Hi againThe other morning, a few days ago, a loud noise distracted me from work. I always try to carry my camera with me and so was able to snap a few pictures of the most peculiar helicopter I've ever seen. It had two rotors on top, set at an acute angle to each other, but no vertical rotor at the tail. Very narrow, pointy body, too. It looked a little like something built in the 1950s, could have come out of a cartoon.
Didn't look like it was all that easy to manoeuvre as it lifted a few heavy logs out of the steep bank beyond the trees outside my office. Kudos to that pilot!
Apologies for pictures that sadly lack in quality but I don't have a proper telescopic lense and this is the best I can do.
I'd really like to receive comments on what kind of a chopper this was. Cheers!
2 comments:
Here is your mysterious helicopter:
http://www.kamanaero.com/helicopters/kmax.html . Kaman started making 'eggbeater' helicopters in the 1940s; here's one of the early ones: http://www.helis.com/inc/dibu.php?m=1&s=km225_2&t=Kaman%20K-225. But I don't know any other manufacturer who's used the system. I read somewhere that by avoiding the need for a tail rotor it maximises the power that's available for lifting.
Thank you, dear J, for the information. I checked out the website and found a neat mpg showing the 'wild thing' in action. Towards the end one of the pilots says that due to all the air going under the 'plate' created by the two angled blades rather than being diverted towards the tail rotor, it can lift weights heavier than its own. The mpg file takes a little while to download but is really worth watching -- just wish they were using a less aggressive soundtrack...
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