Abstract
AN improved model of the autogiro, demonstrated at Hanworth aerodrome recently, marks a decided advance towards the simplification of ordinary straightforward flying, landing in small areas, and safety in emergency landings. Change of orientation of the machine in any direction is obtained by tilting the universally-mounted rotating planes, there being no ailerons, elevators, or rudder. The machine swings pendulum fashion beneath the rotors as they are tilted, bringing the propeller thrust-line into any desired direction. Correct bank for a turn is thus quite automatic. The rotor universal joint is carried on a standard above the body, and the control column hangs from this, convenient for the pilot's hand. Its movements are about 5° fore and aft and rather less laterally. It can be locked forward in such a position that it is impossible to put the machine into anything but a climbing attitude when leaving the ground. Normal landings are made by coming in to about 10 ft. above the ground at lowest gliding speed, lifting the nose, and opening up full engine power, which drives the tail down. When the tail wheel touches the ground the engine is shut off, lift is lost, and the front of the machine falls. Thus the forward momentum of the machine is negligible, and it stops practically dead. Landings without engine, that is, the most probable type of forced landing, are not so slow, and have to be made as with the conventional aeroplane, with a forward speed of about 25 miles per hour, at which the rotors have just sufficient lift at the gliding angle necessary to maintain this. The pull-up run is then about 50 yards. Full control is retained at this speed. An interesting secondary point has arisen from the fact that owing to the machine's great speed range, 25-120 miles per hour, it is inefficient at one end of this unless fitted with a variable pitch propeller. At present there is no suitable small-power airscrew available, development of these having always been directed towards those for high-power supercharged engines.
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Improvements in the Autogiro. Nature 132, 776–777 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/132776c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/132776c0