106-448: The Eurocopter X³ (X-Cubed) is a retired experimental high-speed compound helicopter developed by Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter ). A technology demonstration platform for "high-speed, long-range hybrid helicopter" or H³ concept, the X³ achieved 255 knots (472 km/h; 293 mph) in level flight on 7 June 2013, setting an unofficial helicopter speed record . In June 2014, it
212-426: A longitudinal engine layout and rear-wheel drive (or all-wheel drive). However, V8 engines have also occasionally been used in transverse engine front-wheel drive vehicles, sometimes using closer cylinder bore spacings and narrower cylinder bank angles to reduce their space requirements. The classification of 'big-block' or 'small-block' refers to the engine's external dimensions and does not necessarily indicate
318-616: A runway . In 1942, the Sikorsky R-4 became the first helicopter to reach full-scale production . Although most earlier designs used more than one main rotor, the configuration of a single main rotor accompanied by a vertical anti-torque tail rotor (i.e. unicopter , not to be confused with the single-blade monocopter ) has become the most common helicopter configuration. However, twin-rotor helicopters (bicopters), in either tandem or transverse rotors configurations, are sometimes in use due to their greater payload capacity than
424-544: A 2.5 L (153 cu in) V8 engine. BMW's first V8 engine was the 1954–1965 BMW OHV V8 engine , a petrol engine with overhead valves and all-aluminum construction. The company resumed production of V8 engines in 1992 with the BMW M60 aluminum double overhead camshaft engine, and V8 engines have remained in production until today. BMW's first turbocharged V8 engine was the 1998–2009 M67 twin-turbocharged diesel engine. The first turbocharged V8 petrol engine from BMW
530-525: A 5.6 L (340 cu in) Chrysler LA engine and built on the chassis of a 1950s Chrysler Imperial. The 1934–1938 Tatra 77 rear-engined sedan was initially powered by 3.0 L (183 cu in) petrol V8, which was air-cooled and used an overhead camshaft that operated the valves using a 'walking beam' rocker arrangement. This model line continued until 1999 when the Tatra 700 ended production. Tatra also produced diesel V8 truck engines from
636-445: A V-angle of 45 degrees. Most V8 engines fitted to road cars use a cross-plane crankshaft since this configuration produces less vibration due to the perfect primary balance and secondary balance. The cross-plane crankshaft has the four crank pins (numbered from the front) at angles of 0, 90, 270, and 180 degrees, which results in a cross shape for the crankshaft when it is viewed from one end. The rumbling exhaust sound produced by
742-570: A V-angle of 90 degrees and was built in displacements of 4.1 L (253 cu in) and 5.0 L (308 cu in), the latter being de-stroked to 5.0 L (304 cu in) in 1985. The Holden V8 engine was used in various models, including the Kingswood, Monaro, Torana, Commodore, and Statesman. Versions tuned for higher performance were sold by Holden Dealer Team and Holden Special Vehicles , including versions stroked to up to 5.7 L (350 cu in). The Holden V8 engine
848-591: A V8 engine was the 1965 Chrysler Valiant (AP6) , which was available with an American-built 4.5 L (273 cu in) Chrysler engine. The first locally designed V8 Ford was the 1966 Ford Falcon (XR) and the first V8 Holden was the 1968 Holden HK , both using engines supplied by their parent companies in the United States. The first V8 engine to be mass-produced in Australia was the 1969–2000 Holden V8 engine . This cast-iron overhead valve engine used
954-464: A V8 engine was the 1988 Audi V8 luxury sedan. Its first model to use a V8 diesel engine was the D2 A8 3.3 TDI in 2000. The first V8-engined Alfa Romeo road car was the 1967–1969 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale mid-engined sports car, of which 18 were produced. This was followed by the 1970–1977 Alfa Romeo Montreal front-engined sports car. The engines for both cars are based on the 90-degree V8 engine from
1060-444: A collective input is made, all the blades change equally, and the result is the helicopter increasing or decreasing in altitude. A swashplate controls the collective and cyclic pitch of the main blades. The swashplate moves up and down, along the main shaft, to change the pitch of both blades. This causes the helicopter to push air downward or upward, depending on the angle of attack . The swashplate can also change its angle to move
1166-417: A constant altitude. The pedals serve the same function in both a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft, to maintain balanced flight. This is done by applying a pedal input in whichever direction is necessary to center the ball in the turn and bank indicator . Due to the operating characteristics of the helicopter—its ability to take off and land vertically, and to hover for extended periods of time, as well as
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#17328012205691272-462: A few more flights and achieved a height of nearly 2.0 metres (6.5 ft), but it proved to be unstable and was abandoned. V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight- cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration . The first known V8 was the Antoinette , designed by Léon Levavasseur , and built in 1904 by
1378-427: A flat billet and does not require counterweights so it is lighter. However, it produces more vibration due to a secondary imbalance. Most early V8 road car engines also used a flat-plane crankshaft since this was simpler to design and build than a cross-plane crankshaft. Early flat-plane V8 engines included the 1910 De Dion-Bouton engine, the 1915 Peerless engine, and the 1915 Cadillac engine. A flat-plane crankshaft
1484-507: A front-wheel-drive layout (with an on-demand all-wheel drive system in the case of the Volvos ). To reduce the vibrations caused by the unbalanced 60-degree V-angle, the Volvo engines used a balance shaft and offset split crankpins . The Rolls-Royce Meteorite tank engine also used a 60-degree V-angle, since it was derived from the 60 degree V12 Rolls-Royce Meteor which in turn was based on
1590-463: A gift by their father, would inspire the Wright brothers to pursue the dream of flight. In 1861, the word "helicopter" was coined by Gustave de Ponton d'Amécourt , a French inventor who demonstrated a small steam-powered model. While celebrated as an innovative use of a new metal, aluminum, the model never lifted off the ground. D'Amecourt's linguistic contribution would survive to eventually describe
1696-405: A helicopter determines the size, function and capability of that helicopter design. The earliest helicopter engines were simple mechanical devices, such as rubber bands or spindles, which relegated the size of helicopters to toys and small models. For a half century before the first airplane flight, steam engines were used to forward the development of the understanding of helicopter aerodynamics, but
1802-510: A helicopter powered by a gasoline engine with box kites attached to a mast by cables for a rotor, but it never flew. In 1906, two French brothers, Jacques and Louis Breguet , began experimenting with airfoils for helicopters. In 1907, those experiments resulted in the Gyroplane No.1 , possibly as the earliest known example of a quadcopter. Although there is some uncertainty about the date, sometime between 14 August and 29 September 1907,
1908-416: A helicopter. This is because a helicopter generates its own gusty air while in a hover, which acts against the fuselage and flight control surfaces. The result is constant control inputs and corrections by the pilot to keep the helicopter where it is required to be. Despite the complexity of the task, the control inputs in a hover are simple. The cyclic is used to eliminate drift in the horizontal plane, that
2014-462: A mix of imported and local parts. A 4.4 L (269 cu in) version of the Rover V8 engine was produced in Australia for the ill-fated 1973–1975 Leyland P76 sedan. The engine had an overhead valve design and was the only all-aluminum engine made in Australia. The 1958–1965 Hongqi CA72 was a luxury car, of which approximately 200 were built for government officials. It was powered by
2120-477: A process of rebracketing , the word is often (erroneously, from an etymological point of view) perceived by English speakers as consisting of heli- and -copter , leading to words like helipad and quadcopter . English language nicknames for "helicopter" include "chopper", "copter", "heli", and "whirlybird". In the United States military, the common slang is "helo" pronounced /ˈhiː.loʊ/. A helicopter
2226-496: A rate of climb of 5,500 feet per minute and high-G turn rates of 2Gs at 210 knots. The X³ first flew on 6 September 2010 from French Direction générale de l'armement facility at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base . On 12 May 2011 the X³ demonstrated a speed of 232 knots (267 mph; 430 km/h) while using less than 80 percent of available power. In May 2012, it was announced that the Eurocopter X³ development team had received
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#17328012205692332-494: A rotor. The spinning creates lift, and the toy flies when released. The 4th-century AD Daoist book Baopuzi by Ge Hong ( 抱朴子 "Master who Embraces Simplicity") reportedly describes some of the ideas inherent to rotary wing aircraft. Designs similar to the Chinese helicopter toy appeared in some Renaissance paintings and other works. In the 18th and early 19th centuries Western scientists developed flying machines based on
2438-583: A shallow dive on 7 June 2013, beating the Sikorsky X2 's unofficial record set in September 2010, and thus becoming the world's fastest non-jet augmented compound helicopter . Eurocopter suggested that a production H³ application could appear as soon as 2020. The company had also previously expressed an interest in offering an H³ technology based solution for the United States' Future Vertical Lift program, with EADS North America submitting bid to build
2544-441: A single main rotor, but torque created by its aerodynamic drag must be countered by an opposed torque. The design that Igor Sikorsky settled on for his VS-300 was a smaller tail rotor. The tail rotor pushes or pulls against the tail to counter the torque effect, and this has become the most common configuration for helicopter design, usually at the end of a tail boom . Some helicopters use other anti-torque controls instead of
2650-478: A single overhead camshaft and was rear-mounted in the vehicles. The company's first V8 road car was the 1973–1974 Dino 308 GT4 mid-engined sports car. The engine is a 90-degree all-aluminum V8 with double overhead camshafts. In 1975, the 2.0 L (122 cu in) engine in the Ferrari 208 GT4 became the smallest production V8 engine ever produced. The model lineage of mid-engined V8 road cars continues to
2756-417: A state called translational lift which provides extra lift without increasing power. This state, most typically, occurs when the airspeed reaches approximately 16–24 knots (30–44 km/h; 18–28 mph), and may be necessary for a helicopter to obtain flight. In forward flight a helicopter's flight controls behave more like those of a fixed-wing aircraft. Applying forward pressure on the cyclic will cause
2862-654: A strict ruleset to follow until the 1972 season, when engines were no longer allowed to be any bigger than 358 cu in (5.9 L) for the purpose of reducing speeds caused by the rapid aerodynamic advancements from 1969 to 1971. In the American Top Fuel class of drag racing, V8 engines displacing 500 cu in (8 L) today produce outputs of over 7,000 kW (10,000 hp). and 10,000 N⋅m (7,400 lb⋅ft). The engines used in Top Fuel and Funny car drag racing are typically based on
2968-808: A technology demonstrator under the US Army's Joint Multi Role (JMR) program, but later withdrew due to cost and because Eurocopter might have to transfer X³ intellectual property to the US, and Eurocopter chose to focus on the Armed Aerial Scout instead. Ultimately the company was not downselected for the JMR effort, and the AAS program was cancelled. Eurocopter saw the offshore oil market and Search and rescue community as potential customers for X³ technology. An X³-based unpressurised compound helicopter called LifeRCraft
3074-491: A typical cross-plane V8 engine is partly due to the uneven firing order within each of the two banks of four cylinders. A usual firing order of L-R-L-L-R-L-R-R (or R-L-R-R-L-R-L-L) results in uneven intake and exhaust pulse spacing for each bank. When separate exhaust systems are used for each bank of cylinders, this uneven pulsing results in the rumbling sound typically associated with V8 engines. However, racing engines seek to avoid these uneven exhaust pressure pulses to maximize
3180-429: Is a cylindrical metal shaft that extends upwards from the transmission. At the top of the mast is the attachment point for the rotor blades called the hub. Main rotor systems are classified according to how the rotor blades are attached and move relative to the hub. There are three basic types: hingeless, fully articulated, and teetering; although some modern rotor systems use a combination of these. Most helicopters have
3286-529: Is a development revealed at the June 2017 Paris air show , final assembly was planned to start in 2019 for a 2020 first flight. Cruising up to 400 km/h (216 kn), it aims for a 25% cost reduction per distance over a conventional helicopter . Data from FlightGlobal General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Compound helicopter A helicopter
Eurocopter X³ - Misplaced Pages Continue
3392-460: Is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors . This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically , to hover , and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes allow helicopters to be used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aircraft and many forms of short take-off and landing ( STOL ) or short take-off and vertical landing ( STOVL ) aircraft cannot perform without
3498-452: Is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more horizontally-spinning rotors. By contrast the autogyro (or gyroplane) and gyrodyne have a free-spinning rotor for all or part of the flight envelope, relying on a separate thrust system to propel the craft forwards, so that the airflow sets the rotor spinning to provide lift. The compound helicopter also has a separate thrust system, but continues to supply power to
3604-584: Is also among the projects planned under the European Union's €4 billion ($ 5.44 billion) Clean Sky 2 research program as one of two high-speed rotorcraft flight demonstrators. Airbus began development of the hybrid composite helicopter with a 4.6-litre V-8 piston engine in 2014, froze the design in 2016 to start building in 2017, and had plans to fly it in 2019. The X³ was moved to Musée de l’air et de l’espace in 2014 for public display. The Airbus RACER (Rapid And Cost-Effective Rotorcraft)
3710-452: Is called an aerial crane . Aerial cranes are used to place heavy equipment, like radio transmission towers and large air conditioning units, on the tops of tall buildings, or when an item must be raised up in a remote area, such as a radio tower raised on the top of a hill or mountain. Helicopters are used as aerial cranes in the logging industry to lift trees out of terrain where vehicles cannot travel and where environmental concerns prohibit
3816-409: Is considered to be the first V8 engine produced in significant quantities. The 1914 Cadillac L-head V8 engine is considered the first road-going V8 engine to be mass-produced in significant quantities, with 13,000 sold the first year. This engine was built in the United States and was greatly assisted by Cadillac's pioneering use of electric starter motors . The popularity of V8 engines in cars
3922-547: Is equipped to stabilize and provide limited medical treatment to a patient while in flight. The use of helicopters as air ambulances is often referred to as " MEDEVAC ", and patients are referred to as being "airlifted", or "medevaced". This use was pioneered in the Korean War , when time to reach a medical facility was reduced to three hours from the eight hours needed in World War II , and further reduced to two hours by
4028-678: Is the Sud-Ouest Djinn , and an example of the hot tip jet helicopter is the YH-32 Hornet . Some radio-controlled helicopters and smaller, helicopter-type unmanned aerial vehicles , use electric motors or motorcycle engines. Radio-controlled helicopters may also have piston engines that use fuels other than gasoline, such as nitromethane . Some turbine engines commonly used in helicopters can also use biodiesel instead of jet fuel. There are also human-powered helicopters . A helicopter has four flight control inputs. These are
4134-411: Is to control forward and back, right and left. The collective is used to maintain altitude. The pedals are used to control nose direction or heading . It is the interaction of these controls that makes hovering so difficult, since an adjustment in any one control requires an adjustment of the other two, creating a cycle of constant correction. As a helicopter moves from hover to forward flight it enters
4240-534: Is used by many V8 engines fitted to racing cars. From the gas dynamics aspect, the flat-plane crankshaft allows for even exhaust gas pulses to be achieved with a simple exhaust system. The design was popularized in motor racing by the 1961–1965 Coventry Climax FWMV Formula One engine, and the 1967–1985 Cosworth DFV engine was highly successful in Formula One. Several production sports cars have used flat-plane V8 engines, such as every Ferrari V8 model (from
4346-440: The 1962 , 1963 , 1964 , and 1965 seasons were won by drivers of V8-powered cars. From 1962 through 1965, the top three manufacturers in each season's Constructor's Championship all predominantly used V8 engines in their cars. In 1966, the engine capacity limits were increased to 3.0 L (183 cu in) (or 1.5 litres with a supercharger), and both the 1966 and 1967 Constructor's Championships were won by cars powered by
Eurocopter X³ - Misplaced Pages Continue
4452-559: The Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 racing car, and have double overhead camshafts and a dry sump. The 33 Stradale engine has a displacement of 2.00 L (122 cu in) and a flat-plane crankshaft, while the Montreal uses an engine enlarged to 2.6 L (160 cu in) and uses a cross-plane crankshaft. The 2007–2010 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione / Spider sports cars are powered by a 4.7 L (290 cu in) version of
4558-557: The American Helicopter Society 's Howard Hughes Award for 2012. Eurocopter demonstrated the X³ in the United States during the summer of 2012, the aircraft logging 55 flight hours, with a number of commercial and military operators being given the opportunity to fly the aircraft. With an aerodynamic fairing installed on the rotor head, the X³ demonstrated a speed of 255 knots (293 mph; 472 km/h) in level flight and 263 knots (303 mph; 487 km/h) in
4664-632: The Australian Ford Falcon and Ford Fairlane models. It was also used in several low-volume DeTomaso sports cars and luxury sedans built in Italy. Australian production ceased in 1982 when Ford Australia temporarily stopped production of V8 cars. From 1991 until 2016, the Ford Falcon was available with the imported Ford Windsor , Ford Barra , or Ford Modular V8 engines; the latter was marketed as "Boss" and locally assembled from
4770-572: The Bell 205 and the Erickson S-64 Aircrane helitanker. Helicopters are used as air ambulances for emergency medical assistance in situations when an ambulance cannot easily or quickly reach the scene, or cannot transport the patient to a medical facility in time. Helicopters are also used when patients need to be transported between medical facilities and air transportation is the most practical method. An air ambulance helicopter
4876-588: The Bell 206 with 3,400. Most were in North America with 34.3% then in Europe with 28.0% followed by Asia-Pacific with 18.6%, Latin America with 11.6%, Africa with 5.3% and Middle East with 1.7%. The earliest references for vertical flight came from China. Since around 400 BC, Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys (or Chinese top). This bamboo-copter is spun by rolling a stick attached to
4982-712: The Brabham-Repco V8 engine . From 1968 until 1981, the Cosworth DFV V8 engine dominated Formula One racing. During this time, the Manufacturers' Championship was won by Cosworth DFV-powered cars every season except 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1979, which 12-cylinder Ferraris won. After a long period of dominance, the Cosworth DFV was eventually outpaced by turbocharged straight-four and V6 engines. The next period of significant V8 usage in Formula One
5088-527: The Cornu helicopter which used two 6.1-metre (20 ft) counter-rotating rotors driven by a 24 hp (18 kW) Antoinette engine. On 13 November 1907, it lifted its inventor to 0.3 metres (1 ft) and remained aloft for 20 seconds. Even though this flight did not surpass the flight of the Gyroplane No. 1, it was reported to be the first truly free flight with a pilot. Cornu's helicopter completed
5194-569: The Ferrari F136 engine with a cross-plane crankshaft. Ferrari's first contact with V8 engines was the Vittorio Jano -designed 1955 Lancia-Ferrari D50 , a Formula One racing car that the company acquired as part of its purchase of Lancia's Formula One racing department. The first Ferrari-developed V8 engines were used in the 1962 Ferrari 248 SP and Ferrari 268 SP sports prototype racing cars designed by Carlo Chiti . This engine had
5300-661: The Hewitt Touring Car became the first car built in the United States with a V8 engine. The engine was designed and built by Edward R. Hewitt who emphasized the V8's superiority to the typical I4 and I6 and six-cylinder engines of the time because of its lower weight and easier to make crankshaft compared to the I6s of equal power as well as the V8 not taking much more space than a I4. The 1910 De Dion-Bouton — built in France—
5406-584: The Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 engine . Other V-angles have been used occasionally. The Lancia Trikappa , Lancia Dilambda , and Lancia Astura , produced 1922–1939, used narrow angle V8 engines (based on the Lancia V4 engine ) with V-angles of 14–24 degrees. The 1932 Miller four-wheel drive racing cars used a V8 engine with a V-angle of 45 degrees. The 8-cylinder versions of the 1945 through 1966 EMD 567 diesel locomotive engine also used
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#17328012205695512-499: The Vietnam War . In naval service a prime function of rescue helicopters is to promptly retrieve downed aircrew involved in crashes occurring upon launch or recovery aboard aircraft carriers. In past years this function was performed by destroyers escorting the carrier, but since then helicopters have proved vastly more effective. Police departments and other law enforcement agencies use helicopters to pursue suspects and patrol
5618-653: The 1939 Tatra 81 to the present day Tatra 815 . French manufacturers were pioneering in their use of V8 engines in the early 1900s with the 1904 Antoinette aircraft engine (the first known V8 engine) and the 1910 De Dion-Bouton . However, there were few French automotive V8 engines in the following decades, with manufacturers such as Delage , Delahaye , Talbot-Lago , Bugatti , and Hotchkiss using six-cylinder or straight-eight engines instead. From 1935 until 1954, Matford (Ford's French subsidiary, later renamed to ' Ford SAF ') produced cars with V8 engines, closely based on contemporary American Ford models. Simca purchased
5724-704: The 1973 Ferrari 308 GT4 to the 2019–present Ferrari F8 Tributo ), the Lotus Esprit V8 , the Porsche 918 Spyder , and the McLaren MP4-12C . The first V8 engine used in a road-going car was the 1905 Rolls-Royce built in the United Kingdom. This model was initially equipped with a 3.5 L (214 cu in) V8 engine. However, only three cars were made before Rolls-Royce reverted to using straight-six engines for their cars. In 1907,
5830-481: The 2019–present Ferrari F8 Tributo . Five-valve-per-cylinder versions were used from 1994 until 2005 in the Ferrari F355 and Ferrari 360 . Turbocharging was introduced on the 1984–1987 Ferrari 288 GTO flagship car, and the range of entry-level mid-engined sports cars switched to turbocharging with the 2015 Ferrari 488 . The Formula One team resumed using V8 engines for the 2006–2013 seasons, beginning with
5936-505: The 8.2 L (500 cu in) V8 engine used in the 1971–1978 Cadillac Eldorado and BMW's 3.0 L (183 cu in) M60B30 V8 engine found in cars such as the BMW E34 530i. V8 engines intended for motorsport are often small and short-stroke to maximize RPMs and thus power. The Cosworth DFV 3.0 L (183 cu in) is such an engine. Due to its large external dimensions, V8 engines are typically used in cars that use
6042-558: The Bambi bucket, are usually filled by submerging the bucket into lakes, rivers, reservoirs, or portable tanks. Tanks fitted onto helicopters are filled from a hose while the helicopter is on the ground or water is siphoned from lakes or reservoirs through a hanging snorkel as the helicopter hovers over the water source. Helitack helicopters are also used to deliver firefighters, who rappel down to inaccessible areas, and to resupply firefighters. Common firefighting helicopters include variants of
6148-762: The Chinese top in a model consisting of contrarotating turkey flight feathers as rotor blades, and in 1784, demonstrated it to the French Academy of Sciences . Sir George Cayley , influenced by a childhood fascination with the Chinese flying top, developed a model of feathers, similar to that of Launoy and Bienvenu, but powered by rubber bands. By the end of the century, he had progressed to using sheets of tin for rotor blades and springs for power. His writings on his experiments and models would become influential on future aviation pioneers. Alphonse Pénaud would later develop coaxial rotor model helicopter toys in 1870, also powered by rubber bands. One of these toys, given as
6254-478: The Chinese toy. It was not until the early 1480s, when Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci created a design for a machine that could be described as an " aerial screw ", that any recorded advancement was made towards vertical flight. His notes suggested that he built small flying models, but there were no indications for any provision to stop the rotor from making the craft rotate. As scientific knowledge increased and became more accepted, people continued to pursue
6360-574: The Ford SAF in 1954 and continued to produce various models powered by the Ford Flathead V8 until 1969. After WW2, France imposed very steep tax horsepower charges - the owners of cars with engines above 2 L were financially penalized, so France had a small domestic market for larger-engined cars, such as the V8. Despite this, Facel Vega produced luxury and sports cars powered by Chrysler V8 engines from 1954 through 1964. One of
6466-476: The French Antoinette company for use in speedboat racing, cars, and later, airplanes. Also in 1904, V8 engines began small-scale production by Renault and Buchet for use in race cars. Most engines use a V-angle (the angle between the two banks of cylinders) of 90 degrees. This angle results in good engine balance , which results in low vibrations. However, the downside is the greater width of
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#17328012205696572-453: The Gyroplane No. 1 lifted its pilot into the air about 0.6 metres (2 ft) for a minute. The Gyroplane No. 1 proved to be extremely unsteady and required a man at each corner of the airframe to hold it steady. For this reason, the flights of the Gyroplane No. 1 are considered to be the first manned flight of a helicopter, but not a free or untethered flight. That same year, fellow French inventor Paul Cornu designed and built
6678-571: The Martian atmosphere is 100 times thinner than Earth's, its two blades spin at close to 3,000 revolutions a minute, approximately 10 times faster than that of a terrestrial helicopter. In 2017, 926 civil helicopters were shipped for $ 3.68 billion, led by Airbus Helicopters with $ 1.87 billion for 369 rotorcraft, Leonardo Helicopters with $ 806 million for 102 (first three-quarters only), Bell Helicopter with $ 696 million for 132, then Robinson Helicopter with $ 161 million for 305. By October 2018,
6784-402: The actual engine displacement. Engines with displacements from 6.0 to 6.6 L (366 to 403 cu in) have been classified as both small-block and big-block, depending on the particular manufacturer's range of engines. V8 engines have been used in many forms of motorsport, from Formula One , IndyCar , NASCAR , DTM and V8 Supercars circuit racing, to Top Fuel drag racing. Among
6890-550: The aircraft's handling properties under low airspeed conditions—it has proved advantageous to conduct tasks that were previously not possible with other aircraft, or were time- or work-intensive to accomplish on the ground. Today, helicopter uses include transportation of people and cargo, military uses, construction, firefighting, search and rescue , tourism , medical transport, law enforcement, agriculture, news and media , and aerial observation , among others. A helicopter used to carry loads connected to long cables or slings
6996-522: The aluminium-conversion Chrysler 426 Hemi engine and run on highly explosive nitromethane fuel. The world's fastest non-jet-powered (i.e., piston-engine powered) wheeled land vehicle, the Speed Demon, which achieved a speed of 744.072 km/h (462.345 mph) in 2017, is powered by a V8 engine based on the Chevrolet small-block engine design. The first Australian-designed car to use
7102-466: The aviation industry; and the turboshaft engine for helicopter use, pioneered in December 1951 by the aforementioned Kaman K-225, finally gave helicopters an engine with a large amount of power and a low weight penalty. Turboshafts are also more reliable than piston engines, especially when producing the sustained high levels of power required by a helicopter. The turboshaft engine was able to be scaled to
7208-435: The blades angle forwards or backwards, or left and right, to make the helicopter move in those directions. The anti-torque pedals are located in the same position as the rudder pedals in a fixed-wing aircraft, and serve a similar purpose, namely to control the direction in which the nose of the aircraft is pointed. Application of the pedal in a given direction changes the pitch of the tail rotor blades, increasing or reducing
7314-677: The building of roads. These operations are referred to as longline because of the long, single sling line used to carry the load. In military service helicopters are often useful for delivery of outsized slung loads that would not fit inside ordinary cargo aircraft: artillery pieces, large machinery (field radars, communications gear, electrical generators), or pallets of bulk cargo. In military operations these payloads are often delivered to remote locations made inaccessible by mountainous or riverine terrain, or naval vessels at sea. In electronic news gathering , helicopters have provided aerial views of some major news stories, and have been doing so, from
7420-406: The cockpit from overhead. The control is called the cyclic because it changes cyclic pitch of the main blades. The result is to tilt the rotor disk in a particular direction, resulting in the helicopter moving in that direction. If the pilot pushes the cyclic forward, the rotor disk tilts forward, and the rotor produces a thrust in the forward direction. If the pilot pushes the cyclic to the side,
7526-470: The cyclic, the collective, the anti-torque pedals, and the throttle. The cyclic control is usually located between the pilot's legs and is commonly called the cyclic stick or just cyclic . On most helicopters, the cyclic is similar to a joystick. However, the Robinson R22 and Robinson R44 have a unique teetering bar cyclic control system and a few helicopters have a cyclic control that descends into
7632-536: The early 21st century, as well as recently weaponized utilities such as artillery spotting , aerial bombing and suicide attacks . The English word helicopter is adapted from the French word hélicoptère , coined by Gustave Ponton d'Amécourt in 1861, which originates from the Greek helix ( ἕλιξ ), genitive helikos (ἕλῐκος), "helix, spiral, whirl, convolution" and pteron ( πτερόν ) "wing". In
7738-458: The engine compared to those that use a smaller V-angle. V8 engines with a 60-degree V-angle were used in the 1996–1999 Ford Taurus SHO , the 2005–2011 Volvo XC90 , and the 2006–2009 Volvo S80 . The Ford engine used a 60-degree V-angle because it was based on a V6 engine with a 60-degree V-angle. Both the Ford and Volvo engines were used in transverse engine chassis, which were designed for
7844-439: The event was taken by Max Skladanowsky , but it remains lost . In 1885, Thomas Edison was given US$ 1,000 (equivalent to $ 34,000 today) by James Gordon Bennett, Jr. , to conduct experiments towards developing flight. Edison built a helicopter and used the paper for a stock ticker to create guncotton , with which he attempted to power an internal combustion engine. The helicopter was damaged by explosions and one of his workers
7950-460: The first German V8 engines was the 1928–1945 Argus As 10 aircraft engine. This engine was air-cooled, used an 'inverted V' design, and was used in several training, surveillance, and communications airplanes. From 1933 until 1940, the Horch 830 luxury cars were powered by V8 engines (sold alongside Horch's larger straight-eight engines). Shortly after, the 1934–1937 Stoewer Greif V8 was powered by
8056-399: The first V8 Formula One cars to compete were the 1952 AFM entry and the 1954 Lancia D50 , with a development of the latter powering Juan Manuel Fangio's 1956 car to victory in the driver's championship. The 1.5 L Formula One era of 1961–1965 included V8 engines from Ferrari, Coventry Climax, British Racing Motors (BRM), and Automobili Turismo e Sport (ATS). The driver's championships for
8162-486: The first half of the 20th century was that the amount of power produced by an engine was not able to overcome the engine's weight in vertical flight. This was overcome in early successful helicopters by using the smallest engines available. When the compact, flat engine was developed, the helicopter industry found a lighter-weight powerplant easily adapted to small helicopters, although radial engines continued to be used for larger helicopters. Turbine engines revolutionized
8268-515: The high operating cost of helicopters cost-effective in ensuring that oil platforms continue to operate. Various companies specialize in this type of operation. NASA developed Ingenuity , a 1.8 kg (4.0 lb) helicopter used to survey Mars (along with a rover). It began service in February 2021 and was retired due to sustained rotor blade damage in January 2024 after 73 sorties. As
8374-480: The idea of vertical flight. In July 1754, Russian Mikhail Lomonosov had developed a small coaxial modeled after the Chinese top but powered by a wound-up spring device and demonstrated it to the Russian Academy of Sciences . It was powered by a spring, and was suggested as a method to lift meteorological instruments. In 1783, Christian de Launoy , and his mechanic , Bienvenu, used a coaxial version of
8480-504: The in-service and stored helicopter fleet of 38,570 with civil or government operators was led Robinson Helicopter with 24.7% followed by Airbus Helicopters with 24.4%, then Bell with 20.5 and Leonardo with 8.4%, Russian Helicopters with 7.7%, Sikorsky Aircraft with 7.2%, MD Helicopters with 3.4% and other with 2.2%. The most widespread model is the piston Robinson R44 with 5,600, then the H125/ AS350 with 3,600 units, followed by
8586-662: The lack of an airstrip would make transport via fixed-wing aircraft impossible. The use of transport helicopters to deliver troops as an attack force on an objective is referred to as " air assault ". Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) helicopter systems of varying sizes are developed by companies for military reconnaissance and surveillance duties. Naval forces also use helicopters equipped with dipping sonar for anti-submarine warfare , since they can operate from small ships. Oil companies charter helicopters to move workers and parts quickly to remote drilling sites located at sea or in remote locations. The speed advantage over boats makes
8692-581: The late 1960s. Helicopters have also been used in films, both in front and behind the camera. The largest single non-combat helicopter operation in history was the disaster management operation following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster . Hundreds of pilots were involved in airdrop and observation missions, making dozens of sorties a day for several months. " Helitack " is the use of helicopters to combat wildland fires . The helicopters are used for aerial firefighting (water bombing) and may be fitted with tanks or carry helibuckets . Helibuckets, such as
8798-555: The limited power did not allow for manned flight. The introduction of the internal combustion engine at the end of the 19th century became the watershed for helicopter development as engines began to be developed and produced that were powerful enough to allow for helicopters able to lift humans. Early helicopter designs utilized custom-built engines or rotary engines designed for airplanes, but these were soon replaced by more powerful automobile engines and radial engines . The single, most-limiting factor of helicopter development during
8904-485: The monorotor design, and coaxial-rotor , tiltrotor and compound helicopters are also all flying today. Four-rotor helicopters ( quadcopters ) were pioneered as early as 1907 in France, and along with other types of multicopters , have been developed mainly for specialized applications such as commercial unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) due to the rapid expansion of drone racing and aerial photography markets in
9010-601: The nearby park, the Parco Forlanini. Emmanuel Dieuaide's steam-powered design featured counter-rotating rotors powered through a hose from a boiler on the ground. In 1887 Parisian inventor, Gustave Trouvé , built and flew a tethered electric model helicopter. In July 1901, the maiden flight of Hermann Ganswindt 's helicopter took place in Berlin-Schöneberg; this was probably the first heavier-than-air motor-driven flight carrying humans. A movie covering
9116-464: The nose to pitch down, with a resultant increase in airspeed and loss of altitude. Aft cyclic will cause the nose to pitch up, slowing the helicopter and causing it to climb. Increasing collective (power) while maintaining a constant airspeed will induce a climb while decreasing collective will cause a descent. Coordinating these two inputs, down collective plus aft cyclic or up collective plus forward cyclic, will result in airspeed changes while maintaining
9222-411: The power normally required to be diverted for the tail rotor to be applied fully to the main rotors, increasing the aircraft's power efficiency and lifting capacity. There are several common configurations that use the counter-rotating effect to benefit the rotorcraft: Tip jet designs let the rotor push itself through the air and avoid generating torque. The number, size and type of engine(s) used on
9328-585: The power output. The 1960s cross-plane V8 racing engines used long primary exhaust pipes (such as the Ford GT40 endurance racing car) or located the exhaust ports on the inside of the V-angle (such as the Lotus 38 IndyCar) to link the exhaust systems from each bank and provide even exhaust gas pulses),. A flat-plane crankshaft configuration provides two benefits. Mechanically, the crankshaft can be machined from
9434-436: The rotor disk tilts to that side and produces thrust in that direction, causing the helicopter to hover sideways. The collective pitch control or collective is located on the left side of the pilot's seat with a settable friction control to prevent inadvertent movement. The collective changes the pitch angle of all the main rotor blades collectively (i.e. all at the same time) and independently of their position. Therefore, if
9540-406: The rotor in cruise, which allows its rotation to be slowed down , thus increasing the maximum speed of the aircraft. The Lockheed AH-56A Cheyenne diverted up to 90% of its engine power to a pusher propeller during forward flight. There are three basic flight conditions for a helicopter: hover, forward flight and the transition between the two. Hovering is the most challenging part of flying
9646-403: The rotor speed (by 15%) to avoid drag from the advancing blade tip, and to avoid retreating blade stall by unloading the rotor while a small wing provides 40–80% lift instead. The X³ can hover with a pitch attitude between minus 10 and plus 15 degrees. Its bank range is 40 degrees in hover, and is capable of flying at bank angles of 120 to 140 degrees. During testing the aircraft demonstrated
9752-422: The rotor throughout normal flight. The rotor system, or more simply rotor , is the rotating part of a helicopter that generates lift . A rotor system may be mounted horizontally, as main rotors are, providing lift vertically, or it may be mounted vertically, such as a tail rotor, to provide horizontal thrust to counteract torque from the main rotors. The rotor consists of a mast, hub and rotor blades. The mast
9858-418: The size of the helicopter being designed, so that all but the lightest of helicopter models are powered by turbine engines today. Special jet engines developed to drive the rotor from the rotor tips are referred to as tip jets . Tip jets powered by a remote compressor are referred to as cold tip jets, while those powered by combustion exhaust are referred to as hot tip jets. An example of a cold jet helicopter
9964-483: The skies. Since helicopters can achieve a unique aerial view, they are often used in conjunction with police on the ground to report on suspects' locations and movements. They are often mounted with lighting and heat-sensing equipment for night pursuits. Military forces use attack helicopters to conduct aerial attacks on ground targets. Such helicopters are mounted with missile launchers and miniguns . Transport helicopters are used to ferry troops and supplies where
10070-479: The tail rotor, such as the ducted fan (called Fenestron or FANTAIL ) and NOTAR . NOTAR provides anti-torque similar to the way a wing develops lift through the use of the Coandă effect on the tail boom. The use of two or more horizontal rotors turning in opposite directions is another configuration used to counteract the effects of torque on the aircraft without relying on an anti-torque tail rotor. This allows
10176-448: The throttle is to maintain enough engine power to keep the rotor RPM within allowable limits so that the rotor produces enough lift for flight. In single-engine helicopters, the throttle control is a motorcycle-style twist grip mounted on the collective control, while dual-engine helicopters have a power lever for each engine. A compound helicopter has an additional system for thrust and, typically, small stub fixed wings . This offloads
10282-417: The thrust produced by the tail rotor and causing the nose to yaw in the direction of the applied pedal. The pedals mechanically change the pitch of the tail rotor altering the amount of thrust produced. Helicopter rotors are designed to operate in a narrow range of RPM . The throttle controls the power produced by the engine, which is connected to the rotor by a fixed ratio transmission. The purpose of
10388-417: The two main turboshaft engines which also drive the five-bladed main rotor system, taken from a Eurocopter EC155 . Test pilots describe the X³ flight as smooth, but the X³ does not have passive or active anti-vibration systems and can fly without stability augmentation systems , unlike the Sikorsky X2 . The helicopter is designed to prove the concept of a high-speed helicopter which depends on slowing
10494-572: The vertical flight he had envisioned. Steam power was popular with other inventors as well. In 1877, the Italian engineer, inventor and aeronautical pioneer Enrico Forlanini developed an unmanned helicopter powered by a steam engine . It rose to a height of 13 meters (43 feet), where it remained for 20 seconds, after a vertical take-off from a park in Milan . Milan has dedicated its city airport to Enrico Forlanini, also named Linate Airport , as well as
10600-627: Was also used in touring car racing and formed the basis of the Repco-Holden engine used in Formula 5000 racing. In 1999, the Holden V8 engine began to be replaced by the imported General Motors LS1 V8 engine. In 1971, Ford Australia began local production of the Ford 'Cleveland' V8 , an overhead valve cast-iron engine. The engine was produced in displacements of 4.9 L (302 cu in) and 5.8 L (351 cu in) for use in
10706-486: Was badly burned. Edison reported that it would take a motor with a ratio of three to four pounds per horsepower produced to be successful, based on his experiments. Ján Bahýľ , a Slovak inventor, adapted the internal combustion engine to power his helicopter model that reached a height of 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) in 1901. On 5 May 1905, his helicopter reached 4 meters (13 feet) in altitude and flew for over 1,500 meters (4,900 feet). In 1908, Edison patented his own design for
10812-575: Was first used on the Mercedes-Benz M113 engine in 2002 and turbocharging was first used on non-commercial diesel V8 engines in 1999 with the OM628 and on petrol engines with the M278 engine in 2010. Porsche's first road car to use a V8 engine was the 1978 Porsche 928 coupe. Its first to use a V8 diesel engine was the second-generation Cayenne S Diesel in 2014. Audi's first road car to use
10918-496: Was from 2006 to 2013 , when the rules mandated use of 2.4 L (146 cu in) naturally-aspirated V8 engines, with regular power outputs between 730 and 810 hp (in order to reduce the power outputs being achieved by the previous 3.0 litre V10 engines). These were replaced by 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 engines for the 2014 and later seasons. V8 engines have dominated American premier stock car racing NASCAR series since its inaugural 1949 season . However, there wasn't
11024-488: Was placed in a French air museum in the village of Saint-Victoret . The X³ demonstrator is based on the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin helicopter, with the addition of short span wings each fitted with a tractor propeller, having a different pitch to counter the torque effect of the main rotor. Conventional helicopters use tail rotors to counter the torque effect. The tractor propellers are gear driven from
11130-466: Was significantly increased following the 1932 introduction of the Ford Flathead V8 . By the early 21st century, the use of V8 engines in passenger vehicles declined as automobile manufacturers opted for more fuel efficient , lower capacity engines, or hybrid and electric drivetrains . The displacement of modern V8 engines is typically from 3.5 to 6.4 L (214 to 391 cu in). However, larger and smaller examples have been produced, such as
11236-496: Was the 2008–present BMW N63 engine. Their first eight-cylinder engine since passenger car and motorsport straight-eight engine production stopped in 1944 and 1955 respectively, Mercedes-Benz began production of the Mercedes-Benz M100 petrol V8 engine in 1963 and has continued production of V8 engines to the present day. The M100 had a single overhead camshaft, a cast-iron block, and an aluminium head. Supercharging
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