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Monday, May 5, 2014

Helicopter Engineering


Derelict Russian Mi-24 (HIND) Helicopter

Notice how the two engine intake covers (just above the twin canopies) are slightly offset from the centerline (thoughtfully provided by Flankerman. All Mi-24 helicopters have this slight cant to the side, which is intended to help mitigate the torque from the main-rotor. The whole rear fuselage behind the cockpit is offset from the vertical by 2deg 30min.
   Tail rotor helicopters (that is, helicopters that use tail rotors to counteract the torque produced by the main rotor, as opposed to helicopters with two, contra-rotating rotors like the American Chinook or the Russian Alligator) do not have an even relationship between forward flight and hovering. Each helicopter design deals with this in its own way. The Mi-24 designers have incorporated the off even attitude into the airframe.

2 comments:

  1. You may not realise it Charles, but propeller single planes have their wings set at a different nangle of attack to counteract the torque of the engine (at cruise speeds).

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  2. No! It can't be! All those perfectly symmetrical airplanes I idolized all these years are flawed? I'm devastated, I tell you. This is even worse than finding out about Santa and Mrs. Claus.

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