The future of the helicopter is electric.

[krypton_john]

Yikes. Looks like a guaranteed, gruesome death for someone.

[ShyTorque]

In their own words the team from e-volo have the following to say.

In my own words, the team from E-Shytorque have the following to say:

"Sorry, I'm not that desperate to fly "

[muffin]

Sorry, I'm not that desperate to fly

I bet the running cost is lower than your normal mount.

[ShyTorque]

Yes but how much for one that will do 155-160 kts and carry six passengers?

[Lonewolf_50]

Sitting in between all them rotating knives brings to mind a Monty Python sketch about Freemasons, architects, and a competition to build the next block of apartment flats ... as submitted by someone who usually builds abattoirs.

Monty Python- Architect Sketch - YouTube

[500e]

Not quite a helicopter

World's first manned flight with an electric multicopter - YouTube

[Dave_Jackson]

"The First Electric Helicopter' in AHS Vertiflite

There is a 5-page article on Pascal Chretien's electric helicopter in the March-April 2012 issue of the American Helicopter Society's magazine Vertiflite.

On the cover it says 'The First Electric Helicopter'. The article is entitled 'The Quest for the World's First Electric Manned Helicopter Flight'.

The article is impressive and Pascal should be proud, considering the long hours and work that he put into the project.


Dave

[Ian Corrigible]

"You want me to track & balance what?"





(Source)

I/C

[Dave_Jackson]

Ian,

OK, two rotors can do.

But make that little wee one bigger, and make it point upwards where it can do some work.

Dave

[riff_raff]

OK, two rotors can do. But make that little wee one bigger, and make it point upwards where it can do some work.

I was thinking they'll need to keep that pusher prop to help offset the very slight drag penalty of the static mast structure.

[Lonewolf_50]

And when the cube/square rule rears its big, ugly heard, when they try to scale that thing up ...

Interesting looking prototype, however.

[ORAC]

Volocopter

Not sure if the designer ever heard of the KISS principle, but only it's mother could love it.....

AW&ST: Volocopter - Safety and Simplicity in Numbers

A strange, 16-propeller vertical take-off and landing craft has been awarded the Lindberg Prize for Innovation at the Aero-Friedrichshafen 2012 airshow in Germany. It is an example of the unusual configurations made possible by distributed electric propulsion.



The VC1 was first flown by Karlsruhe-based e-volo in October 2011 as a proof of concept for its Volocopter, an aircraft that uses multiple small, electric-powered, fixed-pitch propellers for lift and flight control. The array of battery-driven props provide redundancy for safety and are individually controlled via a fly-by-wire system to provide flight control via differential power by varying motor rotational speed in response to joystick inputs.



The single-seat, four-armed VC1 measures 17ft x 17ft and weighs 80kg empty, and could fly for about 20 minutes on current battery technology, says e-volo. The company is now designing a two-seat VTOL aircraft, the Volocopter VC Evolution 2P, that mounts its 18 props and motors on an umbrella-like structure above the helicopter-style fuselage. The aircraft is being designed to comply with European ultra-light (ULM) regulations.



[IMG]Fitted with a pusher propeller for forward flight, this aircraft will have a take-off weight of 450kg, speed exceeding 54kt (100km/h), altitude capability of at least 6,500ft and a flight time of more than an hour thanks to a serial hybrid power system - with a "range-extender" internal-combustion engine that will recharge the batteries in flight.[/IMG]



Awarding the prize to e-volvo, Erik Lindbergh (Charles Lindbergh's grandson) said: "We believe that the development of the Volocopter holds significant promise to radically change short-distance transportation." The Lindbergh Foundation's prizes are intended to promote advances in green aviation.

[Dave_Jackson]

A new article in Rotor & Wing.

Designer of Electric Helo Reflects on 2011 Flight Tests

Dave

[AdamFrisch]

Interesting. He pretty much confirms what I'd guessed, that reduction gearboxes are the weak links in helicopter design. I thing a genset powered by turbines and a fully electric main and tail rotor is the future until power storage increases. It might not save much weight for now, but it will be cheaper and more reliable. But most importantly safer, as the genset can fail and you could still land on battery power.

[riff_raff]

Interesting. He pretty much confirms what I'd guessed, that reduction gearboxes are the weak links in helicopter design.

AdamFrisch-

If "gearboxes are the weak link in helicopter design", why do most modern rotorcraft still use 2 (or even 3) turboshaft engines, at least 2 separate hydraulic systems, at least 2 separate electrical power bus circuits and generators, at least two sets of pilots and controls, etc., but only a single MRGB?

Blaming a mechanical system for problems with rotorcraft is what one would expect from an electrical engineer. The reality is that the MTBF record of any current rotorcraft gearbox is far better than that of any rotorcraft electrical system.

[Dave_Jackson]

This might, or might not, be of some interest.

Annual Safety Review easa.europa.ex


Dave

[riff_raff]

Dave_Jackson,

Thanks for the link to the accident report.

Yes, the report shows a slightly lower number of rotorcraft accidents attributable to engine related systems versus gearbox related systems. But one might argue that does not mean engine systems are more reliable or have a lower MTBF. In fact, one might argue that the only reason engine failures have not produced more accidents is due to the functional fault tolerance provided by a single main gearbox with multiple engine inputs.

[Dave_Jackson]

Hi riff_raff,

Today a person asked me for information on a little known Flettner proposal in the US after WW2, so a request was put on PPRuNe to see if anyone knows anything.

It happens to mention the gearbox, but please don't think that I am picking on gearboxes.


Dave

[Peter-RB]

Electric Future for the Heli..?

e-Volo on you tube

Being a child form the Steam age I do not kow how to capture and lift the you tube content, but I have just watched a very short video of a guy and his two friends who actually flew a battery powered one man sit on hovering platform, I urge those who are interested in all things of a Heli type nature to take a look it is brilliant.

Peter R-B
Lancashire

[AdamFrisch]

I agree. The future of all flight is electric. Here's a thread I started a couple of years ago.

http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/426...-electric.html