Framework and Physics of an Autogyro Essay -- Physics Science Helicopt

To fully understand the physics of an autogyro, one must know what it is. An autogyro is an aircraft, similar to a modern helicopter in appearance, but with a few major dissimilarities. It, like a helicopter, uses an overhead rotor as its main source of lift. The rotor on an autogyro, however, is freely rotating, meaning it is not powered by any engine, and therefore applies no rotational force, or torque, on the machine. This nullifies the need for a tail rotor like that of a helicopter's because there is no need to stabilize the fuselage from twisting. Because of the fact that the rotor does not spin on its own to give itself thrust like a helicopter, it makes for the need of another form of forward propulsion. This comes in the form of a propeller, like that on an airplane, to propel the machine forward, which makes air to pass though the overhead rotor, causing it to spin and create lift. The faster the machine goes, the more lift the rotor creates. Autogyros can fly very slow, sink vertically down, take off vertically up if a jump-start is added, and even fly somewhat backwards. Something they cannot do, however, is hover. They can "hover against the wind" if a small breeze is present, but do not have the capabilities of actual hovering. Autogyros are excellent at maneuvering and can land on small platforms and oilrigs. Autogyros are generally small in comparison to helicopters, or any other type of aircraft. Hobbyists, the main producers of autogyros, typically make them in the range of 200-2000 pounds. This is extremely small in comparison to their fixed-winged, and forcefully rotating cousins. Because of this, they can traverse into very tight spots, slowly, and quietly, making them a great candidate for military reco... ...negative aestheticism extends throughout the machine, not remaining just in the front, thereby eliminating anyone to want to fly it. Thrust is the final and perhaps one of the most important forces in the system. Enough thrust allows you to overcome drag and therefore produce a net motion of forward, and therefore climb. The thrust in an autogyro system is different than that of a fixed-wing aircraft in that it is not always wise to give more or full power to correct an emergency situation. Often decreasing your thrust will produce a higher rotor speed. This has to do with the angle that the rotor hits the air. When you decrease thrust, the tail end of the gyro tends to dip down, making the rotor tilt back giving more air to hit the blades, and thereby increasing the rotor speed. In contrast, it would be wise to pull the stick back a bit when increasing thrust.