Smartfly

[AirCommandPilot]

had a single tube directly behind the mast for control instead .

I can't picture how a single tube would work. and pictures Norm?

 

[chrisk]

Back to the Smartfly photos: compared to the ArrowCopter photos the Smartfly designers missed the drag reduction details at the ends of the stub wings, missed the body to wing drag reduction by added pods (a wider area rule ) right where narrow is better, radiators hanging in the prop inflow, and tail surface area,incidence and vortices control all different. Looks may sell at a reduced price but great engineering sets performance records.

These seem like valid points. I'm not an aeronautical engineer, but it would be interesting to see this in a wind tunnel. I expect a number of items could be cleaned up. I'd expect some interference drag where the side pods and winglet struts meet. --That said, a gyro really isn't that fast, and parasitic drag may not be that great a factor.

 

[Steve_UK]

That's the good thing about prototypes, they're prototypes - good points and bad points to be learnt from test flying and an opportunity to consider revision prior to production.

 

[phantom]

A lot of people think that since a gyro is slow and has lots of drag there is no reason to clean them up and this is wrong, any reduction in drag will help as long as it don't add much weight, if this can be done around the engine area it really helps, I have had reasonable performing gyros on only 33 hp by using every trick I knew to to make it efficient.
Norm

 

[phantom]

A lot of people think that since a gyro is slow and has lots of drag there is no reason to clean them up and this is wrong, any reduction in drag will help as long as it don't add much weight, if this can be done around the engine area it really helps, I have had reasonable performing gyros on only 33 hp by using every trick I knew to to make it efficient.
Norm

 

[johnrk]

FYI - Great article on the AR in this month's Powered Sport Flying (for comparison).

 

[Jean Claude]

A lot of people think that since a gyro is slow and has lots of drag there is no reason to clean them up and this is wrong, any reduction in drag will help as long as it don't add much weight, if this can be done around the engine area it really helps, I have had reasonable performing gyros on only 33 hp by using every trick I knew to to make it efficient.
Norm

Interesting, Norm. Do you have some pictures of your autogyro of 33 hp ?
Thanks