Human-powered helicopter

[blobrana]

Hum,
A Human-powered helicopter doesn`t get off the ground...

for more info

[blobrana]

Hum,
Luckily Dr Paul B MacCready didn`t read that...
The Gossamer Albatross was a human-powered aircraft, and on June 12, 1979 it completed a successful crossing of the English Channel ...










"that`s easy" - Icarus

[blobrana]

Hum,
i don't think that driving an aerofoil around, and around, in a circle  would be any less powerful, than driving it forward, in one direction  (AKA  Gossamer)

Though the material stresses on it would , i imagine, be formidable to overcome

[blobrana]

@JaXanim

 hum,
what i mean is that it must be possible...

If the `gossamer` flew in a circle then  by  your logic it wouldn't fly...

The rotor blade  is like an aerofoil wing and  gives lift ,  just like an aeroplane; except it's moving in a circular path.

lift is lift - the motion that created  it doesn't depend on it being in a straight or circular path...

And if you say that someperson moved the  `gossamer ` with sufficient forward motion,  overcoming the drag, to get it to fly the by that logic it must be easier to fly a helicopter since there is no drag to overcome...



------------
"i should have used epoxy resin" - Daedalus

[blobrana]

Hum,
tnx.

@Dr Watson
I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.

[blobrana]

Hum,
most impressive bit of research (google?) i`ve seen...

i like the bit about `dung is also an organic recreational aerodynamic device...`

[blobrana]

Hehe,
according to the original link:
"A helicopter rotor is notoriously inefficient in producing lift compared to a fixed wing aircraft. Consider the large portion of the rotor (the inner portion) that sees a low free stream velocity. Lift depends on how fast a local wing section is moving. Airfoil sections on a fixed wing aircraft see a constant free stream velocity (the speed of the aircraft"

The rotors arn`t used for `thrust` but for lift...

The more i think about it, the more obvious it seems ( that it is possible)...




I hope your not an engineer JaXanim  :-)

[blobrana]

hum,
yeah,
>>Bumble Bees :
 i believe that their wings are crinkly and  bumpy which helps , also i imagine that  the air would take on different properties (become `stickier`) when you get smaller in size...




Though i do remember reading about dragonflies that were 1.5 meters in span that existed during the cretaceous (Earths atmosphere was denser)

update See!