Re: Re: interesting link about ornithopters

From: Don Slusarczyk <don_at_slusarczyk.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:24:09 -0400

For the record, my "faux" autogiro flies noticeably worse with the rotor
off then when on. On a 15 minute flight with no rotor flew about 3
minutes less than when on. It does make lift, just not as efficiently as
the fixed wing does. In the calcs I did when I first did the "pinwheel"
design, I assumed a 3:1 L/D on the rotor and that worked out quite well.
I also know the autogyro Larry Loucka has also climbs higher and flies
longer with the rotor on compared to when taken off. There is a set of
alternate "provisional" autogiro rules in the AMA rulebook and as far as
I know that version has never been flown since it was introduced about
20 years ago by Lester Garber (I believe). In the old days wingless
gyros flew horrible (from the stories told to me by who flew them) the
AMA record was just over one minute. Even under the new "provisional"
autogyro in the current AMA book, I think Lester only got about 2 or 2.5
minute flights. The single rotor wingless free flight gyros flew
horrible and that is why the rules were changed to allow wings.
Basically you built a model and launched above your head and see whose
model took the longest to crash to the ground.

Don S
>
>
> Please write us a good set of autogiro rules. I agree that the current
> set of rules are not very good, but do not know how to write better
> ones. I enjoyed the event but there were not enough contestants to
> continue the event at the USIC. We had 2 or 3 most years.
>
> Fred Rash
>
> On 6/23/2010 2:37 PM, Bob Clemens wrote:
>> John Kagan aptly pointed out:
>> "The record setting indoor free flight ornithopters get their lift
>> from the canard and mainly get thrust from the flapping wings."
>> Hmm... Sort of like the faux indoor autogiros get their lift from
>> their wings, not from their rotors.
>> Bob Clemens
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
Received on Wed Jun 23 2010 - 19:24:17 CEST