Doggzilla
Well-Known Member
What is keeping someone from bolting a small heli powerplant onto a sailplane in order to create a super STOL sailplane that can take off with far less power?
For instance, 35hp could neither lift a heli of any decent size, or power many aircraft very well. But a 35hp rotor in combination with a fixed wing aircraft would allow the aircraft to take off with the wings only providing about 30% of normal lift, then use the rotor for thrust as the wings fully take over around 50 knots. The rotor would also provide prop wash to a much much larger section of the wing during takeoff, greatly improving lift compared to a prop with the same power.
The aircraft could then throttle back and cruise around with the rotor at very low power.
Something like this. Ignore that the rotor would strike the tail, I was not considering this when I crappily photoshopped this in a hasty manner. The rotor would be smaller or higher up, or a combination of the two.
For instance, 35hp could neither lift a heli of any decent size, or power many aircraft very well. But a 35hp rotor in combination with a fixed wing aircraft would allow the aircraft to take off with the wings only providing about 30% of normal lift, then use the rotor for thrust as the wings fully take over around 50 knots. The rotor would also provide prop wash to a much much larger section of the wing during takeoff, greatly improving lift compared to a prop with the same power.
The aircraft could then throttle back and cruise around with the rotor at very low power.
Something like this. Ignore that the rotor would strike the tail, I was not considering this when I crappily photoshopped this in a hasty manner. The rotor would be smaller or higher up, or a combination of the two.
