Duke wrote: I thought it was going to be this: https://www.youtube.com/embed/k5BivSNiH8s
That was great, thanks for sharing. My first rc experience looked similar lol.
Duke wrote: I thought it was going to be this: https://www.youtube.com/embed/k5BivSNiH8s
That was great, thanks for sharing. My first rc experience looked similar lol.
In reply to Will:
Bertie Fisher. Colin McRae. Whirley birds haven't been kind to motorsports. 
there was a drug dealer near me who was buying helicopters and getting his untrained mules to teach themselves to fly and then fly pot into Washington state and coke back. at least one crashed and died.
In reply to bearmtnmartin:
Sounds like that went much better than anyone could have predicted then.
I'm trying remember my first attempts at the helicopter tutorial missions in Microsoft Flight Sim X. Pretty sure I repeatedly back flipped and exploded.
Beer Baron wrote: Helicopters do not actually fly. They are just so ugly that the earth repels them.
Per an Army Warrant Officer and E36M3-hook (Chinook) pilot friend:
"Helicopters don't fly. They beat the air into submission."
Beer Baron wrote: Helicopters do not actually fly. They are just so ugly that the earth repels them.
I thought they just beat the air into submission?
In reply to mad_machine & slantvariant:
Given that I my job is in helicopters (yes, Igor did indeed have his first prototype- the VS-300- solidly tethered), that's the usual joke about how a helicopter flies.
I can't imagine trying to actually fly one without formal training in it... I've talked with pilots before who have said that (prior to the current computer-assisted fly-by-wire systems) hovering is like trying to stand on top of a greased beach ball.
Cotton wrote:Bobzilla wrote: In reply to RevRico: They're called powered parachute's. Fairly inexpensive and when the engine quits, you still have a parachute! I'd love one but the wife said no. I grew up in the era of the ultralights. Going to Oshkosh to see the new stuff.The powered parachute sounds awesome.
It is. I have pictures somewhere I need to find.
As far as helicopters go, I would love to learn to fly one. It was almost the reason I needed to join the army in the late 80s. But, I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with one of those contraptions even if I knew how to control an actual helo.
I was a test pilot for an experimental very light human powered helicopter. IIRC we were at 182 lbs including my weight. As soon as you get enough lift for it to get light (before leaving the ground)it wants to spin around in circles and trying to add just enough tail rotor to balance the spin is very difficult. Even the slightest breeze creates more lift and instantly becomes a problem trying to adjust the ratios.
Most of the initial testing was done outdoor on rough asphalt surfaces during the coldest winter days at 5-6AM when the air would be densest and it would be dead calm. Nothing like getting a wake up call at 3AM from a guy excited to get me out before dawn in 0-10 degree weather to pedal my butt off. We did some of the testing in one of Sikorsky's big warehouse buildings but it wasn't cold enough and the floor was smooth so getting enough lift for the tests was very hard.
Broke it a couple times and crashed it once (barely off the ground)when a very slight unexpected breeze came up increasing lift and tipping the helicopter. There's no way I'd consider trying to fly a lightweight powered helicopter.
NOT A TA wrote: I was a test pilot for an experimental very light human powered helicopter. IIRC we were at 182 lbs including my weight. As soon as you get enough lift for it to get light (before leaving the ground)it wants to spin around in circles and trying to add just enough tail rotor to balance the spin is very difficult. Even the slightest breeze creates more lift and instantly becomes a problem trying to adjust the ratios. Most of the initial testing was done outdoor on rough asphalt surfaces during the coldest winter days at 5-6AM when the air would be densest and it would be dead calm. Nothing like getting a wake up call at 3AM from a guy excited to get me out before dawn in 0-10 degree weather to pedal my butt off. We did some of the testing in one of Sikorsky's big warehouse buildings but it wasn't cold enough and the floor was smooth so getting enough lift for the tests was very hard. Broke it a couple times and crashed it once (barely off the ground)when a very slight unexpected breeze came up increasing lift and tipping the helicopter. There's no way I'd consider trying to fly a lightweight powered helicopter.
This sounds like a problem that should be solved by a computer in the same way my toy helicopter can fly itself and I just tell it where to go. The stability and hover bits take care of themselves.
In reply to NOT A TA:
Light weight rotors also make autorotation difficult, if I recall you need to react quickly or the rotor looses energy.
pilotbraden wrote: In reply to NOT A TA: Light weight rotors also make autorotation difficult, if I recall you need to react quickly or the rotor looses energy.
Ya the main rotor blades didn't have much mass to keep momentum. They were mostly carbon fiber with a nylon material stretched over them. Kinda like the balsa wood plane models with rice paper we made when I was a kid. I'll have to see if I can find some pics of the helicopter to scan. It was before widespread use of digital cameras, never mind cell phones etc. There were videos taken in VHS during testing though although I don't have them.
On a quick read, this sounds like a bad idea, but also I spent about 90 minutes one time scouting out roads to see if it would be feasible to drive a hovercraft to work, so I got no room to talk.
In reply to JG Pasterjak:
So, is there a feasible hovercraft route? If I was to try that I would try to include as much water as possible.
A helicopter is on my list of toys when I win the lottery. I'll end up killing myself somehow and a fiery pile of debris will be less embarrassing to my wife than a pile of coke and girls.
JG Pasterjak wrote: On a quick read, this sounds like a bad idea, but also I spent about 90 minutes one time scouting out roads to see if it would be feasible to drive a hovercraft to work, so I got no room to talk.
That would be unabashedly awesome...
Took my first lesson a couple months back. I'm HOOKED!
FWIW: The instructor made an interesting point, right before we did a simulated engine failure: Where an airplane pilot needs some type of "runway" for an emergency landing, he pointed out over a half-dozen spots where he could set down the helicopter; fields, parking lots, roads, on top of the Wal-Mart, etc.
In reply to poopshovel again: I know when a plane loses an engine, you still have wings, etc to provide some control and make a landing, but once a helicopter loses an engine, and probably any form of lift, it seems to me that it would turn into a giant paper weight and drop like a rock with little to no control. How would you "set down" a copter once it loses power? I sure wouldn't try it on the roof of any building if it could be avoided.
In reply to ncjay:
I was under the same impression until we did the simulated engine failure. You'd be amazed at how long/FAST the rotor/blades continue to spin with no power going to them.
Where an airplane pilot would need to pray for a highway or big field, we had a ton of options when the buzzer started buzzing and lights started flashing.
I'm CERTAINLY not claiming to be an expert, or trying to start a "ford vs. chevy" debate 
Just throwing in my $.02.
Also: Read what aircooled said on page one.
ncjay wrote: In reply to poopshovel again: I know when a plane loses an engine, you still have wings, etc to provide some control and make a landing, but once a helicopter loses an engine, and probably any form of lift, it seems to me that it would turn into a giant paper weight and drop like a rock with little to no control. How would you "set down" a copter once it loses power? I sure wouldn't try it on the roof of any building if it could be avoided.
Autorotation. Basically, you trade altitude for rotor speed. Dive to get the rotors spinning fast enough, pitch up to level when you get close to your landing spot, and the main rotor will provide enough lift to set it down safely.
Depending on how bad the engine failure is, what if there is no rotation? Otherwise, I think I understand, but I still wouldn't want to try it.
914Driver wrote: Though I'm a pilot I'm not going to claim I know everything. Guy I know bought a Mosquito ultralight helicopter, claims because it's ultralight no licensing is required. He's skipping around his property learning control, asked if I wanted to try it. No thank you. Someday he may find himself near other aircraft where there are rules, without training he won't know how to communicate with them or what to do. Helicopters are sketchy to me anyway, but no license required? Love to hear from you.
AGREED! As my 3-year-old daughter emphatically proclaims, whenever she doesn't like something, "NO TANK YOU!"
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