Streamlining my swashplate area- possibly?

My streamlining my landing gear came off with better performance gains than expected, with a bonus of the fairings looking pleasing to my eye. This prompted me to look at the next dirtiest aerodynamic area, the swashplate and frame coming up behind my cabin. Just like I started with my posterboard leg fairing mockups for passing the "look" test first, I am making a poster board mockup for this almost 2/3 square foot area just above my cabin. Just like my mockups had to first pass my eye test on my landing gear fairings, this latest fairing idea has more difficulty getting the "go ahead" to production test. My fairing mockup is slowly progressing , but its not there yet. My landing gear mockups also had to evolve. When and if I come up with a mockup that looks nice to me personally, I will post a picture of it. There is a strong potential to gain over 2 mph from cleaning up this area, but, it HAS to look nice to me. This fairing is a tougher design to please my eye, but I like the challenge. If I don't succeeed at pleasing my eye, I will post my best attempt here and chalk it up as a fun project that failed to get by my eye. If I like the looks, then it will be another build project. Stan

Stan,

I assume that you will not be covering up any areas in the swashplate that need to be looked at on pre-flight?

The swashplate and grip area is very dirty aerodynamically. Heck, just the main rotor blade bolts alone sticking out through the bottom of the grips have alot of drag.

I would look at a solution for the two potential problems we talked about and leave that swashplate alone for now. You will get this thing going so fast that you will have retreating blade stall

Todd- Most definitely I must have access to look at my control rods....bearings, etc. The back is open with the fairing easing the airflow around the swashplate, then curling int a little and then its cut off. I can easily look over the top, reach in behind and so on. This is just thinking out loud here. I could easily put cowling nuts on the rear of it where it would swing open....but again I am just thinking out loud.

Here are some pictures of my very first idea as it slowly evolves. My gut feeling wants the bottom of this fairing parallel to the angled frame tube going along the bottom of the top fuel tank.

"If" I come up with a final design that I really like......it would be painted burgundy to blend in with the burgundy top of the cabin...and adorned with some white also.

Notice the logistics of going around my fuel filler cap. I may make a bigger opening and have a swinging round plate that is secured with a cowling nut.

So far.....I like it, but I am letting my gut feeling further refine this before I decide to go for it. No doubt it will clean this very dirty area up, but it must look nice also. This will definitely be easier to make than the fairings as there is really no double curvature here.


Stan

Stan,

To be honest, I like it open. That fairing will make it look like an Exec. The Helicycle has a neat look with the frame showing IMO.

Why not fair it with Lexan so you can see through it during preflight?

Here is what I meant by having easy access to the critical components to check. I would have a cowling nut on both rear sides, and can easily open it up for inspection. In fact...I have decided that "if" I make this fairing...I will not cut out for the fuel cap...but simply go over it....and swing open the cowling easily for inspection or fueling. Cleaner look and the fuel cap was going to be a little bit of fumbling to get at. Now it wont be an issue. Like I said....this idea is slowly evolving, and just like my fairings....will take more thought. My gut feeling is I will go for it after some more thought.


Stan

Todd and John- I appreciate yours and others opinions. I personally am getting attached to the look. The Rotorways with the turbines mounted on top with the huge doghouse fairings absolutely ruins the looks of that ship in my opinion....

The normal Executive fairings are huge...but have a body to blend into.

This isnt even close to being as large, and I am just in the designing phase. Its fun to cut out posterboard and imagine.

Back when I was doing my landing gear fairings...before I even posted my thoughts....I had made a set of mockup fairings that were more aerodynamic than what I ended up with,..but they made my Helicycle look like one of those feathery legged chickens. It was way too bottom heavy. I did not like them at all...so I trimmed them down 1.25 inches and it made all the difference in the world to my eyes. Wasnt a doubt in my mind...if I could just then make them in aluminum.

So far this fairing is growing on me.

Stan

The back is the important part.

The back is the important part.

Hello Stan,

In my opinion the way you close the air is much more important than how you open the air.

I feel that the area of the rotor head is a useful area for improvement because in my opinion the rotation tends to expand the locked vortex street behind it.

Thank you, Vance

I like that fairing! Well one easy way to make it accessible would be having the fairing made of two halves and using either piano hinge or any other hinges that would work and you could just flip them up so you could yank on the connections as it is not just a visual check on preflight if I assume correctly. You have to check for any "play" too and therefore you need to be able to touch them. I do love the fairing. Hey by the way....did you give up on the plexi glass project or still going for it? Looking sweet!!!!

Gabor- thanks for your stamp of approval as I know you have a good eye. This fairing can simply be made out of one piece of 0.032 aluminum. It will be its own hinge! Which ever side I open up, it will open up easily.......................................................................... Vance- your accessment is absolutely correct that the rear is the most important to streamline. That's why my landing gear fairings worked so well. In this case I am challenged by the fact that there is no way to streamline the back end properly and not make it look like an ugly doghouse, in my opinion. I have held up mockups that definitely would streamline it the best, but looks horrible. I like the looks of it without a fairing, and if I do make one, I have to like the looks better. If I can clean it up enough for 2 mph or at least some measurable gain, and it looks good, then it will stay. Vance, I respect your input on aerodynamics, because you being the fastest man in the world on 2 wheels at one time, had to know about this topiczm. You mentioned to me a few times about just cutting off the rear when it had to be. What is your gut feeling on drag reduction with a nice bullet leading edge, nice gentle curve around the apex, then a gradual converging that is abruptly cut off for aesthetic reasons? Stan

My better half- Barbara- came down and checked out my fairing mockup. She likes it! She doesn't like my white with blue stripes paint theme- ha. The more I look at it, with a few more refinements, I will have a nice pattern for the real Mccoy if I go with it. Talked with my aerodynamist enthusiast buddy- Vance - today and his opinions were very encouraging. I like to ask people that have been there- done that . Vance was the fastest person in the world on 2 wheels, and he has to know aerodynamics. Thank you Vance for your knowledge ithat is just a phone call away. Stan

Jet Exec ...Ugly????:Cry: Waaaaa That Hurt Waaaaaa:Cry:

Mr Hillberg,

IMO, the Jet Exec looks like the hunchback Quisimodo - I'm sorry...

However, the Rotormouse is pretty cool looking

Now, how can we make your mechanical throttle work on my Helicycle?

Don- Your two helicopters are beautiful examples of what low drag looks like, and that in my eye looks very nice. Well done! No wonder they are such performers. Stan

I am still fine tuning my posterboard mockup fairing. Decided to raise the bottom of it to minimize the fairing and maximize eye and finger access to my scissor arms going to the swashplate. This area was not streamlining and only adding to an unsymetrical larger fairing. Just taking my time trying to get the design pleasing to my eye. The "go for it" switch hasn't been clicked on yet, but the design is getting close. Last night I had a magazine in bed with a large sideshot of a Helicycle in it. I was folding little pieces of paper into various fairing shapes and came up with one I liked better. Barbara thought I may as well be cutting out paper clothes for dolls! God, help her put up with my off center character!........................................................Went to the shop just after 5 am and modified my mockup fairing, stood back and had a good feeling about it. This posterboard pattern can be used to layout on a sheet of 0.032 aluminum and have a one piece fairing that can have either side swung open. The jury is still in deliberation. Back to a very busy stair committment. Stan

getting close to go for it

getting close to go for it

I could not wait to get out to my shop at 5 a.m. this morning to make my fairing mockup out of some aluminum flashing. This posterboard mockup had been whittled on...added on....angles changed, until my gut liked it. It looks like I am going to make this fairing for real....but I will study it awhile longer. I had a poster board pattern that I fit to one side of the cabin...folded it in half to keep symmetry. This was then placed on my aluminum flashing which wasnt quite wide enough....so I figured would tape some posterboard extensions, as this is just a higher level of a mockup.

The red tape is where I am planning to adorn it with a burgundy/white paint scheme to match my cabin. The upper and lower will be burgundy with a white tapered band going through the middle.

It is pleasing to my eye......and I am almost certain I will be ordering the piece of 0.032 aluminum for it soon. Anchor nuts will be riveted on to aluminum angle so that some small phillip screws will hold this on. The right side is going around my filler cap, and the jury is still out on that as to balancing out looks, and accessibility.


That is a very dirty aerodynamic area to clean up....and I realize that a fairing that extended more to the rear would lower the cd a little more...but at the cost of looks and accessibility for inspection.

Stan

It looks good to me!!!!!!!!

I like it. I'll be waiting to hear the results from your first flight test.

Looks Great

Looks Great

Awesome as always!
Stay safe.

Looking good hope it gives the cd a help.
Is there a reason you have not brought the sides down to cover tank ?