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While the Sikorsky X2 might have some niche uses rescue missions probably aren't one of them. It's tiny. A tiltrotor[1] aircraft like the V-22 Osprey seems a mu
by avar 16y ago
While the Sikorsky X2 might have some niche uses rescue missions probably aren't one of them. It's tiny. A tiltrotor[1] aircraft like the V-22 Osprey seems a much better fit if you need to get there fast and do something meaningful like rescue work.
1. https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Tiltrotor https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Tiltrotor
- whyenot 16y agoThe X2 is not a production model, it is an experimental aircraft. According to the article, the technology used in the X2 will eventually be used in production models that will presumably "go fast and do something meaningful." Otherwise nobody would buy them ;)
- avar 16y agoWell there's still plenty of uses for a fast and helicopter. Patrol missions for one. But hopefully they'll be able to scale this up to bigger sizes. Does anyone know if that would be much harder? I.e. is it inherently harder to make heavier helicopters go faster? Or do you just have to scale up the fabrication.
- icegreentea 16y agoI imagine like everything in aerospace, 'just scaling up' isn't as simple as it is. Drag increases non-linearly as you scale up for one thing, and with something as tricky as the rotors of helicopter, you probably have to do all sorts of nuts stuff to get it to work. For one thing, you can't just make the rotor span larger (with same rotation speed), cause then your increasing the velocity of the rotor tips which could cause all sorts of problems.