Homemade Helicopter DISASTER, Is this the END?
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- An unfortunate turn of events puts the project in serious jeopardy. Such a shame as confidence in handling the machine was improving. Some time to reflect is now needed. Thanks to everyone who supported the project, I've had an amazing journey and will never forget it.
Think of it from an engineering point of view…you have not failed, you have simply reached the limit of that design. You already know what the change needs to be…it’s just the effort to get there. I personally hope you continue….I work on military aircraft and seeing this from one person is incredible! Head up and please follow your passion.
I love this comment with all my heart ❤️
Exactly correct here. Can see where it won't push forward more... Redesign
Yes it's hard work to do 10 - 4
I'll be honest, there is no scariest flying machine than a homemade helicopter. I really which you luck on your journey. I know you can do it!
"He didn't love crashing, probably."
Ben, you are an inspiration to those of us who dream of seeing our dreams come to life. Whether or not your machine will fly, remains unknown. But by inspiring others, you have accomplished much indeed. Thank you and well done Sir.
"That saved me, which was nice" - understatement of the year!
I do hope its not the end. This could turn out to be an incredible journey
Raise your standard on engineering. Leave the moped level and get up to aviation standard.
Start a new project and get better advice. Be happy you did fly!
Great Video!
Wish You success!!
😢 shame for now mate, but just ‘build it stronger to last longer’ 😅 and keep on with your journey.
Per aspera ad Astra !
Best wishes for the future flights
As they say you learn more form your failures than your success. keep at it, take what you have learnt from this and keep on building
I am with you if you decided to stop.. You have a lot of stories for your grand kids to enjoy together.. Thank you for sharing your passion.
Godbless you more.
Use multiple 140mm computer fans for cooling radiator....less amps possibly
PLEASE BOUNCE BACK, YOU INSPIRE US.
When I saw CV-joint at the beginning of the video, I thought how brilliant this solution is. But I did not expect at all that this would be the weakest point of the design. Despite the fact that the CV-joint itself is capable of withstanding huge loads, it is not designed for rotation at high speeds, therefore, even if high-strength clamps are used, the centrifugal force will remove oil from the CV-joint and it, having accumulated in the boot, will break it.
Can you use a thin steel shield between engine and yourself, for our pleasure?
(warning. google translate)
Yes it wasn't a good solution in the end. More guarding is certainly advisable, ideally the whole shaft would be incased within a tube.
Failure is the path to success. SpaceX rockets often blow up during project development.
What does worry me is the way the aircraft dropped after losing drive. Collective pitch for autorotation probably more complex than you want. Can you use a blade feathering bearing with trim tab to hold the blades at correct relative angle of attack for hover? When drive is lost the blades will automatically feather to autorotate. Effectively the rotor will self-govern it's rpm, which sounds like a safer solution.
Obviously design and test feathering bearings under centrifugal load. Explore forward flight carefully as this system may not control advancing blade flap as well as direct cyclic control. Also autorotation flare will rely on forward speed, like an autogyro.
For forward flight you need to connect both feathering blades to hold same pitch angle relative to teetering shaft. That will allow autorotation mechanism but flap-back will give correct cyclic pitch. Mechanism simpler to develop than swash plate solution, but with similar drive failure safety. Flare from autos still relies on forward speed. You might need to tune rotational inertia for optimum response to drive failure.
Maybe a roof rack mounted test rig to validate solution? That would make a great series of videos...
Thanks for the great thoughts. I think I want blade feathering for any new machine. Fixed pitch isn't for me but it was great to understand the drawbacks.
"The blades are spinning at 400 mph" sounds waaaaay too much like a flat earther saying "the earth is spinning at 1,000 mph, how can you stay on it?"
You ...cannot... quit after making so much progress. Take some time and redesign but don't quit. There is a large community of enthusiasts who will do whatever they can to help you succeed.
Pure hubris.
@@kevinhornbuckle if that failure had happened midair I don’t think he would keep going forward
Quitting is perfectly wise if you do not expect to succeed - especially if continuing places your life in danger. There are bigger fish to fry.
"He died doing what he loved."
Quit! If that could work it would have been done already. Intelligence without knowledge is worthless.
Don't add weight to trim the aircraft.
Move the weight you have got to achieve the trim.
Turn the radiator over so that the inlet hose goes in at the top removing the need for a convoluted coolant pipe.
I would suggest that the drive shaft should have a sliding splined portion half way along with support bearings above and below to remove any lateral movement in the CV joints.
No need for a CV joint? There's no real articulation needed so that rubber flex joint and a spline shaft would be better. Bolting a heavy CV joint onto a flex rubber is asking for a disaster IMO.,
Well if this is the end, (I hope it isn't) then it's been a pleasure to follow your slightly mad journey.
Why is it mad ?
@@tonywright8294 because it's dangerous
Whatever happens, you've designed, built, and learned to fly your own helicopter. That's a pretty astonishing achievement! It's been a pleasure to follow your madness. Good luck, whatever you decide.
Thank you
OH NO !!! You can't give up on your Pixie helicopter. You've done so well to get to where you are now. To design your own airplane, much less your own helicopter is an incredible achievement and watching you build up your helicopter and flying it has been great.
Water is the best coolant. Even with its lower vapor point, it carries more heat per unit. One way to avoid boiling with water cooling systems is to use a higher pressure radiator cap. Large aluminum radiator with a 20psi cap is the best coolant set up by far. A corrosion inhibitor in the system would be a good idea however. Good luck with your project! Don't give up! Subscribed.
You still have a good air frame, components, etc!
Take a break, have that think on it, and get the life critical parts/linkages correct. That shaft was dodgy at best, but you knew that.
I look forward to following your continued journey.
You got this.
yea, i never liked that shaft from the get-go , theres gotta be a better solution than that large housing wobbling on a set of rollers.
Your video popped up in my feed, a couple of things. CV joints are after the differential, normally spinning over 3 times slower than a driveline. You should try standard U-joints if possible and / or a cardan joint. As for the radiator, you shouldn't need a fan if you have a working thermostat. The water will not have time to cool if it's moving too fast through the radiator. Or set up a cycle switch for the pump so as the temp comes up it pulls in cool water then turns off until temp comes back up. Keep it up!
Great stuff Ben, that must have been a bit scary. Keep at it. It took me 12 years to sort all those problems out. 🙂
That makes me feel better Cam! 😊
Thank you.
@@Ben-Dixey Have you considered using a Thompson Coupling? They have a You Tube Vid explaining the advantages over CV drive shaft.
Not seen a Thompson coupling will have a look 👍
Please don't give up. It's the journey, not the destination, what matters. Take a small break, but not a long one, and come up with a plan. Always keep in mind that designing and building your own full-scale helicopter is a daunting task, and only a few have even attempted to do. You've already achieved a lot!! I wish you all the very best for future development of this marvellous machine. All the way from Sri Lanka - Shanaka. 😊
Have you considered just doing a shaft with u-joints and a splined slip joint?
I really hope you can find the motivation to go on with the project I've been following along for a while and you've really inspired me to maby try something similar when I have the resources and time. I would love to see it fly again but even if it doesn't you've inspired a lot of people and I think you should be really proud of what you've achieved, cheers mate.
I've tested CV joints for racing racing application & the tri-bearing style create a harmonic vibration so I expect a pair of them, especially if they're out of phase would be a failure waiting to happen. The ball style don't have any issues with that & run smooth all the way to 8k rpm. Your sliding shaft between them would need to be tested as an assembly to be sure that isn't a balance issue as well. The boots are useless at rpm & any extra grease in there will just compound the problem. I spun some cupped sheet metal covers that are just high enough to clear the ball cage & tig welded them to the joint body a little at a time to not affect the joint hardness or the grease. The hole is just big enough for shaft clearance & enough to push a small foam seal in there to keep the grease in & the dirt out. I'm also a backyard in the shed builder of theoretically impossible stuff as well so don't give up Mate! I'm just finishing a 4000hp 4WD streamliner capable of 500+ mph & that shouldn't be possible for one country bumpkin in a shed either!
Great comment thanks so much. The harmonic vibration, do you think I would have felt such a vibration ? There wasn't any indication of drive vibration that I could tell. I assumed as these joints were called constant velocity that they wouldn't need to be in phase. Interesting how you solved the boot problem, great idea. 👍
@@Ben-Dixey I built a jig to spin them & be able to change the angle on each end. The tri bearing were better in phase than out but had a hum & slight feel to them at best. I doubt you'd notice it with that 2 stroke screaming & all the rest of it doing it's stuff. The multi ball joints were quiet & smooth all the way to 7k-rpm & up to 10 degrees of angle was the most I tested to. With all your angle change being at the rotor head you might be better with just a rubber donut at the engine to soak up the harmonics & a CV at the head. I also fly a Pitbull gyro but don't need any of that shaft nonsense!😜 Keep at it M8!
Your objective was to design, build and hover your own helicopter. I'd say you achieved all of that - congratulations! How many people on this planet have achieved such a target? Sme of your hovering was better than many. I know you must be disappointed in the driveshaft failure, but you ought to view this as a success IMO. Bravo! to you!
Thank you 👍
Massive achievement Mr Ben!! So glad the design features you included for safety purposes worked as needed. So impressed with how you designed and implemented your idea into the Dixey Pixie, it took a lot of time and effort that goes unseen. And then to vlog it and share it, you should feel very proud of what you have achieved. Well done mate!! 👍🙏👌👏
Glycol will be much worse than straight water unfortunately.
It’s been fun watching you, but I would totally understand if this was the end. I’d hate to hear you were hurt or killed by continuing on out of bravado. I spent 2 days in the ICU for a failed creation of my own. There is absolutely no shame in stopping before you are hurt. That experience taught me the value of life. So please, if you do continue, do so safely.
Very wise comment. I know from experience that any flight activity is extremely unforgiving. Your family and those who care about you are trusting you to make the right decision.
Straight water actually cools better than glycol-based coolants. Glycol-based coolants really exist for their low temperature and anti-corrosion properties
It has been a fantastic achievement for you, and I really appreciate your story so far. Looking at your dedication so far I am sure it wont be the end, yes collective pitch is the way to go, however very easy for me to sit here and say, not very easy in practice. Look forward to seeing you back soon.
You are doing great! Obviously there are a few concerns. Cooling is a big issue, and glycol does help. I use a product called MOCOOL to transfer the heat from the heads more efficiently. It does reduce CHT between 10 to 20 degrees. The larger radiator is the way to go. Next, you are safe and un-injured. Your helicopter absorbed the debris so it was a success. I understand the use of a constant velocity joint, but the shear loads at the base exceed the limits the design allows. After seeing the damage, it was vibration and the constant movement of the shaft at high revolutions that let you down. It was not your design but the automotive parts that did. I suggest that a splined drive shaft, the same as used to a 4WD front axle would be more than capable, designed to take far more abuse and hopefully far less vibration. Let me know if I can help you in any way regarding this if you want to take that direction. By the way, I had an incident with one of my aircraft years ago. I looked at the damage and questioned if I should continue. I ended up using it as a lesson and spent the time modifying what caused the issue. I ended up with a superior aircraft which became a real pleasure to fly.
Thank you so much.
I will do another video with my thoughts and hopefully conclusions. It wasn't the automotive part that failed but the bit underneath holding it on. My design error.
stop. stop now. stop now before you hurt yourself badly
Please don’t give up. You have come leaps and bounds. I know the disappointments you’ve been through. Yes sit back a look how far you’ve come. Just think what the inventors went through, the same as you. Good luck, and I look forward to what you do next.
Have you considered Thomas Disc couplers (often used on heli tail shafts//Very simple and light // No lubrication required) Zero backlash so no destructive resonance but they are somewhat limited on deflection angles. (+ -1 degree I think)
I think the disks used are often 403 stainless and can be very thin stacks or much thicker single plates with thin legs (See Robinson tail rotor coupling)
Thanks, I like those couplings , unfortunately i need more angle and around 100mm of plunge.
Hey Ben! I've been watching your videos for a while now and this one actually concerned me. It wasn't the joint failure, but the harness and coolant junction issues that raised a big red flag. I feel it's time to consult with an A&P from your friendly local airfield and show them what you're doing, have them inspect it and the listen very humbly to the advice they'll give. There are best standards for working with electrical and cooling components that you're not following, and based off that I wonder what other shortcuts you're taking. That sort of experimenting is best left for machinery that doesn't fly.
You're taking too many risks, even only hovering a few feet off the ground.
Seeing all the encouragement is great, and you've got an enthusiastic following, but it follows the classic dunning kruger effect if none of the people following you are more educated about it than you.
this is the most sensible comment I've read on here so far. Mine was a lot harsher.
@@nexpro6985
We all have differing "risk reward" calculations... Some sum on sitting on the sofa and some sum on picking up the spanners and actually doing something interesting.
The former often living vicariously on the latter.
Using plastic for the cooling hose joint was certainly way below par and stupid as was the Lucas style bullet connectors. I know better without asking an expert. Decisions on how much money or time to spend on any particular item is constantly being weighed up. The hoses only have to last as long as it takes to decide if the cooling system is going to work. No point paying a lot of money for special hoses when you are just going change it soon after. If I had chosen another material for the joint I don't see the issue for its extremely short service life.
I would certainly listen to anyone with aviation expertise within reason. There is a difference between standards on a prototype short test machine and a certified aircraft flying at altitudes where any failure would result in a very serious situation.
The longer my machine went on the more time and money I would spend on things like the cooling and wiring. I would build a new harness with all the proper connectors. Again no point doing this when the next minute I'm adding or removing electrical components.
It's a balancing act to doing what's sensible and sometime I fall short of what's sensible.
@@Ben-Dixey
At three foot off the floor, you can indeed afford to push your luck :)
Ill guarantee we would dot the "I's" and cross the "T's" before we had the balls to hop over a tree... Fear is a great motivator.
I'm currently working on my rescue parachute in the hope that the entire aircraft could come apart but the pilot and rescue chute remain attached.
A very unlikely scenario but the fear has the better of me :)
I am a PP and know nothing about RW but . . . .I would not use that air frame again. I really don't like copters anyway but your experience here scares me.
May sound strange but, I would rather be killed outright in a commercially available aircraft than be seriously injured in something I cobbled together.
Least ways, "Idiot" won't be written on my tombstone. Protect your legacy I say. Thanks for posting. Stay safe. //ji
A scary moment for sure, and such a shame as you looked so much more confident in the test hovers, and they seemed so much more controlled. Thanks for sharing the journey, and whatever happens it’s been a great one.
Some days you are the bug and some days you are the windshield. You have been the windshield more than the bug so re-group and carry on. As you said, this is a journey - Carpe Diem! !! !!!
The engineering and accomplishment are nothing short of amazing. Don't quit!
Glycol has less cooling capacity than water, it’s only use is anti freeze.
Check your water pump mate as that radiator should be enough……
I hope that it is 'minor' enough (yeah, riiight) that you do not give up! It is an amazing journey and you are letting us live vicariously through you in it.
Choose to live and avoid an engineered death due too unsafe homemade flying machine! Build something else that makes a difference, like local renewable energy plants!
Stay safe and enjoy life!!
One day, when you're old, you'll look back at this video and smile, you'll also be glad that you didn't give up. Stick with it lad, you can do it. BTW which way does that fan push air? Up towards the downwash, or down towards the floor?
Thank you. The fan pulls through the rad.
Use sliding shaft instead of driveshaft that can be set as stationary and still have up and down movement without damage also dought in a middle would be brilliant as that would get rid of most of the movement and make the shaft go true and wont wobble
I know you will figure it out. Whether a redesign or not, you're an inspiration. I hope to see more soon. Best of luck and I'll keep a lookout for you in the future.
Dont know how i ended up here. And its the first time. Hats off to you for trying but cable ties on cv rubbers your no engineer Lol
I worked with industrial turbines for some years and know that shaft alignment is critical. The two main suppliers of drive shafts used were turboflex and Bibby. I feel sure you have done lots of research but maybe these firms could offer you advice which may help
Brilliant - Subb'd. Keep going matey - living the dream!!!
Well, i've been really enthusiastic following the proyect and i think that's impressive what you have achieved, so please do not loose what you've learned and take time to redesing it, is going to be for the best and if now you were so close to getting it, then i believe that for sure you will suceed dude
Do you honestly think the Wright Bros got it in the air and working right in the first day. It takes time and trial and error!
The CV joint is a brilliant idea, its just that the parts youre using arent up to the stresses and RPMs put upon them. You may want to consider stepping up to heavy duty racing parts or have something machined to stronger specs. Also consider looking at some kits out there- how are they doing it? someone must have had this problem and solved it too. Dont give up- Youve proven the concept works, just get back at it with beefier components.
They are too big and heavy to be going 5500 rpm, they don't do that when they are used in a vehicle, its a redesign job really.
Drive shaft pipe would be better
Certified aircraft parts are needed in this area.
Looking at the design, the drive shaft needs to be balanced and free from lateral vibration and forces. In particular I would engineer the engine and drive shaft to be a part of an integral structure. The rotor needs a rethink on articulation and the entire mechanism needs to be design so that an engine seizure results in the blades 'windmilling'. There is a reason helicopters are expensive as heck! If you decide to proceed, I would strongly recommend pairing-up with an aviation engineer/designer who really understands the forces involved. That said, I love the effort you've put in to this project - totally admirable and maximum effort. Well done!
Thanks, I'll go into detail on the next video about all the issues with this design. I'm not sure vibration caused the failure but I could be wrong.
Don't give up. You have traveled such a log way on this journey, and we've been cheering you on all the way. In my humble opinion, the cv joint issue might be as simple as too much grease. It is not unusual that a cv joint with too much grease will blow the boot off due to expansion from the heat. Not to mention the imbalance once the grease piles up on one side of the boot. Don't give up. you're still alive, and at first, I thought thay might end the project but you have done great lol. Stay safe
hi rather than a cv joint at the bottom have pulley and belt system one less joint to worry about
just sayin id happily donate or buy a t shirt to see project V2 start happening with everything you learned from this prototype. i love the project. keep up the great work man.
Same I don't do that very often but I really wanna see dixey pixie fly again.
That's very thoughtful and a first 😆
As a mechanic, I do not like the CV shaft AT ALL, considering the centrifugal force displacing the grease anyway, you never have good lubrication during extended flight. The fact that the joints are under torque stress as well as the compressive stress from cycling, it's a scary single point of failure. if the main part of the drive was solid and only the rotor shaft moved, that would make it tall, but reliable.
Obviously a balanced, aviation grade collective is the way to go, since your life is on the line here.
Helicopters are unstable by nature, always crashing and only the pilot makes it fly, so yeah, a tricky machine to make!
An airplane is MUCH simpler and so is a drone style vehicle, multicopter that is.
Being careful, not flying to high, paid off. Well executed test flight. Thank you so much for sharing this epic adventure with all of us aviation enthusiasts! You could fix it, of course, but I think it is time to move on to the next project, be it a new version of Dixey Pixie or something completely different. You have gained so much knowledge and had so much exiting fun, no need to push your luck with the current design! All the best to you! :-D
Thank you and I agree. If I lived near you I would offer to help build your full scale levitator. You have certainly given me ideas with your project.
You HAVE to have cyclic. Without it you turn into a brick at altitude. Good luck…
stay with it buddy! You have done a fantastic job with lots of hurdles. Hopefully you can work it out.
Better than anything Africa has put out, good work!
hey man your videos have motivated me to take my thesis on helicopter rotor head design, Still coming up untill this point is good as it is but maybe you should try having another one cnc machined from steel(would cost 2000euros or so) and then somehow heat treat it regardless
Hi, I'm pleased you are going to be researching rotor head design. It's a fascinating subject if you ask me. Steel would be a better choice for fatigue resistance I think, I would certainly make the blade straps from steel next time.
Really sad to see the project end like this. You put so much effort in it.
But the truth is, it will likely never be safe enough to fly with it.
Good evening from Washington state USA friend, please don't give up, learn what you had done wrong, no body perfect, always learn from mistakes we have done, it will get better i support you., i watched on my smart TV . Thanks for your share and hard work. 👍👍
Hi and thanks for watching, a lot has been learnt from this project and this knowledge can be used on the next one. It was a lot of fun and more to come.
Hello from the States: do not give up! The "trying" is the thing. Your endeavor inspires us all. The "trying"is what is important!
That rubber isolation coupling that failed I am using the same one on my excavator between engine and hyd pump. The only place I could find it was through aliexpress and it was about $300.
Wow. That's expensive, what hp is the engine ? Mind you I did pay £100 for mine.
Dude, seems all of these is just a minor damage... just inspect everything carefully and get back to work. As an engineer working in aviation industry my advice is to put some welds at the frame - all these bolt joints are vulnerable for vibrations. Consider adding some plate behind your back to protect in case of engine/shaft damage. Seems like engine has not enough power, or rotor diameter is just too small to give constant thrust in proper range. Best regards from Poland!
Come on Ben, Dig deep, Lets get on with Pixie 2.0
Better it reveals all weaknesses at 2 feet, rather than 200 feet.
Back to the old drawing board! I have to agree with you that cv shaft HAS to go. No way to keep those joints reliable and balanced at high speed. They barely do the job in Audi Quattro and vibrate if they are off even slightly. You are crazy strapping yourself into that thing 🤣
The CV shaft is operating faster than they would be in a vehicle, in vehicles they don't go at engine speed .
Yeah I never liked the drive shaft. A rethink, have to say though the balance was good, no vibration felt anyway. The shaft I made from 7075t6 and I clocked it well in the lathe. It ran nice
As for your drive shaft try this strong material AR-500 if it can stop bullets it should be strong enough to withstand the rigors or your machine. Another type of material try titanium it’s super strong as well! As for the connections on each end of the cv boots try forgetting the boots and use automotive universal joint configuration. Male female setup just like on cars fill with grease just like on cars grease fitting on each universal joint. It should be enough grease in the cups to maintain!
Oh and good luck to you you should be able to mill the AR-500 on that lath I saw in your shop and yes I’m a retired machinist. Finish grinder from Cessna. Aircraft Wichita kansas area usa
I know you have alot of suggestions 😂 here's mine if that's a Rotax you need to run with a shorter pipe slightly bigger expansion chamber and no thermostat if your running wide open pretty much all of the time it's not going to run cold at full rmp I'd also think a tail rotor would be more of an advantage over the flaps with more stable flight, maneuverability.
Thanks. The engine is a Johnson outboard power head but very similar to a rotax. The exhausts were made of aluminium, not a good material choice. Next time I would probably go for the single expansion chamber like rotax and Hirth etc.
Dude. Keep it going. I’m cheering for you !
I sincerely compliment your engineering skills. But as a helicopter pilot, to go more than a few feet from the ground in this you would have to consider death a perfectly acceptable outcome. I see no way to autorotate. You should be proud you made a controllable and flying homemade helicopter. But I would strongly encourage you to look at buying a rotorway or scorpion kit.
thanks, only a few feet was the objective. The designing and building was the main attraction
Thank goodness your altitude was 3/4 of an inch . In Africa you would be a national hero . Stay safe captain 👩✈️
Thank you 😊
8:10min thats why you always need to have a spotter there who can ask you to stop. thinking about doing these experiments alone is enough to gives me anxiety
Yeah having a spotter is much safer I agree.
o dönen körüklü milin iki tarafıda hareketli olması lazım tıpkı kamyonların altında dönen şajt mili gibi ozaman kasma olmaz kolay gelsin
CV's are only rated to a max of 1000 RPM .. NOT for engine speed AT ALL ! If you attempt it you must use the Steel bands only a few bucks each
If you decide to go forward with your project, I'd like to take out a life insurance policy on you, naming myself as the beneficiary......................
Take a break Bud. I'm not saying to hang it up but it sounds like you're limited with your design. Take a break. You might well be hacking this one up for parts on a MKII. This one was to learn. MKII will be to fly.
I agree with all the Don't Quit advice given, you have come so far! However that is tempered by the knowledge that pushing that design will probably kill you. My advice would be live long, maybe apply those skills to a new project or redesign using collective pitch? There's a reason there's not many home built helicopters out there. It's one thing to build one, but to then make that safe and reliable is another matter. Your skills are amazing, your determination is inspiring, but please don't kill yourself....
That’s one of the best put comments I’ve read on this thread 👍🏼
KEEP GOING!!!! 💪💪💪💪💪
This rando from South Africa has MAD respect!!!
Can't decide whether you should dedicate this machine to Rube Goldberg or Monty Python. I applaud your desire to fly but not on this crate. Please take what you have learned and move forward safely.
As far as the c v joint shaft breaking. I would go to the helicopter
manufacturers, and ask them what they think would be a good shaft for your project.
DO NOT GIVE UP!!!!!
That's a very good basic design young grasshopper. 🦗 I personally love it. Reminds me of the Russian ones. You are going to be very successful with it I believe. Perseverance & Faith will serve you. 👍🙏🙏🙏🇺🇸
Just watched that again after going through rest of videos to understand background. You might want to google "ab-marine feathering auto-prop" to see a fully automatic collective pitch mechanism to keep rotor flying after drive failure (really wish RUclips would stop spam deleting posts linked to this sort of thing). My other thoughts:
I definitely saw some shaft dynamics several times in video. Might just have been out of balance of grease boots. Is there flex in flywheel bearing? Might be a little sub synchronous flywheel whirl going on...
The lower belt shift and water bottle failure would have occurred on impact with ground. Rotor mast mass mount bending proves there was gee. Can you introduce a convex drive gear to keep belt centred?
Get yourself a Dynafoam or Confor impact absorbing cushion from British Gliding Association to make sure only the airframe is damaged.
Could landing skids be modified to take some energy out of heavy landings. Maybe work out maximum autorotation vertical velocity (pitch feathering assumed) and work out kinetic energy to absorb over "crush" distance.
you might want to do your testing in the middle of the field , not near the fence and tree line , you want get as much rotor wash interference. other than that don't stop there , it looks good so far
I'm impressed with what you are doing! I have flown radio controlled helicopters since way back, in the early 90's. I developed a reptuation, among friends, for the mechanical reliabilty of my toys. You have to be paranoid to be a helicopter pilot. With the transmission, gears, shafts, bearings, and the God awful vibration that rubs the insulation off wiring you can't leave anything to chance. Below is something from news man Harry Reasoner. Written about helicopter pilots.
Helicopter flight:
"A bunch of spare parts flying in close formation."
"Anything that screws its way into the sky flies according to unnatural principals."
You never want to sneak up behind an old high-time helicopter pilot and clap your hands. He will instantly dive for cover and most likely whimper...then get up and smack the crap out of you.
There are no old helicopters laying around airports like you see old airplanes. There is a reason for this. Come to think of it, there are not many old high-time helicopter pilots hanging around airports either so the first issue is mute.
You can always tell a helicopter pilot in anything moving: a train, an airplane, a car or a boat. They never smile, they are always listening to the machine and they always hear something they think is not right. Helicopter pilots fly in a mode of intensity, actually more like "spring loaded" while waiting for pieces of their ship to fall off.
Flying a helicopter at any altitude over 500 feet is considered reckless and should be avoided. Flying a helicopter at any altitude or condition that precludes a landing in less than 20 seconds is considered outright foolhardy.
Remember in a helicopter you have about one second to lower the collective in an engine failure before the craft becomes unrecoverable. Once you've failed this maneuver the machine flies about as well as a 2 ton meat locker. Even a perfectly executed autorotation only gives you a glide ratio slightly better than that of a brick. A corollary to this: H-53 Pilots are taught autorotation procedures so that they will have something to do with their hands and feet while they plummet to the death.
When your wings are leading, lagging, flapping, precessing and moving faster than your fuselage there's something unnatural going on. Is this the way men were meant to fly?
While hovering, if you start to sink a bit, you pull up on the collective while twisting the throttle, push with your left foot (more torque) and move the stick left (more translating tendency) to hold your spot. If you now need to stop rising, you do the opposite in that order. Sometimes in wind you do this many times each second. Great fun is letting a fighter pilot go for a ride and try this. Yes it is!
For Helicopters: You never want to feel a sinking feeling in your gut (low "g" pushover) while flying a two bladed under slung teetering rotor system. You are about to do a snap-roll to the right and crash. For that matter, any remotely aerobatic maneuver should be avoided in a Huey.
Don't push your luck. It will run out soon enough anyway. If everything is working fine on your helicopter consider yourself temporarily lucky. Something is about to break.
There are two types of helicopter pilots: Those that have crashed, and those that are going to.
Harry Reasoner once wrote the following about helicopter pilots:
"The thing is, helicopters are different from planes. An airplane by its nature wants to fly, and if not interfered with too strongly by unusual events or by an incompetent pilot, it will fly. A helicopter does not want to fly. It is maintained in the air by a variety of forces and controls working in opposition to each other, and if there is any disturbance in this delicate balance the helicopter stops flying; immediately and disastrously.
There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter.
This is why being a helicopter pilot is so different from being an airplane pilot, and why in generality, airplane pilots are open, clear-eyed, buoyant extroverts and helicopter pilots are brooding introspective anticipators of trouble. They know if something bad has not happened it is about to."
Having said all this, I must admit that flying in a helicopter is one of the most satisfying and exhilarating experiences I have ever enjoyed: skimming over the tops of trees at 100 knots is something we should all be able to do at least once.
And remember the fighter pilot's prayer: "Lord I pray for the eyes of an eagle, the heart of a lion and the balls of a Marine combat helicopter pilot."
Many years later I know that it was sometimes anything but fun, but now it IS something to brag about for those of us who survived the experience.
I know how days like this feel after 30 years of fixing motorbikes in my shed; go to the beach! Then there is always tomorrow...on the CV boots (just in case you're still too stingy to buy a real helicopter; which will still break down BTW) it is absolutely vital that the surface the boot seals against - under the clip - is DRY and completely free of grease. I usually wipe these surfaces with Meths or similar right before tightening the clip otherwise the boot will slip and spin independently with the grease pressure behind it egging it on. That is what it looked like when the top one went....but you probably knew that already! Best of luck from Aotearoa - never give up just alter frequency..
If you can build this thing, then you can build one with a proper control system, I say go for it.
Your quality control needs to improve substantially though. If you were 10' you'd have back problems now, probably even with a collective.
Buddy, keep on working... I am planning to design and make my own helicopter, the helicycle type or something akin to those... I wont look at your videos for now, but i have come to like this vid, and add your stuff to future projects playlist... I cant watch your stuff now, i have way too many projects and i still have to start getting my pilots licence before i start that project... 10 large projects and 40 smaller projects are way too much to consider this, but when my horizon clears out some, i will be here again...
All the best and warmest regards along wishes of prosperity in thy projects friend...
Steuss
CV boots should be tossed, rubber doesn’t rotate well at high speed. When they are on the cars,they don’t rotate at all! perhaps an aluminum cover could be used (and perhaps balanced before use).The shaft of course should be metal other than aluminum perhaps from a small car or BMW motorcycle. 🚙🏋️♀️🏍
Just in case RUclips notification doesn't work: I have added a reply to my earlier post about a mechanically simple method to improve this machines autorotation safety. I think it can be developed for forward flight, which is necessary to convert forward KE to auto flare power. I'm subscribed so will add ideas as I see problems. Keep going...
First visit and what I'm seeing and hearing concerns me. This is a machine that you are trying to trust your life to. A rattle here and there should trigger a full shut down alert. Wires should be sheathed and protected nine ways from Sunday. Nothing left to chance. Have people check your progress. Ask questions. The engine sounds not so smooth, maybe that was just the wind playing with your mic. Not sure.
You CAN do this but it never comes easy.
My humble opinionS.
Well done on your quest; the hardest decision is knowing when to quit. I think you’ve already succeeded so why continue? Now as a PPL(H) I’d say park this and go get your licence. You’ve done it, nothing left to prove.
You kidding. If everyone quit, there would be no cars, planes, trains,boats, everything we use in this world. With every failure, comes success!!!
You were lucky. That metal piece could hit you.
Make a metal barrier in your back and over your head.
Anyway, you were successful, you flew. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Conventional light helicopter anti torque tail rotors are conventional for a host of very good reasons. I admire what you have achieved, but swash plate or Enstrom and Skeeter style pole in the hole + (very noisy) tail rotor will be with us for a very long time.
As for multiple electric motor props, try auto-rotating that configuration...
Thanks, and blessings on future projects.
I think under lift your frame is flexing, pulling on that cv shaft. Like some other posts, flip that Radiator, get a splined shaft and or look at the couplers used in marine v-drives, and large industrial motors (electric). Ya man go to full collective / Cyclic pitch.