4 ms·

The rules are here: http://www.vtol.org/awards/hphregs.html http://www.vtol.org/awards/hphregs.html They've covered most of the loopholes - including storing e

The rules are here: http://www.vtol.org/awards/hphregs.html http://www.vtol.org/awards/hphregs.html They've covered most of the loopholes - including storing energy, etc. Perhaps more interesting, there is no limit on the size of the crew.

Tichy 17y ago
I understand the storing energy rule, but it seems to me it defies the purpose of the competition. Without storing energy, wouldn't the helicopter come crashing down as soon as you stopped pedaling (or whatever you do)? Surely there would have to be some way to take a break without dieing.
- jwilliams 17y ago
  They exclude the stored energy of the "rotating aerodynamic components". So you can have energy in the system, but you can't sit there cycling for an hour charging a battery. (They also exclude the crew taking stimulants and drugs).
  - Tichy 17y ago
    What about artificial legs?
    - jwilliams 17y ago
      I guess you're referring to the South African runner that wasn't allowed to run in the Olympics with artificial legs. If I recall, the issue wasn't an energy advantage, but the recovery. He could train at maximum level, and simply grab a new pair - whereas his competitors would have to worry about injury. (So I guess there was an energy equation, but a different one - the energy of the artificial legs slowly breaking). In this case, I'd guess that would be a non issue. However, I equally don't see it as being a huge advantage... At the outside, perhaps a weight one.
  - amalcon 17y ago
    Interesting. So, the winner will probably have a bunch of slightly inefficient flywheels that technically provide a tiny amount of lift and/or thrust, charge those up, and use them to power the main rotor.
- simonb 17y ago
  If the engine cuts off the helicopter doesn't necessarily plummet to the ground. See autorotation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autorotation_%28helicopter%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autorotation_%28helicopter%29

Tichy 17y ago

I understand the storing energy rule, but it seems to me it defies the purpose of the competition. Without storing energy, wouldn't the helicopter come crashing down as soon as you stopped pedaling (or whatever you do)? Surely there would have to be some way to take a break without dieing.

jwilliams 17y ago
They exclude the stored energy of the "rotating aerodynamic components". So you can have energy in the system, but you can't sit there cycling for an hour charging a battery. (They also exclude the crew taking stimulants and drugs).
- Tichy 17y ago
  What about artificial legs?
  - jwilliams 17y ago
    I guess you're referring to the South African runner that wasn't allowed to run in the Olympics with artificial legs. If I recall, the issue wasn't an energy advantage, but the recovery. He could train at maximum level, and simply grab a new pair - whereas his competitors would have to worry about injury. (So I guess there was an energy equation, but a different one - the energy of the artificial legs slowly breaking). In this case, I'd guess that would be a non issue. However, I equally don't see it as being a huge advantage... At the outside, perhaps a weight one.
- amalcon 17y ago
  Interesting. So, the winner will probably have a bunch of slightly inefficient flywheels that technically provide a tiny amount of lift and/or thrust, charge those up, and use them to power the main rotor.
simonb 17y ago
If the engine cuts off the helicopter doesn't necessarily plummet to the ground. See autorotation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autorotation_%28helicopter%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autorotation_%28helicopter%29