Posted on 06/26/2014 8:25:53 PM PDT by DemforBush
Neat video of a rather interesting (if ultimately unsuccessful) U.S. attack helicopter design from the early 1970s.
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
240mph and a 4 ton payload, sounds like we need some such even today. (isis)
This is very interesting that it is posted... I was reading all about these aircraft just the other night after someone posted a photo of an AH-1 Cobra that is for sale.
Any helicopter at cruising airspeed has the problem of `dissymmetry of lift’, where the retreating blade’s lift is subtracted, not added, to the relative wind produced by forward movement.
This problem was solved by Igor Sikorsky in the 1940’s with his rotating swashplate which not only provided control but induced additional pitch as the rotor passed front dead center from advancing to retreating.
I started Army flight school in late 1970 & they taught us all this theory while we were itching to get in the cockpit; the classroom phase was called “nuts & bolts”.
The AH-56A was still a flying prototype. We were shown training films & marveled at its rigid rotor system (unlike semi-rigid & fully articulated rotors) which enabled the Cheyenne to loop the loop (”Wow! Hope I get to do that!”).
Then it was off to Vietnam. Later the word got around that the AH-56 was cancelled because its ability to reach 300 knots with the aid of its pusher propeller was causing the tail rotor to shear off from the sideways strain.
Saw a Cheyenne outside the post museum in Fort Polk in 2001. Still an awesome machine.
“How many hours on the ground for every flying hour, the more advanced the worst it probably gets.”
True, down time gets worse as the aircraft ages as well. More parts get removed and reinstalled, wires break, connectors wear out, and all sorts of problems develop. I’ve seen more flight control issues get shot down to a broken wire, or improper connection than failure of a flight control computer, or actuator. The F-22’s are great jets right now, wait about 10, 20 years, especially with the increased flying hours and decreased maintenance personnel approach that the Air Force has taken. You’d think the powers that be would’ve learned this lesson with the F-15E and F-16, which have quite a few electronic components.
Will they be forces to change the name?
Afterall...Indians are now a protected class..
With a lot of the digital systems they are able to reduce the number of wires.
of course we offset that by adding more bells and whistles. fyi the F-35 is mostly fiberoptic.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.