Lu Zuckerman

[Cyclic Hotline]

Lu,
I have to admit that I am not very interested in your battle with the Robinson products, principally due to a personal lack of exposure to the machines and also my inability to access the appropriate publications.

I must say however, that I am continuously impressed with your historical insight to the helicopter and aviation world, and greatly enjoy your positive inputs to this forum.

As I also access justhelicopters.com, I am very aware of the background to your arrival here at PPRuNe and I think you have have a considerable amount of information and experience to impart. The positive Lu Zuckerman has a considerable amount of information to divulge - keep up the good work!

A couple of questions;
1. Your opinion on the current problems with the Bell 407.
2. MD 520N accident question posed earlier.
3. Did you ever get to meet Igor Sikorsky?
4. Do you have any photographs of the good 'ole helicopter days?

You are also totally correct about the first helicopter to perform a loop - Sikorsky S51 in 1949!

Look forward to your continued participation. ;)



[This message has been edited by Cyclic Hotline (edited 11 January 2001).]

[Pat Gerard]

As I am very much interested in the technical part of flying, I fully agree with Cyclic Hotline. Your threads are always an education.

[stopachoppa]

Have to agree with you all. As I've mentioned elsewhere, Lu's comments are always educational and thought provoking.
Also helps me look a damn sight more intelligent when discussing them with the Engineers.

Keep it up Lu.

[Lu Zuckerman]

To: Cyclic Hotline

Thanks for the letter of appreciation.

Regarding your questions:

A couple of questions;
1. Your opinion on the current problems with the Bell 407.

I don’t claim to be current and / or knowledgeable on the later helicopter designs and in answering this question I may get the facts a bit screwed up, as there are so many variants of the 206. If I have it correct the problem may have been a tail rotor strike on the tail boom. If this is not correct then my whole theory goes to hell. Bell helicopter has a history of using parts from previous designs and includes them on newer designs almost as if Rube Goldberg (American Heath Robinson) designed the helicopter. If you look in the Illustrated Parts Catalog for a Bell helicopter you will see all types of parts that may have the prefix 206,209,205,214,212,412 or maybe even 47. In most cases if the part performed well on the original design it performed well on the newer design, If it was bad on the original design it would most likely be bad on the new design. In this case, I believe that they used a 206 tail rotor, which I believe was not proper for the 407. It is also my understanding that there is a speed difference between the 206 and the 407, which increased the aerodynamic loads on the tail rotor causing it to flap inward and strike the tail boom.

2. MD 520N accident question posed earlier

You will have to refresh my memory because I suffer from “Old Timers Disease”. I am familiar with the operational theory of the NOTAR system but I am not familiar with the 520N accident you referred to.


3. Did you ever get to meet Igor Sikorsky?

Yes, I met him on two occasions. I will describe the second occasion first. When I had completed a very comprehensive 14 month training program along with 7 other guys we were taken up to Mr. Sikorskys’ office for an introduction and to have our pictures taken with him. When my boss introduced me to Mr. Sikorsky he told my boss that we had met on a previous occasion. My boss was a bit puzzled and thank god he never questioned me about that first meeting.

Now, the first occasion and this is the straight truth. During the above-mentioned training program I was assigned to the engineering department. One day I had to go to the LOO. After finishing I opened the door that lead out to the engineering spaces. These doors swung out wards and I guess I pushed a bit hard. Standing outside that door was Igor Sikorsky who wanted to use those same facilities. He had his hand on the door handle and when I pushed outward I knocked Mr. Sikorsky on his ass. Lucky for me, he apologized for being on the other side of the door.


4. Do you have any photographs of the good 'ole helicopter days?

No, I’m sorry to say. Over the years they have all disappeared for one reason or the other. However, to my surprise, I was looking at a Bell 47 Website sponsored by a Professor at the University of Toronto and I found a picture of one of two Bell HTL-1s that the US Coast Guard had. And I was the flight mechanic on both of them on two different cruises on board Icebreakers. One cruise was on the Great Lakes and the other one in Greenland. I have found other sites on the Internet that had photos of things and people that I been associated with in the past. The professor sent me an email this morning telling me that he would search the CG archive for our crew photo taken aboard the CG Icebreaker Eastwind in 1952. Hopefully he will locate the photo.

It was the S52 not the S51 that did the loops
and I think it was in the early 50s.

------------------
The Cat

[This message has been edited by Lu Zuckerman (edited 11 January 2001).]