The unknown site of Bensen

[scandtours]

Ok. the unknown side of Bensen maybe it is not so unknown for many, but for some yes.
The "BENSEN B-11M KOPTER-KART" for example.


http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/bensen_zipster.php
http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/bensen_midjet.php
http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/bensen_b-6.php
http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/bensen_b-10.php
http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/bensen_b-12.php
http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/bensen_hovergyro.php
http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/bensen_gyroglider.php
http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/bensen_gyroboat.php
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=10330.0
..and of course http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/cgi-bin/res.pl?keyword=Bensen+B-11M+Kopter-Kart&offset=0
http://126840.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=126840&p=3&topicID=37656141&page=1&sort=newestFirst

[ckurz7000]

Interesting ideas, Giorgos, that bring on a smile in some cases. Bensen was a creative had. Although for some I wouldn't want to get close to, not to mention fly in them.

-- Chris.

[scandtours]

Interesting ideas, Giorgos, that bring on a smile in some cases. Bensen was a creative had. Although for some I wouldn't want to get close to, not to mention fly in them.

-- Chris.


You understood it very well Chris what I meant by Bensens unknown side. But brave was he.

[C. Beaty]

Bensen suffered a severe spinal injury as a young man when the Doblhoff wnf 342 he was flying at the GE Schenectady Research Center was destroyed in a ground resonance accident.

Bensen was confined to a wheel chair during the last few years of his life by Parkinson’s disease, perhaps as a result of his injuries at GE.

He spent his final years in a California nursing home operated by a Russian émigré charity.

[joe nelson]

What was GE doing with a german helicopter? It would seem like the government would have sent them to Bell or Sikorski.

[WaspAir]

GE developed a whole bunch of aviation turbines back in those early days, and was doing lots of aviation research. Their J-47 engine, for example, powered all sorts of things, including the B-45, B-47, the 4 jets on the B-36J, and so on, starting in the late 1940s. (I guess that's only natural, given their power-generating turbine background.)
The helicopter industry was anything but established as of 1944, and it would have been awfully early to assume that Bell and Sikorsky would be leading the way for the future.

[C. Beaty]

What was GE doing with a german helicopter? It would seem like the government would have sent them to Bell or Sikorski.GE supplied the propulsion package for the Kellett/Hughes XH-17; J-33 engines supplying compressed air to the tip burners, which utilized J-33 burner cans.

Bensen was researching the thermodynamics of tip jet propulsion.

[joe nelson]

Was the Doblhoff equiped with jet engines or did it use an air compressor prior to GE? I know the H-17 was a hot cycle aircraft but did the Doblhoff have the same system?

[dabkb2]

What was GE doing with a german helicopter? It would seem like the government would have sent them to Bell or Sikorski.

It is a good thing that GE did get it, we might not be flying gyros.

[C. Beaty]

Was the Doblhoff equiped with jet engines or did it use an air compressor prior to GE? I know the H-17 was a hot cycle aircraft but did the Doblhoff have the same system?The Doblhoff had a piston engine driven compressor supplying compressed air to the blade tip burners.

The compressor was a standard aircraft supercharger driven beyond its rated speed.

[joe nelson]

Chuck, it all sounds very interesting!

Dave, you are spot on with your statement! I find gyro development very interesting from a historical sense. If Dr. Benson could have been around today I think gyros would be more refined and more capable. I have high hopes for aircraft like the CarterCopter to pick up where Dr. Benson left off.

[scandtours]

Little bit more more about Bensen, founder of Popular Rotorcraft Association (PRA) in 1962, and about Bensen's wooden rotor blades.


http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/386126/1606380602/name/US2952320.pdf

http://www.pra13.org/newsletters/BensenHistory.PDF

And Here
T H E S U N D AY P R E S S
BINGHAMTON PRESS SUWDAY EDITION
J a n u a r y 2 9 , 1 9 36

http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper4/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale%201956.pdf/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale%201956%20-%201175.pdf


http://www.rdu.com/news/pdf/UpdateNovDec03.pdf
Real Men of Genius, writes John Brantley, RDU (Raleigh North Carolina) Airport Director in 1903 in N E W S F R O M
UPDATE R A L E I G H - D U R H A M I N T E R N A T I O N A L A I R P O R T. No doubt that they are very proud that Igor Bensen he did it all at RDU.

[C. Beaty]

The Kellett XR-3 mentioned in the material Giorgos posted in the previous thread was a development of the Kellett KD-1 but with swash plate cyclic control and jump takeoff via a 100 hp prerotator.

GE used it as a dynamometer, driving the Doblhoff rotor system. Cold rotor characteristics were required for thermodynamic calculations.

Bensen once related his experience of landing the XR-3 on a frozen lake in the Syracuse, NY area and then having to be towed off because the wheels couldn’t get enough traction on ice for effective prerotation.

[scandtours]

The Kellett XR-3 mentioned in the material Giorgos posted in the previous thread was a development of the Kellett KD-1 but with swash plate cyclic control and jump takeoff via a 100 hp prerotator.

GE used it as a dynamometer, driving the Doblhoff rotor system. Cold rotor characteristics were required for thermodynamic calculations.

Bensen once related his experience of landing the XR-3 on a frozen lake in the Syracuse, NY area and then having to be towed off because the wheels couldn’t get enough traction on ice for effective prerotation.

Mr C, Beaty
I will add all information of yours to my very limited notes I have regardinf this gyro. Very little was written about it.
Thanks

[C. Beaty]

This would have been the Kellett XR-3 flown by Bensen, Giorgos. Hangars in the background belong to GE Flight Test organization.

Photo from: Autogiro by George Townson.

[Rotor Rooter]

I have high hopes for aircraft like the CarterCopter to pick up where Dr. Benson left off.
I tend to take a more pragmatic approach.

The both CarterCopter and the Eurocopter Xcubed utilize rotors AND wings AND propellers, with the rotors of the two having slightly different operating characteristics.

The Sikorsky X2 and the Bell V-22 have a 'theoretical' advantage in that they have only two of the above aerodynamic devices. However,

Sikorsky, has to significantly improve the lift/drag on the root of the retreating blades without significantly diminishing the lift/drag on the root of the advancing blades. Bell's problem is to get the [disk area - induced velocity] ratio to be significantly different when the PropRotor is acting as a rotor and then as a propeller. Plus, it must get the hovering downwash off of the wing.

Conceptualization is cheap whereas Realization is expensive. However from a 'survival of the fittest' conceptualization, I am coming to the conclusion that,


'Axial Flow is the only way to Go'.
Tandem rotor configuration for Hover ~converting to~ Coaxial propeller configuration for Cruise
http://www.unicopter.com/1612-2.jpg


Dave

[scandtours]

This would have been the Kellett XR-3 flown by Bensen, Giorgos. Hangars in the background belong to GE Flight Test organization.

Photo from: Autogiro by George Townson.

The only thing I can say is WOW....WOW. ( Is there anything that you don't know Mr. Beaty?)
Once more thanks.
I take this opportunity to post some pigs of Bensen Hydro-Glider.
I like the third photo

[joe nelson]

Dave,

Last year, I attended a class by Ray Prouty. A portion of the class covered the down-wash on the wings of the AB-609 and the V-22. Ray spoke about the steps that Bell/Boeing took to reduce the wing thrust load for both aircraft. He went on to describe a prism device which was to be deployed, like flaps, but on the upper surface of the wing during hover. It was certainly very interesting.

Isn't your diagram describing the quad tilt rotor in a sense? Both front and rear rotors are in tandem in a hover and coaxial in forward flight.

One thing that I would like to see is how the front prop/rotor thrust affects the aft prop/rotor in forward flight on the quad tilt rotor aircraft.

Cool stuff, Dave!

[Rotor Rooter]

Joe,

Prouty presents the material in an easy to understand manner. You must have enjoyed his class. Thanks for the information.

The V-44 has its rear proprotors outboard, above, and distant from the front proprotors (http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu315/SecuROM__/NS/QTRMV-44colour-1.png). For some reason Bell appears to be avoiding the counter-rotating coaxial arraignment.

Alternative link if the above one does not work. (http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu315/SecuROM__/NS/QTRMV-44colour-1.png)


http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQYLFlaB3ksYak-62eXz9z7qE_dqIyU_8B0bAexNoAzaBycqXvf4Q

Dave