Jono Richards wrote:
At 16:42 22 March 2006, wrote:

With that in mind, it should be possible to
design a helicopter that has no engine at all, but
is designed to come
down as slowly as possible.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, (and I havent read the
previous listings either) but is that not what a Gyrocopter
basically is? I know it has a pusher engine, but there
is no engine driving the main rotor (apart from take
off I believe, to get the rotor moving)

So, presumably, once in the air, the blades turn as
a helicopter that is autorotating does. Just need to
have some high efficiency small Nimbus 4 'rotors' and
there you go...hover in the core of the thermal and
go up like a rocket!

Regards,

Someone who doesnt know what hes talking about (so
please enlighten me!)




I think your right and you beat me to it in replying. Tell you what,
I'll ask Ken Wallace at the weekend as he's a member of my aero club
[Shipdham in Norfolk] [Ken Wallace, auto gyro guru ala little nelly from
the James Bond film, grandson of Barnes Wallace etc ]and see if he
thinks its a winner.