A chopper like Airwolf could be created today
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davedavidl — 13 years ago(September 08, 2012 05:18 AM)
You also forget that Airwolf travels at super speeds because of jet thrusters, a version of KITT's Turboboost.
It has long been understood and known that with sufficient forward thrust, wings/ailerons/elevators are not necessary.
To me, that makes sense that Airwolf would "disengage the rotors" when hitting the turbos, because to stay in the air they only need that forward thrust to overcome the resistance of gravity.
I believe it IS possible to develop a super-fast attack helicopter. -
Aberdeenfortheolympics — 18 years ago(July 07, 2007 05:10 PM)
Do you understand rotor dynamics, rotor blades at their tips can be moving at supersonic speeds but that is purely a by product of keeping enough rotations to enable lift. To move at supersonic speeds you would need to attach a jet engine to the chopper to enable that kind of speed as a rotor head simply cannot create enough forward speed to do this. Problem is once you strap a jet engine to a chopper you need to make the rotor passive so it isn't creating drag and then it isn't causing lift which is it's primary purpose as the rotor is the wing on a helicopter, so you disable the rotor from moving or allow it to autorotate but you still need a surface to create lift or your jet will fire a big object into the ground, so you stick wings on hey presto you don't need your rotor head because you have a plane.
http://www.jefflewis.net/rotorcraft_limitations.html
Thats a good article read it and it explains why airwolf won't work and doesn't exist and isn't being developed.
Frieden durch berlegene Feuerkraft -
darkavenger77 — 9 years ago(June 10, 2016 04:34 PM)
Also in a lot of episodes I have seen airwolf fire an amazing amount of ammunition. How can a helicopter hold all that?
I've added a goof to the main page for the show in that regard. They talk of firing several different missiles such as Mavericks, Hellfires, and Harpoons. All of these cannot be fired through a small tube that was shown being used to fire them. Harpoons for example are over a foot in diameter.
That's as plausible as small "turbo" afterburners making a 150 MPH helicopter supersonic, or one with a 370 mile range being able to fly thousands of miles w/o refueling.
Ignoring politics doesn't mean politics will ignore you.
-Pericles paraphrased in <100 characters -
lvcambot-2 — 16 years ago(September 07, 2009 11:13 PM)
If you read "The Ultimate Time Machine" by Psychic Spy 001 Joe McMoneagle. He predicts that they WILL create an "AirWolf" style helicopter. The rotors will be able to stop mid flight.
FYI and all that.
GENE
Joss Wheadon! Sleeping in the parking lot for a year doesn't count as an Oscar win for "Toy Story! -
nk44ab — 16 years ago(September 17, 2009 09:05 AM)
It's not simply the supersonic flight idea that made Airwolf unique. It was loaded with high-tech surveillence gear and firepower. The entire body was armor plated and the air intakes had armored mesh shields which I assume meant it could withstand various storms. It's interesting to think that in the pilot episode the FIRM originally wanted to the Department of Defense to have Airwolf and take credit for it.
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RParmly-3 — 15 years ago(November 07, 2010 05:13 PM)
I don't remember much about how this works, but long long ago in a science magazine, I saw a model of what could theoretically be a "supersonic helicopter" type of aircraft. Looks basically like an airplane; the wings are one, long, straight single piece on top of the fuselage, and they act as a rotor for take-off and landing, then lock into place and turn the thing into a regular aircraft when it's in the air.
I don't know if this has ever been seriously studied, but it looked like an interesting concept.
I love it when a plan comes together. -
graham-167 — 15 years ago(January 27, 2011 04:14 AM)
According to the pilot episode, Airwolf is a lifting body; that is, above a certain speed the shape of the body is such that it generates enough lift to keep the copter up in the air. That's the point of firing those jet engines; the rotors are disengaged and allowed to spin freely, generating no lift, because at high speed the body does that.
A true lifting body wouldn't look anything like Airwolf (here is an example of one : http://area51specialprojects.com/images/m2-f1.jpg) but it's pretty cool that the writers actually seem to have done the research on why a helicopter couldn't do supersonic speeds, AND come up with a plausible explanation for why Airwolf could.
Unfortunately in the series they simplified all that to "turbine boost = fast" and left it at that. -
CGSailor — 15 years ago(March 17, 2011 04:14 PM)
You and several others on this thread have not a clue about Helicopters and aerodynamics nor the principles and limiting factors to high speed flight by helicopters.
You ALMOST touch upon one of the principles but your posts show your lack any real understanding.
The two main problems are ones of "asymmetric lift" and "retreating blade stall".
Just recently in the news there was new records set by helicopters in flight. the new design topped out over 125 MPH faster than most normal Helicopters.
over 125 MPH faster and it still only hit 290MPH.
NOWHERE
NEAR
SUPERSONIC
The problem is not simply one of making a stronger Helo or more accurately a strong rotor blade with you "bucky tubes" or whatnot. There is far more involved than your armchair couch potato aeronautical engineering can grasp.
Today's modern Helos are more advanced than even the fiction Airwolf in all ways but one. That being supersonic scratch that, not even high speed subsonic flight.
Maybe one day. But not anytime soon. Sure as hell not "could be created today"
If it could they would have done so, even if only as a flight demonstration model.
I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water! -
John_Dee_007 — 15 years ago(March 30, 2011 09:56 AM)
Is this thread serious? This is the stuff 7yr old boys dream up. There really is no logical, economically viable or military need for such a ridiculously absurd aircraft. I'd sooner see the logic in a genetically altered elephant with 2 trunks that could cook me breakfast and do kung fu. This naively ambitious idea reminds me of an esoteric film from the 30s called
Non-Stop New York
(1937), which featured a fictional transatlantic passenger airliner with an outdoor observational deck!
http://www.imdb.com/board/10029319/
I can only assume the majority of people who come to this board are guys in their 30s and 40s who actually remember this show as kids. Otherwise, aside from sentimental interests, what possible reason could one be interested in such an implausibly cheesy show? Which begs the question: why are - presumably - grown men discussing such nonsense? This topic is void of all rationale. Which brings me back to my original question: is this thread serious?
"
People should know when they're conquered
" - Quintus -
CGSailor — 15 years ago(March 31, 2011 03:27 PM)
I can only assume the majority of people who come to this board are guys in their 30s and 40s who actually remember this show as kids. Otherwise, aside from sentimental interests, what possible reason could one be interested in such an implausibly cheesy show? Which begs the question: why are - presumably - grown men discussing such nonsense?
Says the troll who came to this thread to comment.
I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water! -
CGSailor — 15 years ago(April 02, 2011 11:12 AM)
LOL.
I was expecting getting blasted by the OP or someone similar for my comments on the OP not having a clue what the hell he was talking about. What with my calling his understanding of Aeronautical engineering on a couch potato level. I did not expect to get blasted by some outside troll blasting me along with the rest of the thread.
I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water!
