Hi and thanks for the great comment. It is correct that this machine will only be hovering or moving very slowly within a few feet of the ground. The rotors are fixed pitch so no autorotation is possible, the overrun clutch is only something that want to disengage the drive shaft and engine from the rotors should an engine seize ever happen. A centrifugal clutch is also needed in this case because I'm starting the engine manually to save weight, did have electric start previously but it was too heavy. It would have been possible to start the rotors and engine with electric start. The belts are toothed which means they can't be slipped as a clutch. I have had a total of one hours instruction with an R22 but the rest has been self taught on my machine. I'm a very inexperienced pilot but there is a massive difference in hovering stability when the wind gusts. It can go from relatively easy to hover to un-flyable in my hands during these conditions. I'm not experienced enough to confirm whether it's the machine or me but rotor flap back I think is the problem, there's no delta 3 in the rotor system to compensate. My current thinking is this machine is only suitable for very calm conditions, fixed pitch is too slow to react to gusts.

@ehudgavron9086 , some good comments there. I've put forward a suggestion to Ben outside of the KZfaq chat to address these concerns. I'd like to see the design go further, but there are some fundamentals that need sorting.

Can't wait to meet you Tyger, You're a real character watching your videos and always make me laugh. We'll have a fun day I reckon.

👍 that is how I planned to do it initially , much simpler and lighter but the cables have to pass through the vertical stabiliser. I thought this might give me a problem when it came to covering the stabiliser. Still open to discussion on this though.

Wow. Thanks for that, yes keep me informed, sounds interesting.

😊 thank you

I like your rc models 👍😊

Hi! Yes to make the right decisions every time you almost have to be an expert in everything. Materials, drive systems, aerodynamics, physics, maths, engineering, etc etc. I like the fact it forces you to learn something you likely would have never come across otherwise. Your helicycle I'm sure is also a big educational experience. Feel free to stop in should you be anywhere near Devon. Congrats on the news 👍

Hi Cam, great to hear from you, I really hope you do go back to them, you know how much your helicopters and videos inspired me, but we both know how massive a project it is. I hope to have the enthusiasm to continue with this stuff forever, but time will tell I suppose.

Nice to hear that, makes me happy.

Hey, I have to disappoint you on this I'm afraid because the hovering is old footage from before the driveshaft broke. I just used the footage to accompany the narration, there will be new video of hovering but it will take some months to get it back operational again. Apologies for misleading you.

@@Ben-Dixey oh no disappointment, I understand this is continue process of the improvement... believe you very much . Great Ben

😀👍

👍Two belts on each drive would be safe for sure but the penalty would be the cost and extra weight in pulleys and framework etc. Every decision is a balance of cost, weight and safety. If a single belt is guaranteed to last say 100hrs I think that would be acceptable in terms of cost to replace and safety.

👍

Thank you 😊

Good point. Think chains are well and truly out. Shame, as it could have increased the lift significantly with a lower ratio.

@@Ben-Dixey I think chains might be workable, will be heavy though.. Cush drives in the rotor head will be a complete rework, probably you could retask some motorcycle engine clutch basket, or just use the whole motorcycle engine. Thats a lot of reworking though...

Thank you 😊

Think I've decided there are too many problems to overcome with chains. The heating and stretching of chains probably needing constant attention or more complexity to solve as you suggest are good reasons not to go in that direction.

We have some freedom but I'm pushing my luck. In America they have FAR part 103, up to 115 kg empty weight, flight without needing a license or certification. In the uk it's up to 70kg to qualify. There might be an exemption as my helicopter is always tethered but they are long, as tethers going tight would be very dangerous for myself. The wing in ground effect boat is completely unrestricted by the CAA, it's only governed by maritime law and classified as a boat.

I just tried it out of interest, I measured a piece of steel with a mic, then marked both sides with the sharpie. No measurable change in dimension. New cars for example have a paint thickness of between 0.08mm- 0.120mm. That's the primer and top coat, a sharpie being 0.025mm I can't seen happening in one application, etch primer via gun maybe, but then it has to stay on during the press fit which is also unlikely in my opinion. Sorry to disagree but it doesn't seem right to me.

I had forgotten about the efficiency, difference good point. 👍 Think the belts are 95-98% efficient. Chains will get less efficient with heat and at high speed too.

@@Ben-Dixey They also don't wear out the belt pulleys like chain does to sprockets. It's the main reason a lot of modern cars have timing belts instead of chains, not all but most. Chain has a bad habit of stretching too, needing constant adjustment and lubrication. In a machine like yours where efficiency is paramount, belt drive is the way to go imho.

👍 The technology for making things using computer controlled machines is great but the skills to make things using manual machinery is just as important. I see some channels making great things from plastic but when it comes to making something from metal they can't do it. Alan zhang is an example, in his video he states "as an engineer we can make whatever we want" so he 3d prints a load of stuff but then realised some parts needed to be metal. At this point he had to pay an engineer to make them for him. There are other channels that are the same, they don't seem to think that learning the skills of metal working is very important, perhaps beneath them.

@@Ben-Dixey I've seen plenty of videos of people 3d printing components only to throw it out because it is wrong or fails or they change it. I know the plastic can mostly be recycled, but the waste behind it. If you make something from metal, you really have to think ahead so you don't waste material. The plastic printer people seem to be in such a hurry. I despise plastic personally, try and avoid it as much as possible.

@@Ben-Dixey Also people calling themselves engineers bugs me. Here in Aus a boiler maker trade is now called engineering, yet they are only taught basic fabrication and nothing really about design. We have another work experience kid that says he is studying engineering, which is actually boilermaker, but he calls himself an engineer. He struggles to use a drill and to think he will have a certificate that has Engineering on it. Uni and education just seems to be about having a title, not skill.

@@chippyjohn1 The broader use of the engineer term devalues it. They did the same thing at college while I was there, they changed the name of Higher national diploma to foundation degree. Why? To make it sound more impressive ? All it does is devalue the degree qualification. Boiler technician I would think is a more appropriate title.

Hi Peter, well I knew about the Delackner but have to confess I haven't researched the mechanics. Great suggestion to look at, found a couple photos so far, looks like a chain drive then v- belts at first glance. Will look further into it to try and understand how they did it. 👍

Sounds good to me. If the reversing gearbox was also a slight reduction drive then the extra lift generated would easily compensate for the gearbox weight. The belts would be under slightly more strain but not much I don't think. Easily calculated and checked.

I'm not sure why the belt[s] between the engine and gearbox input end would be doing more work with a gearbox rather than large & small pulleys. Maybe you are referring to gearbox losses. The gearbox could do the majority of the reduction allowing adequate pulley diameter [ pulley wrap ] of both the engine and gearbox input to reduce excess flex maintaining good efficiency. The gearbox could also carry the bottom of the swash plate stack. My '82 microlight uses 4 A section belts between a 30hp 2 stroke and propeller providing a 2 :1 reduction. Some have a 40hp using the same 4 belt 2 :1 reduction. Maybe talk to your local auto transmission shop for a look a planetary reduction stacks.

👍

Hi and thanks. Deflection rollers? Is that where the belts are deflected around the opposite side of the large driven pulley ?

Thank you 👍 very helpful

Hi, The bearings are indeed magical, inside there are wedges where the rollers jam and only get released by counter rotation, small springs hold the rollers in the free running position. Quite impressive that they work so well and are so compact in design. The electric bike, are you going to have a solar panel to recharge the battery at some point ? Is it 67mpg as it stands ? Not bad if so considering. The cyclic fatigue I hadn't considered on the pulley but I have worked it out on the driveshaft if made from aluminium. I watched your video, surprising the fan had enough power to disturb the smoke at that distance. 👍 Ben

@@Ben-Dixey G'day, Wow, Synchronicity strikes ! I posted an edit to my Comment, and when returning to my Notifications I found that we were simultaneously typing to each other...! Yeah, there's a swag of Solar setup in the pipeline to feed the Bike. 2 X 440 Watt 24 Volt Panels, 12x 2.2 Volt 480 Amp/Hour Lead/Acid Gel-Cells, a 1,200 Watt Solar Charge-Controller and a 1,500 Watt Inverter... ($8,000 for the Stuff, $1,000 Installation, $900 for GST & I have yet to put a Slab of Concrete on the ground to erect the $2,000 Lawn Locker to keep the Rain off it all. I've been unable to get myself to start on the Slab..., for months ; and now in midwinter the Shadow Horizon in my Clearing - even after lots of Tree-Clearing to make room, is situated so that IF my sense of urgency had driven me to "Just Do It...!" Then the Panels would be in Tree-Shadow half the day in Winter...; Because it be wasn't till now that, after all the Pruning I finally got to see where and when the Winter Shadows go. The Shed Kit has been paid for since before Xmas, and a 10% deposit paid to get the Solar Stuff ordered and into Stock...; and now that the "Penny has dropped", I expect to see myself getting into that bit of the project. Yesterday I rode to Deepwater, 29 Km each way, on the back roads, intending to buy Bread & Milk on the (Public Holiday) Monday of the Long Weekend on which Oz celebrates the King's Birthday (it still feels weird writing that, I've never had a King-thingy before...!)... The idea was to avoid the Highway and it's flocks of Tourist Lemmings desperately competing to get home in time to return to Work..., and that worked - but everything in Deepwater was shut but the Pub... So I drank Coffee, ate half a Pizza, and video-ed the ride home, proving that Electric Motocross Pizza can indeed be a Thing (!)...; and the Light was indeed Golden, mostly from the Correct Cinematographic direction, and the last 12 Km were Magic to re-watch. 58 Km all up, at an average speed of 33 Km/Hr (40 on Bitumen & 30 on the Dirt...), arriving home indicating 33% Battery remaining - but after an hour to "cool down" that dropped to 30% : and the Recharge back up to 100% took 02:35... Basically, two 51-minute Rides of 29 Km each... When I arrived there the Supermarket was still open, but was about to close - and as I was Unhelmeting myself the Bike attracted the (apparently inevitable) observant bystander seeking to experience the Electric Motorbike Walkaround Introductory Warble... Which is how I came to go out for Bread & Milk, planning the Return-journey Video in the Sundown Golden Light ; and coming back with half a Pizza instead...(!). Last night I figured out the ideal timing for the Smoketrail Visualisation..., getting the Fire up to temp. before lighting the Dhoop-Cone and then putting the Fan on the Stove... Next time I'll do all that..., synchronised, and put up some black Cardboard Backdrops, to better contrast the Smoke. When done "properly", initially the two Smoke Trails rise vertically and falls away - with the hot stuff wobbling the model in it's Thermal Convection. Then as the Fan spins up to speed, the Hot Air initially goes over the Model and only ruffles the Smoke..., but as the Fan speeds up the "Prop-Blast" does too, becoming energetic enough to cross the Hut & hit the Model, weathercocking it and blowing the Hot Smoke well back behind and above the Model... And all that is happening above the Colder Air through which the Cold Dhoop-vapour falls and responds to (and shows) the other Currents happening lower down, under the Thermocline ; as the Potbelly is sucking in Cold Air and blasting it up through the Firebox and out the Flue... It will take a bit of setting up for, but with the Camera on a Tripod, the Black Backdrop and correct timing synchronised with the Potbelly's Firebox...; I reckon I should try to show the full Effect, one more time (!). I really do enjoy visualising Airflows. To the point of going outside to watch the top of the Chimney every time I light the Fire, to see where the Smoke goes in the Wind of the Day, and monitor the Convection-Runaway in the Firebox as the Flue commences to burn "Clean".... One can have a lot of fun, pondering the way Air moves... Have a good one, Stay safe, ;-p Ciao !

If you went down the official legal route in the UK you wouldn't do anything, these things are deemed as " private pirate ventures "

Hi, I had a comment about that last time but forgot to look into it, I hadn't seen it used for control surfaces on planes before but I need to look into that. It would be much lighter if it can be used. Thanks for reminding me. 👍

@@Ben-Dixey your welcome, it’s up to 15 times stronger than steel by weight.

Actually the most common cause of belt driven helicopters coming down is because of belt system failure, atleast in Australian crash reports.

​@@chippyjohn1 utter garbage, and I know two people that have had drive belt failures and kept flying. They have multiple belts and all of them failing is incredibly rare

@@mhale71 If you feel official reports are made up, not sure what to say then. I was surprised also at the time of reading. Look up CASA incident reports for helicopters and read yourself. If you can't be bothered learning that's your problem.

Also rotorway had issues with drive belts breaking shafts, and tensioners. Many helicopters have issues with belt drives.

Hi, the reason I looked into chains was because I thought at the time that the belts had been highly stressed during the drive failure. Replacing the belts is really expensive so I wondered if chains would be a better and cheaper option. I thought I could improve the ratio and add more lift in the process with chains. The driveshaft problem still needs to be resolved but I do have a plan for that.

Hi, the electric fan I'm using is drawing 17 amps, gauges and water pump is 1am. I think I need to go to a belt driven fan. When I do that modification then it would make sense to sort the Johnson stator and remove the external alternator. Think a replacement stator is rated for about 5 amps. I didn't know that about the later single phase outboard charge systems being more efficient. 👍

17 amps for an electric fan is a lot. I think you can do better. I'd expect an efficient brushless 'continuous duty' fan to have a start current around 20~30 amp [dependent on cable area] and run current near 10 amp. I'd select a scimitar shaped fan blade. They are more efficient so draw less current to push or suck more air. If possible look for a brushless design often much more efficient like 80% rather than 30 to 50% for a brushed design. How good and close is the seal onto the radiator? The better the seal the more heat gets transferred to the atmosphere with less air short circuiting around the edge of the fan and not through the radiator. Does the fan have a good end plate around the tips of the fan blades again making a big improvement on efficiency. As a bonus this air resistance or more work being done also means slower fan speed and often less current. How near the top of the radiator where the coolant is the hottest is the fan mounted? Much better to move the hottest air. How large is the fan? This as It's a lot cheaper and more efficient to move a lot of air a little than a little a lot.

Later charging systems are superior due to the more efficient regulator regulator rather than a larger winding inside the engine.

@@donaldpayne1376 Thanks for the info. The fan I chose is Spal va08-ap70/ll-23ma It's brushed I believe, I went for the highest CFM and largest diameter I could fit to the radiator. It's a pull type fan straight bladed and 14" diameter. The fan is as close to the radiator as possible without risk of touching it and shrouded. The shroud is welded to the radiator so it's a perfect seal. Data shows it can pull 1600 cfm at 17amps. I haven't looked at the brushless ones yet but will have a look.

@@Ben-Dixey Good job on the shroud seal. Is the fan on the correct side of the radiator so its encouraging heat to rise? Might be a contradiction if it's in the rotor downward area. I'd look at scimitar blades & continuos duty as well as brushless. I'd also stay away from a reversable blade as its a compromise with sub optimal performance both ways. I wonder if a larger radiator would help. Keep up the great work, it's fun watching your progress.

Well the belt drive doing the rotor reversal meant I didn't need an additional reversing gearbox. The Nolan bothers and the air scooter 2 had a separate gearbox which I thought was weight that could be removed. I thought I need a reduction drive anyway why not do that and the reversal in one go, but the tilting plunging driveshaft needed is a little harder to design than I thought.

@@Ben-Dixey So. Question. Does the engine _NEED_ to be frame mounted? can it be hung from the gimbal aswell?

@@bakakun The engine can be hung from the gimbal yes. The Helitrike did this on KZfaq, they didn't get fully off the ground more than a few inches but that I believe was because they didn't have long poles attached to the skids. It was very top heavy and didn't have the safety in place to attempt a higher altitude. I believe it would have worked despite the high CG.

Yes, I need a barrier between them or to stop water getting between the joints.

Perhaps so but the comments are only there to start the research process. It wouldn't be wise to blindly follow a comment without researching it.

I don't understand this mentality.

@@Ben-DixeyBen , keep it that way , you'll be better off.

@@leemnav 😊👍

Relying on parts to never fail within normal circumstances.