Comments on: Loss of tail rotor thrust http://blog.aopa.org/helicopter/?p=163 AOPA's Helicopter Blog Sat, 25 May 2013 15:38:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Kate http://blog.aopa.org/helicopter/?p=163#comment-780 Kate Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:17:53 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/helicopter/?p=163#comment-780 The complete loss of tail rotor thrust will causes some disfunctionalities to the machine and therefore causes accidents.

]]> By: Ehud Gavron http://blog.aopa.org/helicopter/?p=163#comment-407 Ehud Gavron Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:43:01 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/helicopter/?p=163#comment-407 Typically if you are comparing the tail-rotor thrust vs the thrust effect of the torque of the engine and transmission as applied to the main-rotor, the tail rotor wins. That means that in most circumstances, no matter how much torque you apply to the main-rotor, the tail rotor at the end of the long lever called “the tailcone” has sufficient thrust to overcome that torque.

In some helicopters (Bell 407 AD, later cancelled) the tail rotor is limited in movement past a certain airspeed. The difference between tail-rotor effectiveness and main-rotor torque is greatest at HIGH torque settings, and lowest at LOW main-rotor torque.

So for the questio “if the engine is not producing enough power”, since the power is shared through a fixed-gear transmission, the tail-rotor will always have enough (as per the manufacturer’s specification) to counteract the torque.

If you wanted to find an edge-case (also known as “pathological failure”) it would be a case where the MR is generating a HUGE amount of torque but the TR can’t compensate for it, and undoubtedly that’ snot because “the engine isn’t producing enough power” but rather that the engine is being operated outside of the allowed operating parameters. (Temp/pressures for turbine/intake mfld.)

Ehud

]]> By: Dennis Enders http://blog.aopa.org/helicopter/?p=163#comment-406 Dennis Enders Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:44:57 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/helicopter/?p=163#comment-406 If the aircraft is in a high hover setting and the engine is not producing enough power (but within designed capabilities) will the aircraft then enter into loss of tail rotor effectiveness?

]]> By: Tim McAdams http://blog.aopa.org/helicopter/?p=163#comment-405 Tim McAdams Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:42:37 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/helicopter/?p=163#comment-405 Daniel,

You’re right. Thanks for catching that, I made the correction.

Tim

]]> By: Daniel L. Lieberman http://blog.aopa.org/helicopter/?p=163#comment-404 Daniel L. Lieberman Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:12:05 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/helicopter/?p=163#comment-404 Paragraph 2 third sentence airspeed should be airflow.

]]> By: Airwolf2000 http://blog.aopa.org/helicopter/?p=163#comment-394 Airwolf2000 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:49:45 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/helicopter/?p=163#comment-394 What about a run on landing,or is that strictly a stuck pedal solution ?

]]>