Danial;
Actually, I thought that most airplane propellers were as large as practical given the size and weight of landing gear.
Thanks for mentioning your concern. I suspect that there is an optimal propeller diameter. However, what you say is correct because in most cases the diameter is physically limited before it can reach this optimal size.
IMHO, the very large helicopter rotor will probably have to be reduced to reach the optimal propeller diameter.
There are people on this forum that are much smarter than me on this subject. It would be appreciated if one of them would add to the discussion.
Heli-phile;
Another valid concern.
I hope that this is a viable answer.
So far, at least, I prefer the theoretical advantages of a single motor at each proprotor. However, it might have to be a custom motor. The reasons for this preference are;
- Electric motors are very reliable.
- A slow RPM motor will not require gearing.
- The motor is brushless.
- The only moving parts on an Outrunner style motor will be the permanent magnets and their outer encasement, plus bearings and stub shaft.
- The coils, which are stationary, can be divided up among 2 or 3 independent power and control circuits. The idea is to include this redundancy, but put it within a single frame.
Just thoughts for consideration.
Dave