Whirligigs

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Helicopter De-icing Wind Turbine Blades

I like this picture because it shows just how big a wind turbine is. It's hard to show how big they are because there is never anything around them that you can use for comparison. A picture with a person doesn't work because by the time you zoom out far enough to get the whole turbine in the picture, the person is reduced to a single pixel, which doesn't really help.

Some people think this picture indicates that wind turbines are stupid. Time will tell. The rapid proliferation of wind turbines is due to government policy in the form of tax benefits. It's kind of like ethanol (from corn) that way. It might not be the most economical way to produce electricity, but it's a worthwhile experiment. Even with the vast numbers of them being installed, they still don't produce a noticeable percentage of the electricity we use.

The problem with icing might be due to the get-er-done mindset which ignored the possibility of ice being a problem. Or maybe they considered it, and de-icing by helicopter is the most economical solution. Or maybe it's a freak occurrence that wasn't worth worrying about, until it was.

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F2A World Record - Control-line model aircraft speed.
Raddaddy watanen comments:

Some facts for you fellas: Only one-inboard wing, as the drag of the 2 lines are the biggest drag factor. One line is forbidden by the rules (monoline) also longer than 1 m wings outruled. Engine turns at about 40.000 rpm so the two blade prop is ineffective ( other blade falls in the slipstream of the other). The one blade prop tip travels in excess of sound of speed (Tip speed is +1MACH!) and the counterweight is inside the spinner. The 2,5cc glo engine delivers more than 2,5 horsepower. so if it would be a 2,5 litre car engine, the power would be 2500 horsepower. Now you MAY understand these "toys" are actually VERY HIGH TECH scale racers...

Could the engine really be turning 40,000 RPM? That's pretty fast. It is very small. I ran the numbers just to see, and it seems reasonable. 800 MPH is a little more than Mach 1.


I had a couple of control-line model aircraft when I was a kid. Only flew them once or twice. Not sure why. Perhaps it was too big a production for such a small person.

Via True Blue Sam the Travelin' Man

Update July 2021 replaced missing image.