Backpack helicopter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A backpack helicopter is a helicopter motor and rotor and controls assembly that can be strapped to a person's back, so that he can walk about on the ground wearing it, and can use it to fly. Its harness, like a parachute harness, should have a strap between the legs, so that the pilot does not fall out of the harness during flight.
Typically a backpack helicopter differs from a conventional helicopter in two ways. Firstly there is no tail rotor, and the main rotors are contra-rotating. Yaw is controlled by fine adjustment of a differential gear in the rotor drive transmission. When one rotor is adjusted to spin slightly faster than the other it induces yaw, or turning motion. Secondly, the rotors are fixed pitch, which assists with simplicity, however this means that in the event of engine failure autorotation is impossible. Usually a Ballistic parachute would be incorporated for safety.
Some designs may use ducted fan design to increase upward thrust.
Related are devices like a backpack helicopter which also include a seat and leg supports and are actually very small open-topped ordinary helicopters.
Several inventors have tried to make backpack helicopters, with mixed results.
In theory, a helicopter would be more efficient than a rocket/jet pack, possessing a greater specific impulse, and being more suited to hovering due to the smaller velocities of the propelled gases.
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[edit] Examples
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[edit] Pure backpacks
- http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/06/11/30172.html describes a Russian backpack helicopter.
- The Heliofly was a make which was designed in Germany in 1941 onwards.[1][2]
- The Pentecost Hoppicopter was developed by an independent inventor and demonstrated to the military in 1945.
- Rhyme (made in Japan)
- Libelula (dragonfly) from Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana (TAM) with a 2-bladed rotor driven by a small rocket motor at the end of each rotor blade. Info. (They also make a jetpack.)
[edit] With a seat
- SoloTrek XFV (Exo-skeletal Flying Vehicle).
- Vortech designed various models which have seats.[3] They formerly also made a pure backpack model with two very long rotor blades driven by a little propane-powered jet motor at the end of each blade.
- GenH4[4]
- The Aerospace Corporation's Springtail [5]
[edit] In popular culture
Backpack helicopters are considered to be relatively popular gadget in fiction. The SoloTrek XFV has appeared in spy films such as the 2003 film Agent Cody Banks.
In real life, backpack helicopters are flown with the pilot's body vertical, but some appear in fiction (for example, in Dan Dare comics) which are flown with the pilot's body horizontal.
Several action figures came equipped with backpack helicopters. Such an accessory was released as part of the GI Joe toyline for any figure to use. The Annihilator figure had a helicopter back-pack as part of its accessories. Another vertical example is the Turbo-Copter unit for the popular Action Man toy figure.
The 1984 Commodore 64 game H.E.R.O. (Helicopter Emergency Rescue Operation) featured a protagonist who wore a helicopter backpack, and a backpack helicopter can be summoned in the 2009 game Scribblenauts using the phrase "helibackpack". [6]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Heliofly". Geocities.com. http://www.oocities.com/unicraftmodels/germ/heliofly/heliofly.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
- ^ "Baumgartl Heliofly I helicopter - development history, photos, technical data". Avia.russian.ee. http://avia.russian.ee/helicopters_eng/baumgartl_heliofly-1-r.html. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
- ^ "Aircraft and Jet books and videos". Vortechonline.com. http://www.vortechonline.com. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ MyFreeTemplates.com (2003-11-05). "PAV Springtail EFV". Trekaero.com. http://www.trekaero.com/Trek_VTOL_Springtail_Vehicles.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
- ^ Posted by Joshua (2004-02-29). "Scribblenautics: Tons of new videos and a new trailer...Part 1". Scribblenautics.blogspot.com. http://scribblenautics.blogspot.com/2009/07/tons-of-new-videos-and-new-trailerpart_26.html. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
