An Idea for near-term low-cost recreational helicopters.
 

What if the armed services had one, or more, viable reasons for ultralight single-seat helicopters that were self-autonomous or extremely easy to fly.

Would this not create an optimal design, plus large scale production, plus the manufacturing of ‘knockoff’ components, etc. etc., for use by recreationalists?


Can anyone think of applications where the armed services could be more effective by having such a craft?

Such as quiet autorotative insertion into a site and then a quick exit with JATO assist, or a quiet electric takeoff.

Dave

Those "cheap helicopters" would be a combination of large scale UAV's,taking over most of the complicated pilot tasks,that can be operated by pilots who are much cheaper to train and educate.
It's a viscious circle I suppose,the more the full size helicopter costs,the more money will be invested in the training of the pilot making it a very expencive combination.
If a soldiers gun would cost $10.000 to produce than I'm sure that not every cook-nurse-mechanic-cabinet maker etc...in the military would be issued a gun.

Perhaps the idea of the 1940's-50's to give every infantry man his own helicopter,as a matter of speech, isn't so stupid anymore.
A group of 50 soldiers that can cover ANY terrain at let's say 100 mph to reach the action area is INVALUABLE !!!
It's easier to shoot down two huge Chinook's than 50 of those bee's swarming all over the place !!!

When no other tasks are required than to move a soldier from point A to point B than I'm convinced that a very cheap,very reliable,low maintenance helicopter can be produced to fullfill this task.

Huh?
 

What is "self autonomous" in this context?

Cita,

Yes. It would be easy to have the soldier weight-shift for cyclic and throttle for thrust on an exceptionally light craft. I'm thinking of twin rigid rotors and torque-pitch coupling, of course.


Tom,

The "self-autonomous" is residue from an earlier though where the soldier would parachute in.
Then when he wanted 'his' helicopter he would place a small transmitter on the ground in a clearing and activate it. A plane, which holds many of these helicopters, would ejected one from the plane and this helicopter would automatically autorotate and land above the transmitter. Just trying to think outside the box.



Dave

The ULTRALITECOAX:

http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18431

The MH1 from John at Millenium helicopters, would be a good reliable idea!

That "good reliable idea" from John might turn into a nasty court battle with Dennis long before it could be presented I'm afraid.


I think more along the lines of Dave (Rotor Rooter) to come up with a super simple,cheap "safe" helicopter that doesn't have the capability to be turned into a complex,expencive helicopter along the way.
Even the Mini 500 or the MH1,whatever you like to name it, would very soon be suspect to be transformed into a complex unit because it's too much of a conventional helicopter if you understand what I mean.

It has to be a mix of very sophisticated electronics, to aid the pilot,combined with very basic technology to keep it simple and cheap to reproduce. For sure not an easy task but very doable with what the industry has up it's sleeve today !!!

It would take something else than a $50 road bomb that can be activated by a child via a dirtcheap cell phone from noway near the disaster scene to destroy 10 combat units in a Humvee if they would do the survey in their personal aireal unit.
He who wants to eleminate such an aireal unit would have to expose himself and run the high risk of being spotted/eleminated.

It's time to re-invent the Cavalry !!!!

Cita

The UAV low TOW technology will eventually spread down to
the GA and ultralight rotorcraft.

The best example is the ILX-27 Polish UAV helicopter.

http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35369

It is developed by the same team (mostly) that develops the I-28
tractor gyroplane. Unfortunately the I-27, (earlier start)
has got some priorities, hence delay on the other project.

http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/sho...highlight=I-28

You can clearly see some similarities in the projects.
Central part with the engine made of welded steel tubes,
tail and front composite.

Nevertheless, the trend is there.
The technology transfer will take place, sooner or later.

The Air Cavalry! :)

Here is another idea for the Air Cavalry! :)


Cita as you say, it's got to be low cost, simpler to assemble and easier to fly etc. etc., and this probably means large volume production.


Dave

Time to reinvent? I don't know. Just not too many years ago the soldiers in Afghanistan reverted to horse back.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/06/us...ial/index.html

Going back to the horse is not really re-invent I think.
Why crawl over rocks and narrow tracks with a horse if there would be machines that can fly a few feet above the ground ?
Everything is available to develop such a machine......except someone with a vision to see the possibilities who can put enough weigth in the scale to start the process.
It's just a matter of time................
Cita

Why even put human beings there at all ?

Yes, that could be the future.
Millions of armed cell phones flying around taking streaming videos and telling people where to go and what to do. 1984 http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/images/icons/icon9.gif


Dave