Curmudgeonly & Skeptical presents Boned Jello: Motionless Helicopter Rotor

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Motionless Helicopter Rotor

Magic Chopper

In sending me this video of a helicopter with a seemingly motionless rotor, a reader (I deleted the E-mail and forgot who) conjectured that the camera is in sync with the blades. It's either that or we have the first chopper ever to fly solely by tail rotor. The problem I'm having is this. Since the chopper is maneuvering, that means the collective is being used, and that should change the rotor speed. Even a little change would result in the blades being captured as moving. So wtf?

Rodger the Real King of France 5/20/2007 06:53:00 AM 11 Comments

"If the number of Islamic terror attacks continues at the current rate, candlelight vigils will soon be the number-one cause of global warming. "
Argus Hamilton

11 comments:

MitchM said...: Oh Rodger, I think it's just testing it's new anti-gravity device developed at area 51. Seriously though, even the tail rotor looks way slow.; 5/20/07, 7:26 AM
Anonymous said...: My guess is that its suspended under a heavy lift helo and you cant see the cable. Video version of photoshop?
Tim; 5/20/07, 11:02 AM
LifeBeginsAt200MPH said...: Let me work on this for a bit...gotta' mow yard, but I'll put on my thinkin' cap..; 5/20/07, 11:15 AM
Anonymous said...: Turbine speed is constant. So is rotor speed. Collective is the combined attack pitch of the main rotors, set by moving the swashplate up or down.

I vote for camera in sync w/ blades. No other way it could work.; 5/20/07, 11:44 AM
Anonymous said...: It's an easy optical illusion.

Just like a strobe light makes a spinning fan look stopped or when you think you see spinning wheels roll backwards.

If you look close you can see the blades moving slowly back and forth as the sync doesn't quite match up. The blades are definitely NOT stopped....; 5/20/07, 12:16 PM
Rodger the Real King of France said...: I won't argue the turbine point. In my Lycoming engine days most any movement of the collective required compensating throttle and tail rotor pedal action.; 5/20/07, 12:20 PM
LifeBeginsAt200MPH said...: ^1, .., x> + #f1, .., n= < j1+g1, .., x+l}k @a, b| = \a, b*k %x1, .., x] = #k x1, .., k x2{(integral)n x = x(n+1) / (n+1) + C th(x) = sh(x)/oh(x) = ( e x - e -x )/( e x + e -x )....any questions?; 5/20/07, 2:07 PM
Rodger the Real King of France said...: How many TBSP in a cup?; 5/20/07, 2:10 PM
LifeBeginsAt200MPH said...: TBSP? Cup? I think that's kitchen, cooking stuff ain't it?...I'm not allowed access to that area of the house.; 5/20/07, 2:36 PM
Anonymous said...: You're all wrong. The helicopter and the cameraman are in freefall.
GrinfilledCelt; 5/20/07, 9:00 PM
Rodger the Real King of France said...: My resident expert on all things helicopter tells me:

"Governors. Two turbine engines. Relatively constant rotor speed. You don't make throttle adjustments except on startup and shutdown."

End of story.; 5/21/07, 9:46 AM

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Motionless Helicopter Rotor

Magic Chopper

11 comments:

Post a Comment