I don't understand how a gyrocopter works.

Tell me.

1. Cannot be a copy/paste answer.
2. Must contain at least one Da vinci diagram.
3. Answer cannot be a Road Warrior reference.

 

Wizardry.

One of these days the laws of physics will reassert themselves and all ****copters will fall from the sky.

 

magnetic ball bearings

 

Force=mass times acceleration

 

Oh and the 4 Horsemen > Road Warriors Whooooooooooooo!

 

Hey, how exactly is a rainbow made? How exactly does the sun set? How exactly does the posi-trac rear-end on a Plymouth work? It just does.

 

First, you need a treadmill...

 

Ya got yer spinny thing that moves a bunch a air like a good bean burrito- ‘cept without the soilin’ of yer britches... that whirly thing <claps hands> <palms down- spreading arms out> makes er fly....

 

WTF? You don't allow us to use the foremost expert on this in our explanation? Screw you, I'm doing it anyway.

 

Gotdammit.

 

Its like this; the foot bone is connected to the ankle bone, the ankle bone is connected to the leg bone, the leg bone is connected to the knee bone......... You know the rest.

 

My friend's dad built one (Tom's too smart to belong to this forum, so bear with me), and as I understand it the gyrocopter is the platypus of the aviation world. It needs a runway to take off because the rotory wings don't generate enough lift to operate as a true helicopter unless you have forward motion. So you use the rotors for both the lift and propulsion; tipping it forward to accelerate and increase altitude and tipping backwards to slow and lose altitude.

I'll ask him for better details if you wish, but that 'copter that the old man built was pretty cool. He never got to fly it as his health deteriorated after he finished it but before he could fly it. He did grade out a piece of land for his own "runway," which we appropriated for mini bikes and kid's quads shenanigans.

 

Well the lift is generated when the rotor rotates in balance with the torque assist caused by the forward thrust.

(Obligatory Davinci Diagram)

Did you know there's a minor-league baseball team named the "Road Warriors" who have no home stadium? That's right, they play every game on the road. Must keep costs down.

Dang it, I just couldn't help myself.

 

"If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe."

 

You impart a rotation of the main rotor by hand.
The pusher motor drives you forward.
The faster you go, the faster the rotor spins.
The faster the rotor spins, the more lift you generate.
When the lift generated by the main rotor exceeds the weight of the vehicle, it launches.

 

plus



equals

 

It's all very clearly explained right here.

 

They are useless without the proper armament

 

I like that. Haven't heard that one before.
I know enough about how helicopters work to be a bit afraid of flying in one.