dangermouse

Thats what he would say

The record speaks for itself, if the blade is no big deal why hasnt anybody beaten it?

Eurocopter tried (and failed)

Boeing tried (and failed)

Did sikorsky even bother?

It is unfair to compare the 101 to the Lynx, as you well know Nick there are lots of other criteria defining a helicopters characteristics and the reasons for a particular blade design.

we will just keep em flying with the best blade in the world doing its thing

DM

NickLappos

dangermouse,
The blade was not the only contributer, the awesome power, excellent control margins, audacious engineering and piloting moxie all were factors as well. To credit the blade is to discredit the rest, and that is not fair. For example, new exhausts were shaped so that the extra thermodynamic power of the engines was used to make jet thrust, which was worth enough to cancel a great deal f the fuselage drag. The exhaust was tuned to be sure there was just enough thrust to do this without making the aircraft a compound helicopter, which would have disallowed its record in the helicopter class.
To say this was a blade record is pure PR hogwash. This was a stunning engineering triumph, enough so that the signed artist print of the record hung in my office at Sikorsky Aircraft, because after all, we are helicopter people first.

And BTW, the previous record which stood for about 15 years was the S-67 Blackhawk, flown by a two friends, Byron Graham and Kurt Cannon, both extremely good engineering test pilots. At 221 MPH it was very noce for 1970! But 249 MPH in the modified Lynx is even nicer.

Ian Corrigible

Nick,

The record broken by G-LYNX was actually the 199 kt milestone set by a Mil A-10 (Mi-24) in 1978.

You're spot on about it being the flight of the last quarter century, though. It's sad I know, but I still remember exactly where I was when the confirmation of the new record came through. Though how they got 1,550 shp out of a Gem - even with water/meth - I'll never know.

I/C

Graviman

A beautiful machine standing proud in the Heli Museum is Weston-Super-Mare when i last saw it - a true testament to boffin know-how and pilot gumption. I imagine it now takes pride of place in Yeovil.

I suspect that with high speed rotorcraft development taking various different directions (too avoid retreating tip stall), this single main rotor pure helicopter record may well stand the test of time.

Mart

Brilliant Stuff

G-LYNX is still parked up nicely at the Museum as of last Saturday, don't have a picture of it though because I mainly was interested in the FBW white Dauphin.
Just for info when you pay for your entrance ticket it stays valid for 12 months, how cool is that?

Deiceman

I just wanted to add my best wishes to those members of the Westland team that took the record. The real genius was "retired" from Westland a few years ago - John Perry.

John spent endless hours in the wind tunnel, pounding young apprentices to punch those IBM cards, with a dry humor that only fellow Canadians could ever understand. His dream of the BERP rotor never faded and the success that he felt that day must have been overwhelming. Nick - it was not just the blade, but it was a huge part.

John called me the night before the record to "keep your ears open for something special" - I was a few miles away at the time (maybe 3000!) but the guys who were there said you could feel it WELL before you heard it!

Having said that, lets clean up a 53 and REALLY go for it!

Arclite01

Anyone remember a video (I think it might have been on Noel Edmonds programme) of a Lynx doing loops and stuff to the track 'don't stop me now' by Queen ?

Anyone know where we can get a copy.

Thanks

Arc

Letsby Avenue

The track was 'It's a Kind of Magic' - My suggestion if I remember correctly I didn't know there was a vid...

PICKS135

Try here

http://www.deltaweb.co.uk/eagles/mild01_04.htm

John Eacott

I've hosted that one here, along with a few from 847NAS .

Large downloads, beware

Arclite01

Thanks guys

great stuff but my other (better ?) half insists it's 'don't stop me now' (unfotunately I think she's right too.....)

and yeah that second download is massive !!!!!

cheers

Arc

phil gollin

Just to ask a question I've often wanted to ask, why or how does a Lynx manage loops when other (?) helicopters can't or don't ?

Zoom

It's all to do with its rigid rotor. That's it. That's all I know. (Cue some chopper mate who knows a lot more about it than I do.)

Tourist

Lots of Helicopters can loop, including Gazelle and even CH53.
The difference is that you have to get it right everytime or chop your tail off and die in most, and in a Lynx you cannot chop your tail off.

Two's in

Most helicopter blades are attached to the Main Rotor head via physical horizontal and vertical hinges, the horizontal hinges (fwd and aft movement of the blade from the extension arm) have a drag damper to control the movement, but the vertical movement (up and down movement) of the blade is a function of aerodynamic forces, other than a droop stop stopping it going down too far. The Lynx, by comparison, achieves this with a rigid Titanium extension arm that holds the blades in place, and all vertical and horizontal movement of the blade is a function of the flexing action of the titanium. The reaction of the controls input is far more rapid with a rigid head (and is actually damped out by the AFCS), but when inverted, the blades can not "clap hands" as they can with a conventional head when negative G is encountered, because the titanium head holds then in place. The secret of rolling or looping in conventional helicopter is holding positive G, so the aerodynamic force on the blade (which would force the blades to "cone" up into a V, relative to the fuselage) is countered by gravity. As Tourist says, failure to maintain positive G usually results in the rotor cutting off some fairly important bits down the back end and a guaranteed seat (posthumously) at the BOI.

The Gazelle was limited to max 90 degrees in Pitch/Roll for this reason and the Elphinstone loop is actually an optical illusion, in that it stays within the pitch limits (usually). Although anyone who has seen the photo of the Gazelle over the (insert name of Large TV tower with cafe near Detmold, Germany) in 654 Sqn AAC crewroom knows that it will go inverted quite nicely.

Apologies to all POF buffs for simplifying the reply.

For spotters, when parked on the dispersal, blades on conventional heads always droop down, blades on rigid rotors stay erect.

Monty77

Nice explanation, two's.

Why didn't they make groundschool that straightforward

helen-damnation

[QUOTE=Two's in;2881902].....Although anyone who has seen the photo of the Gazelle over the (insert name of Large TV tower with cafe near Detmold, Germany) in 654 Sqn AAC crewroom knows that it will go inverted quite nicely.
QUOTE]


I never got to do that but show us the photo......

Tourist

http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk...nd%20Rolls.jpg

helen-damnation

Thanks Tourist,
That's the H53, nearly big enough to fly a Gazelle inside. Got the video somewhere of if being rolled.
HD

Tourist

What I thought I had posted was the link to that very video.
Go to this site, fourth down on the left.
http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/videos/