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Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Re: U-boats and gyrocopters



Bill
 
   The RAF2000 is one of the finest gyrocopters built.
 
http://www.rotaryairforce.com/
 
   A little off topic, I know but.....it's all cool.
 
Myles.
----- Original Message -----
From: Akins
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2005 4:49 PM
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Re: U-boats and gyrocopters

Hi Joe.
 
The bensen gyrocopter's autorotation rotors are usually safe as long as the bearing doesn't freeze up on you!
 
Then it would be like Wilie Coyote in the cartoons. Whump, whump, whump, grind, screech, silence, Uh Oh!......zing.....splat!
 
I couldn't open your link to the STOL for some reason.
 
I agree with you that you can do more with a boat or sub. But those gyrocopters still look like a lot of cheap fun.
 
I believe the flight 19 search you are talking about brought up an engine and it's numbers did not match any
 
from flight 19. I don't believe they have yet found flight 19. They have found a few planes the same models as
 
were in flight 19 but none from the flight itself as far as I know. Unless something has happened recently without
 
my knowing about it the whereabouts of the planes from flight 19 are still a mystery.
 
I'm sure they will find them one day though, just a question of time. Just like they found U166.
 
Bill.
 
 
 
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2005 1:27 PM
Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Re: U-boats and gyrocopters

Bill,

Yes I came across that fact recently when I was doing a bit of research on the U-166 of which I am sure you must be familiar. http://www.pastfoundation.org/U166/

It was kind of hard for them to crash dive while dragging that thing along, so they abandoned the concept.

As for safety, I have never flown rotary wing ac but my understanding is that the auto rotating rotors are quite safe, like a parachute, as long as a positive load is maintained (no neg g's). My understanding is that autorotation in both helicopters and gyrocopters is quite benign except for that last minute unexpected gust, or misjudging the round out.

The problem you see when you read the NTSB reports, is that people often get into trouble hot-dogging about at low level. (sometimes drunk). Or they use non AN hardware in construction.

I was going to build a two place S.T.O.L ac this one http://zenithair.com/stolch701/index1.html 

to operate out of my five acres but, you can do more, and go more places with the boat.

Joe

P.S. I believe flight 19 was found in the Atlantic some years ago, is that not correct?



 


From: "Akins" <lakins1@tampabay.rr.com>
Reply-To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
To: <personal_submersibles@psubs.org>
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Another nutcase here.
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 21:27:43 -0400

Hi Joe.
 
Like you, I'm into aviation also. I host a site for the Florida Aviation Historical Society and it's sister site
 
The Warbird Recovery Team. The FAHS made me the director of the Warbird Recovery Team where we
 
go out searching the gulf close to where I live looking for crashed WW2 aircraft wrecks. We had a lot of training
 
crashes in the gulf in this area during the war. I have a buddy in my dive club that has some coordinates
 
for some sunken wings we are going to check out soon. We did a recovery several years ago on a crashed
 
P51 mustang. Check out the two sites. Since you are into aviation  and subs you might especially like the
 
Warbird Recovery site. I've always wanted to build myself a Bensen gyrocopter because they are so cheap and
 
simple (relatively) to build, but with my wetsub project and everything else I don't think I would have the time plus
 
even though they are short take off and pretty easy to fly, they can be dangerous and my wife would be worried sick
 
with me flying one of those little eggbeaters. An intersting thing about the bensen gyrocopters is they were actually
 
invented and used by the kreigsmarine aboard U boats. They would bring them out and fly them off the back of the sub
 
like a kite to see enemy ships they couldn't see otherwise. Those models were unpowered and the rotors just freewheeled.
 
Here's the two links I mentioned.......
 
 
 
Bill.
 
 
 
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2005 7:20 PM
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Another nutcase here.



Cost (as well as weight) is my biggest reason for going ambient. The hull shape for the Nautilus is inappropriate for 1 atm anyway but a natural for epoxy-ply or grp.

As for the wife issue, as an aviator as well I just told her "Honey I'll build this instead of an airplane!" So threatening to take flying lessons might work out for some.

Joe


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