Author Topic: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro  (Read 3630 times)

Offline Buzzbomb

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Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« on: December 30, 2020, 05:25:02 PM »
How things can change in the space of an hour.
While ratting around for parts for my first thought bubble I found a kit that just might do the trick for this GB as it a triggered a "wait a minute...." moment.

I have read a bit around the Hafner Rotachute concept Linky  for delivering Airborne Troops. Nice concept.
How about if they upscaled to make it a full on Autogyro using the proven Horsa glider as the basis to deliver more troops.
So some quick tape cobbling together with a left over 1/48 rotor head


This concept might deliver a more controlled landing maybe

Still very early days and the path betwixt concept and production is oft strewn with wrecks and dashed plans.

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2020, 03:04:12 AM »
Liking this idea
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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Offline jcf

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2020, 07:17:04 AM »
As long as it's a towed free-wheeling glider you're golden, try to power that rotor
and you'll have the same ground resonance issues as every other period attempt
at a "big" autogyro.
 ;D
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Offline Robomog

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2020, 10:47:21 AM »
Oooh this is a bit left field, likeing it already  :smiley:

Mog
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Offline Buzzbomb

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #4 on: January 01, 2021, 05:27:05 PM »
Quick status update, whilst undertaking round 1 PSR
It looks depressingly similar to the Rotodyne a bit now.


Italeri kit is pretty simple and with a bit of TLC appears that it would turn into a rather nice Horsa, which BTW is a rather large aircraft. I have a Hamilcar 1/72 Glider on the shelf and the Horsa is not that much smaller in span.

Some old school butt joins and clearly more care needed by me to minimize the PSR effort would have been nice. It also needs a quite substantial bit of weight to sit on the nose gear. I am short at the moment it appears and working on some creative weight adding method. Probably use the Drill hole, add weight/glue, plug hole by creating an instant inspection hatch method.

Went for the stub wing so as to not change the undercarriage layout, plus still have the towing points at the wing leading edge. Keeping as much Horsa in there as possible to make the conversion a logical stepping stone.
This is when my lack of Aerospace engineer vs Whiffer builder logic kicks in. The Gyro pilot would need to keep very vigilant to not let the rotor disk drop down below the tow rope or .....  well not the desired mission profile I would think.

JCF, yes fully Gyro, still using the towed glider model operationally.



« Last Edit: January 01, 2021, 05:32:07 PM by buzzbomb »

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #5 on: January 01, 2021, 05:45:39 PM »
Very imaginative and looks to be proceeding on track with little to no deviation from the plan. 

Are you using the stub wing parts from the Apache as your rotor pylon? 
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Offline finsrin

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #6 on: January 02, 2021, 01:59:40 PM »
Excellent and different concept.  Do like it.  :smiley:

Offline jcf

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #7 on: January 02, 2021, 03:37:33 PM »
Autogyro rotors and helicopter rotors don’t operate in exactly the same fashion,
the gyro blades flap up in the front when the aircraft is moving forward.

The reason that earlier gyros have wings etc. is because the rotor had no
directional control function, the ailerons, elevators and rudder of the fixed
surfaces were used for control. The fixed surfaces and controls were blanked
on landing producing a complete lack of control which is the main reason for
the common rollover on landing accidents.

The wingless ‘direct control’ types tilted the rotor for directional control, this
was accomplished by a simple control stick attached directly to the rotor head,
as you might guess that’d be a questionable control method for the gyro-glider
unless it was being piloted by the Hulk.
 ;D
My inclination would be to add some sort of detachable control surfaces that’d
be used for directional control while under tow, they’d be dropped once the
gyro-glider was committed to it’s landing point. Otherwise you’d have no way
to control the machine while you were being towed.

Here’s a good piece on how autogyros work.
http://www.aviastar.org/theory/autogiro/index.html
« Last Edit: January 02, 2021, 03:41:33 PM by jcf »
“Conspiracy theory’s got to be simple.
Sense doesn’t come into it. People are
more scared of how complicated shit
actually is than they ever are about
whatever’s supposed to be behind the
conspiracy.”
-The Peripheral, William Gibson 2014

Offline Buzzbomb

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2021, 02:49:34 PM »
Ok Gang.. just about it for this build. Thanks for the encouragement.

Jon.. thanks for all that Gyro stuff, very interesting.
For this build, lets pretend that all the bits that need to happen may have happened as far a controlling the beast.

The build was pretty much done, a couple of struts added and the landing gear.
As far as finish, went pretty standard. There was a fleeting chance of a Prototype Yellow/black bands, but gave that away after looking at some of
my other less than stellar attempts at that type of scheme. Besides Invasion stripes are cool.




As detailed there are a zillion reasons why this would not work. But in whiffworld, it just might

Cheers all

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2021, 02:15:13 AM »
 :smiley:
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2021, 02:24:59 AM »
The ex-glider gyro came out great!

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2021, 02:34:30 AM »
Me Likey . . .   :smiley:
Don't worry, Direct Control for autogiros had been perfected before the war started, so no problems with controlling the beast . . .
Shame these weren't available for 'Market Garden' . . .




cheers,
Robin.
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Offline Robomog

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2021, 10:03:28 AM »
Brilliant concept, good call on the colour scheme, beautifully built.

Query, would the Autogyro version carry more payload ?

Nice one Buzz

Mog
>^-.-^<
« Last Edit: January 09, 2021, 10:52:17 AM by Robomog »
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Offline Dr. YoKai

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #13 on: January 06, 2021, 11:48:31 PM »
Dang! That was quick! Looks mighty good!

Offline TimJ

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #14 on: January 07, 2021, 02:42:31 AM »
Great concept and an excellent build.  8)

Offline The Rat

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #15 on: January 07, 2021, 07:46:59 AM »
Fantastic!
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Offline apophenia

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #16 on: January 09, 2021, 08:18:25 AM »
Fantastic indeed! And, on details, I love your asymmetrical wing roundel  :smiley:
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Offline Old Wombat

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #17 on: January 09, 2021, 03:57:44 PM »
Like the concept. Like the build.

That's it! What's not to like? ???

 :smiley: 8)
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Offline finsrin

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #18 on: January 09, 2021, 05:38:27 PM »
Like the concept. Like the build.

That's it! What's not to like? ???

 :smiley: 8)

Yep, thatz it exactly for me too.  8)

Offline Artoor_K

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #19 on: January 10, 2021, 06:37:14 PM »
What's not to like? Nice execution !
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Offline ericr

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #20 on: January 10, 2021, 06:55:59 PM »

nice idea  ;)

Offline ChernayaAkula

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Re: Airspeed Hardrada - Airborne Autogyro
« Reply #21 on: January 19, 2021, 08:50:54 AM »
Whoa! That came out great!  8)
Cheers,
Moritz

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