingbird butt.
It is true that the Bell rotor system cones but the coning is in the form of blade bending and on the newer rotorheads used on the 214,the Cobra and the modified HU1s the flexibility of the plate. On some Bell rotorheads the plate is preconed to minimize the bending of the blades. These respective rotorheads have a 90-degree pitch horn, which terminates at the teeter hinge so that when the blades bend there might be some small degree of pitch coupling. The greatest degree of pitch coupling occurs when the blade system moves or flaps in relation to the swashplate. Normally once the pilot has input cyclic control the blades will fly parallel to the swashplate. Any deviation from the respective parallel paths will result in pitch coupling. That is why I have not sent letters to the Marines, the Army, and the National Guard or to Bell.
The reason that the Bell helicopters can fly with a 90-degree pitch horn and the Robinson can’t is because the Bell does not have cone hinges and the Robinson does. On the Bell the pitch horn terminates at or about the teeter hinge while on the Robinson the pitch horns terminate at or about the cone hinge. If the Robinson pitch horn passed beyond the cone hinge you would not be able to control the helicopter and redesigning the control system would have no effect on this massive pitch coupling. If you would eliminate the cone hinge it would work but with the present blades it might work for five minutes until the blades broke off the rotorhead.
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The Cat
[This message has been edited by Lu Zuckerman (edited 19 January 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Lu Zuckerman (edited 20 January 2001).]