R-22 accident in NC?

[FracCapt]

Don't gyro copters have the same problem with unloading the disc, which causes it to stop turning, or something like that.

Unloading the disc in a helicopter does NOT cause it to stop turning. It keeps turning at normal operational RPM, maybe even speeds up(because of the reduced load). A helicopter hangs underneath the rotor. When you move the rotor, the helicopter is like a pendulum underneath. This is why when you turn in a helicopter, it banks just like an airplane. The airframe will seek a position where the rotor mast is at a 90 degree angle to the plane of rotation of the rotor. When you unload the disc(and I'm talking completely here - not partially - for sake of argument, ie zero or negative G's), the airframe is no longer a pendulum underneath the rotor. You can move the rotor and the airframe will not react at all. When the rotor is moved(via cyclic input), the aircraft(and therefore rotor mast) does not seek a perpindicular angle. When this occurs, it allows the rotor disc to tilt beyond design limits, and the bottom part of the rotor head makes contact with the rotor mast. If you don't use abrupt or large control inputs, this won't occur. The corrective action for low G's is aft cyclic - like pulling back on the yoke in an airplane, you create a load by supporting the airframe underneath it. You load the disc back up.

Gyro's are different because they do not have an engine driving the rotor. I only have a little theoretical knowledge of Gyro's, no practical experience. Some have a pre-rotator to get the rotor moving, then the pusher engine gets the forward speed to a point at which the rotor will continue turning strictly from the air driving it. When you have a rotor turning, it becomes a big wing....regardless of what is turning it - wind or power. This is what supports the weight of the Gyro. If you slow down too much in a Gyro, the rotor can slow to a point that it will not provide enough lift to support the aircraft. At that point, from what I understand, it will begin a descent. If you continue pulling back, it will get slower and slower until finally the rotor blades stall - then the aircraft becomes a pusher airplane without a wing. The rotor on a Gyro is always in a state of autorotation - which means that the air from below is driving the rotor. This is why Gyro's always have at least a slight nose up attitude in flight.

 

[Timebuilder]

I remember Whirlybirds also. Was on about the same time as Ron Reagan hosting Death Valley Days and some show about a guy screaming through the everglades in an airboat...Lincoln Vale was his name I think.

I found the lyics to The Everglades:

http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/theevergladeslyrics.html

I looked for a link to another show I liked, "Ripcord," another "buddy adventure" series just made for a young guy.

Shows that were so much fun you didn't think about the fact that they were in black and white!

Here's a page with some pictures of "Uncle Sky" and "Penny."

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/sky-king.htm