Could a drone down a chopper?
 

Just finished watching Casualty on BBC...the usual carnage and heroic medics...
only one question remains....can a kids toy really down a chopper? are they that vulnerable?

Depends, where the "toy" hits the heli.
I would guess (and only guess):
Through the front pane: Incapacitating the pilot, loss of control -> down
Into the main rotor disc: Damaging a blade, bringing rotor out of balance and destroying aerodynamics -> maybe an autorotation would work
Into tail rotor: same as a hit into the main rotor?
Into air inlet for turbines: Maybe nothing would happen (especially, if filters are installed), maybe the worst thing could result in engine failure, if at least some parts of the drone make it through all the way

I wouldn't want to be the first to find out...

Thracian

http://i.imgur.com/V7Z9rj4.png


http://i.imgur.com/Pfql1MP.jpg


See the problem with that question?

Have a look at the Powerpoint presentation here Scroll down and click on "relation to low-level helicopter operations" - Scary!!

While I could see a large 10Kg drone posing a severe risk, the actual model shown in the programme would in all likelyhood be chopped into pieces without the pilots even being aware of it. There might be a chip or two in the rotor paintwork from contact with metal parts or battery pack, but if tail rotors were that vulnerable, every bird in the sky would present a lethal risk.

Nice to see an air accident depicted without the airframe disappearing into a fireball the moment it makes contact with the ground. Frighteningly realistic.

A 15 Gramm Sparrow can smash through the windshield and blind the pilot.......why do you think a thing made out of hard materials rather than flesh and muscles would need to be so much heavier?

Some helicopters cruise at 120 or even 150 knots-that´s close to 300 Km/h....

Ever hit a big bug while riding a motorbike on the highway at 200 K/h?

Also keep in mind that even small lithium batteries might burn extremely hot and produce large amounts of thick toxic smoke when shorted or physically damaged.

lithium torch

With ease, if the drone is big enough. Scary stuff and a FS issue that, in my personal opinion, is a ticking time bomb.

With the exploding numbers of drones owned by anyone with a few dollars - and too many of those owners, with an inadequate number of working brain cells - it will only be a matter of time before there's a proven, "drone-initiated" helicopter crash.

Those composite blades don't take too kindly to hitting anything at near the speed of sound. Sure they are fitted with a leading edge metal strip but that is for the prevention of pitting and corrosion.

I saw the prop on a VP1 being totally trashed by a bit of long grass so I would consider tail rotors to be particularly vulnerable.

As suggested before, only if the heli was at a rate of knots and had a head on with a heavy camera coming thru the windshield. The situation depicted in casualty, the drone would get no where near the heli it would be fly swatted by the downdraught of the main rotor. Even strong winds really dampen drone performance.

BBC 'Casualty' have just dealt with this very scenario: quite well done, too :ok:

(Jump to 1 minute and avoid the deep and meaningful looks from the actors ;) )



How it was created:



Preempting the inevitable comments about changing to a 109AII, why didn't the pilot keep the speed on for fin efficiency, etc: it's a TV production!

Except why shake the camera when there is no camera in the story line?
Far too much use of "shaky cam" in my opinion.

John, the OP mentioned watching "Casualty" on the BBC in their first sentence. You apparently missed it?

Sure did :rolleyes:

Report published into the very question: 'Small and Military Piloted Aircraft Systems (drones) - Mid-air Collision Study'


The short answer: Helicopters are very vulnerable to critical damage due to drone strike - much more so than bird strike.

An interesting read.

Another thing to consider is door off ops. The drone might approach the helicopter at 90º to the heli flight path and come straight in the door opening hitting the pilot at the heli's forward speed. End badly I'd suspect.





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A letal drone Strike is coming soon. After that, new regulation.