Question from a mere spotter
Never fly in any air vehicle which has the impertinence to defy the natural laws by refusing to stall when flown too slowly. Unless corrected such impertinence leads to hubris, allowing the air vehicle to believe it is the one in command.
The only air vehicle permitted to defy the natural law in this way is Gods Own aircraft, the Harrier.
PDR
The only air vehicle permitted to defy the natural law in this way is Gods Own aircraft, the Harrier.
PDR
And what did the harrier pilots have to learn to hover in - oh yes, a helicopter
Take away the gizmos and it is not so easy. One way of preventing the rear rotor from catching up with the front is to differentiate the collective and cyclics. Basically if the rear rotor isn't leaning as far forward as the front it wont catch up. This means it hasn't the same vertical component so it needs more pitch. I believe that on the early Piaseckis or Vertols there was a spirit level in the cockpit to assist you to level it with differential collective.
The problem with twin rotors is the transmission. Apart from the Belvedere one or more of the gearboxs was dependent on a shaft to drive it. This breaks and you have a fatal disymmetry of lift. Luckily AFIK this hasn't happened yet.
The Belvedere had an engine under each rotor and a synchronisation shaft keeping the blades apart. This has broken twice in service. In both cases the pilots flew the aircraft so the rear rotor, turning at a different speed than the front, was stepped above the front until they landed.
The shutdown was quite noisy.
The problem with twin rotors is the transmission. Apart from the Belvedere one or more of the gearboxs was dependent on a shaft to drive it. This breaks and you have a fatal disymmetry of lift. Luckily AFIK this hasn't happened yet.
The Belvedere had an engine under each rotor and a synchronisation shaft keeping the blades apart. This has broken twice in service. In both cases the pilots flew the aircraft so the rear rotor, turning at a different speed than the front, was stepped above the front until they landed.
The shutdown was quite noisy.
Agree with the Cessna comment... but the Tweed comment, You clearly haven’t been to the races at Royal Ascot, racing at Goodwood, Henley Royal Regatta or Polo at Windsor Great Park... Tweed is quite the fashion and receives many compliments when worn, Is there no Tweed at The Durban?
but the Tweed comment, You clearly haven’t been to the races at Royal Ascot,
They provide some fantastic insight into the British psyche (and frequent lack of dentistry)
But we wafting away from the topic.
If we had a pound for every time we heard the one about the oil leak or the earth repelling, we would all be quite wealthy.
My personal favourite is still:
How do you tell the difference between God and a helicopter pilot?
God doesn't tell you he's a helicopter pilot..
Last edited by Bell_ringer; 29th Jun 2020 at 06:45.
And we worship at the Church of Translational Lift
Avoid imitations
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Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
Posts: 14,573
Received 416 Likes
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219 Posts
The shaft certainly has broken on an RAF Chinook, at Odiham. Thankfully the aircraft was in the low hover and the occupants escaped intact. Mind you, everything else broke, too. The pilot told me that after it fell to the ground like a railway carriage, he naturally reached up to shut the engines down and the engine controls had departed, along with the cockpit roof, which was also missing.