Call the Enquirer! Hold Page Six! Rumour debunked!
Famed former boy-band member Nicky Lappos strongly protested the characterization of him as a "tea-totaler," and challenges any other doubting Thomas coupling or he-who-is-without-SAS to a drinking contest worthy of a college frat party in some bourg called Stratford in the (city? county?) of New Connecticut, wherever that is - (must be some American "Spring Break" town of ill-repute with drunken helo pilots in every gutter - oops, that would be New Orleans).
"I am not a tea-totaler!" Lappos raged, sounding as if he'd already consumed many pints,
"...in spite of SASless's misdirected assertions otherwise. Should any Ppruner come past Stratford CT, I would be glad to conduct a demonstration to prove this fact.
Eek! Jolly good show that SASless didn't make a disparaging comment on Mssr. Lappos' manhood! Lord only knows the challenge that might have been issued forth. But he didn't, thankfully, so you Ppruner's who with to travel to this "Stratford" need only bring your favorite beer glass, not a magnifying one.
Ahh but seriously, I do have a question with regard to tail rotors and vertical fins. Nick sez:
A tail rotor that blows its high velocity wind onto a close surface is slightly less efficient that one that blows away from the fin.
I don't get this. Isn't it the same thing? The tail rotor doesn't magically create air. That high velocity wind has to originate somewhere, i.e. upstream of the vertical fin.
I would imagine that a big vertical fin (see: UH-1, BH206, A-109) would impinge on both the outflow
and the "inflow" of a tail rotor, depending on which side the vertical fin was mounted on, no? People act like the mere act of flopping the tail rotor on the Huey made the vertical fin disappear. Did it (aerodynamically)? How come a big vertical fin that blocks the entry of air "into" the tail rotor does not also reduce its efficiency?
Did I miss this part in Helicopter Aerodynamics 101?