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I'm curious about why helicopters are located where they are. A powered sailplane case study: pipistrel snius weighs 700 lbs and gets 47 mpg. A comparable wei

• unglaublich 1y ago
  Since it's a glider, did they incorporate the effects of thermals into the efficiency numbers? That would be a bit like comparing it to a sailing ship with a small external motor.
  • willis936 1y ago
    Which is like comparing a person on a bike to a leopard. The numbers I saw would be dramatically higher if sampling in freefall. Methodologies aim to average out those effects. It's easy enough to lie with disingenuous comparisons. It just doesn't make sense that something that needs to spin large rotors at supersonic speeds is more efficient than something that spins much smaller rotors.
• duskwuff 1y ago
  That's the price you pay for not relying on airspeed to stay aloft.