Mart,
The intermeshing concept is sound, but just replace the single pusher prop with a side-by-side counterrotating system - so the spinner axes can be horizontal.
Intermeshing Configuration:
Your statement is a valid one. It was, and still is, under consideration.
With the single prop the intermeshing UniCopter is intended to have a slight forward tip during forward flight. This is so that the rotors provide most of the lift and a little propulsion while the propeller is providing most of the propulsion and a little lift. The intention, rightly or wrongly, is that the prop will only remove (and diminish) rotor induced thrust from under the front quadrant of the rotor. In addition, some of the prop's incoming air will be drawn through the inefficient center of the rotor disk.
Coaxial Configuration:
Sikorsky has the prop horizontal and at the tail.
This arraignment will remove air from under the front and rear quadrants of the rotor disk and I suspect that it will diminish the induced thrust from both quadrants.
Interleaving Configuration:
This subject shows up one of the advantages of the Interleaving configuration over Sikorsky's Coaxial. The following sketch show that having two rotor disks, instead of one, allows the prop to be slightly closer to the craft's CG.
[In the following sketch, the propeller should be invisioned as being back close to the HS.]
Much more importantly, the propeller on the Interleaving is drawing air from the area of the retreating blades. With the inclusion of the Advancing Blade Concept, it can be see from figure 6 in the following sketch that there is very little rotor/propeller interaction.
The upper frontal view is hover and the lower frontal view is forward flight.
The 2 circles on both sides of the fuselage are the turbofans, which are intended for larger transport Interleaving helicopters.
slowrotor,
It's too bad that the price of full-size helicopters don't come down like that. Must have something to do with mass production.
A friend has just produced a simple rubber-band model of the Interleaving. He is pleased with it and is now making an electrically power one from an RC coaxial that hit a wall one time too many.
Dave