Actually, I think the Dixey Dragonfly is a perfect name, since YOUR aircraft has two pairs of wings (rotors) that, at times, mimic the appearance of the 'living' dragonfly quite well. I'm sure that any other occurrences of the name dragonfly were because their designers didn't give it as much thought as you have. Admirable tenacity btw. Regards Mark in the UK
Cool video just discovered. Cool machine. Interesting the offset hinge. Indeed i seen plans of the early gyrocopter with no offset gimbal. All newer ones use the offset approach. Its fascinating to learn the development path of why things are arranged the way they are. Like the underslung approach. Of the teeterbolt raised up above the plain of the blades. Anyway cool helicopter. Hopefully you found a good name.
For a machine designed for short flights I would think Dixie PoGo seems a fitting name. Excellent video as usual and I love all the humour injected in as well!
I could, might help, there are a few things to consider. The weight of the duct, how much negative lift would be created from rotors blowing on the cowling and the CG effects. A cowling hasn't been suggested before and I like that idea more than moving the rad into the downwash.
I don't have enough experience to answer that I'm afraid. I can barely control it in no wind. I expect it is satisfactory though, the sch2a seems to work and they are available to purchase.
@@Ben-Dixey Thanks! You also reminded me I wasn't even subbed to him anymore! My last account was hacked and deleted so I've been struggling to remember all the channels I was subbed to.
I guess balance is far more important with a small helicopter than say a Chinook, which is very heavy and can have a dozen or more soldiers jumping in and out. Speaking of which, when I was in the RAN we worked with the Yanks a lot. I've seen brilliant flying from Chinook pilots, flying sideways at 30 plus knots in fairly rough sea states, while loading and unloading slings of cargo, without hitting any parts of our ship. VERY impressive piloting.
Chinooks are awesome machines, the design that has gone into those tandem rotors is incredible. I think they are the most efficient in terms of lift. As for balance the lighter and smaller blades the easier it is to Balance I would suggest. The big helicopters are virtually impossible to balance, they need electronically and hydraulically controlled anti vibration systems just to function. I was talking to someone who works for leonardo helicopters and he said they cannot balance the rotors well enough and need the anti vibration system to keep levels low. Helicopters are the most fascinating machines, so much going on that is taking engineering to the limits.
Im confused by your explaination of rotor flap back. I fly gyros which also use teetering rotors. Now your explaination doesnt make sense to me but this could be my understanding is mistaken. When your advancing blade teeters it washes off angle of attack as it teeters up the rereating blade as it teeters down. Lift is thus equal. From my understanding the angle of the rotor is irrelevant as lift is evenly distributed. Of coutse i dont fly a spindle head its offset. Amy input you put into the disk will also cause a change in angle of both blades and thus one to teeter as it flies to a new plane of rotation i have never noticed any 90 degree precession as any precession is happening 90 degrees and thus any difference in lift will be compensated fir via the teeter. I dont think the angle of the blade relative to thr disk is relevant its the amount of lift being the same on both. Cierva mentioned when he developed the teeter hinge they removed both the dyssymetry of lift issue and the gyroscopic precession issue. I must be missing something or is this one of those things like downwind turns that pilots debate about?
I have wondered the same about the teeter hinge and it's ability to flap to equality compensating for flap back. I haven't found a definitive answer to this. I can only speculate that the flapping via the teeter hinge can't react fast enough to counter flap back. I will do some more research but rotor flap back is well documented on teetering heads in helicopters at least. The offset mast hinge on a gyro compensates for flap back I believe.
@@Ben-Dixey yes i appreciate that. It may be something to do with your greater spinng mass mast engine etc. That would still have gyroscopic forces acting on quite a bit of mass. All i can say is having flown gyros over 16 years i can fly into massive thermals and never get any significant pitching and no precessive effects from cyclic inputs. In fact i started in ultralights and after a few years of gyros a bloke took me up in the Thruster i learned in. We took off and offered for me to take over. We got hit by a thetmal under the ledt wing and it banked. He saud are you going to level off oh yes and i did then we hit one on the right and tilted right. Are you going to level off. I thought why am i not keeping it level and i realised the gyro teeter compensates for any change in lift via the teeter hinge so you just leave the stick alone and it compensates dor itself. Obviously this means the blades divert from the imaginary or average disk but id feel a gyroscopic force if it happened it may do but as the head is aligned with the teeter 90 degrees offset then i dont see how or why it shpuld make a difference for you and not a gyro. If i hit a really big thermal my nose will gently drop about 1 inch and rise an inch again after i fly out but i had put that down to the vectot of lift relative to balance and the downthrust of the emgine. I think this because the bkades on a gyro are tilted 9 degrees back at best LD thus additional lift will change the balance of lift until the blades slow again. This seemed likely as it gradually comes in rather than instantly as it does in a fixed wing. If it was a precession effect youd think it would kick in 1/4 a revoltion latter. Anyway thanks again.
@ 6:22 is it your intention to weld the lower cross memers to the side rails? Or is hardware sufficient? Oh BTW yer a smart cookie 🍪🚁 EDIT: would it be wise to consider extending the pullrope to the cockpit so that you could pull it in flight if ever necessary or just for the convenience of pulling from the seat 😉
Hi and thanks, the cross members are bolted as is the rest of the airframe. Most airframes are mechanically fixed together usually via bolts or rivets. Vibration from rotorcraft will eventually cause welds to crack so this technique isn't used for commercial aircraft. For a home built welding is probably ok as these things typically get used very little (as was the outcome with mine)! The suggestion of starting the engine while sat in the pilot seat I doubt would be possible via a rope. You need your full body to pull hard enough to start the engine. Something to be aware of is if a helicopter has an engine failure, engine restarts are never attempted as far as I know, unlike fixed wing aircraft. There is far too much for a helicopter pilot to do during an engine failure for it to be possible for an engine restart attempt.
On the subject of welded frames. There is an Italian helicopter that has an all welded frame. The frame is filled with compressed gas and has a gauge. If the pressure drops, you know it's time to land immediately.😁😁 @@Ben-Dixey
6061 bends without annealing most of the time but where you need a tighter bend it needs to be annealed. That reduces the strength and so does welding. Most of my frame is bolted and the tube is 6063, I can't get 6082 in 1.6mm wall but can get 6063 in 1.6mm wall. I can get 6061 but only from an aircraft material supply company which is expensive. For a homebuilt helicopter such as mine it's fine to have a welded frame made from 6063, it's a much lighter way to join material compared to bolting. If you were making a certified aircraft that would fly at Altitude then welded chromoly steel would be the best choice. That's how the big manufactures do it. I bolted my frame because I was worried about fatigue cracking of the welds in aluminium but I think it would have been ok for my purpose of just hovering around at low altitude. My new flying boat project is all aluminium 6063 welded tubular frame. Tig welding the frame does anneal the area so it's not as strong but it's strong enough if designed well.
Yes Ben, you are right ✅️. Have you seen the backyard flyer; who make his small aircraft all welded, aluminum tubing used 6061 material. Is there any welding process you know; with which we can save the aluminum material properties?
Im getting to this video late. I'd call it the Normous. You're respectfully a crazy bastard to be designing and flying this helicopter. You have to have the testicular fortitude the same as the Isle of Man TT riders. Hat's off to you.
If he maintains the same rotor rpm but increases engine rpm, both power and torque will increase. That is if the engine makes more power at higher rpm.
@@chippyjohn1 Sure, no argument there providing the engine is capable of entering into a higher power band. Appears the power plant is gasping to maintain revs in any case. If the same rotor revs are maintained then no more lift would be available (fixed pitch). If more pitch was applied then more load/drag on the blades which would absorb any incremental increase in power.
Yes, more power is available further up rev range. Engine torque will drop off slightly but that will be more than made up for by the gearing change. The top rotor is at 5.5 degrees pitch and I would expect more lift at greater pitch angles. I haven't tried anymore pitch than that but suspect it's on the limit of performance and the engine is near full throttle but again I've not hit the throttle stop yet with this pitch setting. I'll keep reducing weight for now as a smaller tooth drive pulley will take the belt beyond its design parameters.
I take it the "Dixey GoGo" is a no no then ? :) ... but yes, the Dixey DoDo is the wrong name for this charming machine !! How about the "Dixey Devil" ? ...... or Dixey Deville I also thought of Dixey Dancer but see others have already suggested it ... I like the couple of suggestions of Dixey Pixie ... Perhaps Dixey Sprite / Imp / Goblin (there's a really high performance RC heli called the Goblin from SAB if you like irony) I did think of the Dixey Choppa but mmm, maybe not .... I quite like the Dixey Grasshopper or Cricket .... or maybe Dixey Flea or Gnat ? :) Then of course there's always the Dixey Thraptor !! :D :D :D I saw someone suggested a shroud for the radiator but weight and excess drag from the down wash are a concern ... I wonder if a series of 3 or 4 Venetian blind type shroud/wings might help to redirect the air from the down wash through the radiator with out adding too much weight or drag ? If the fan is pulling the air through the radiator this could be done without increasing the "frontal" area the down wash sees, if you see what I mean. ... I'll do a drawing if not. Although I suspect getting the gear ratio right may help with the cooling issue as the engine could run more freely so to speak.
How about Bendi-Xe. Name Ben, di=2 rotors, X for counter rotating, E = experimental and you could have a Y= for the question you ask when you are high in the air freaking out.
Hi , how about “ The Dixie Duo “ l like it but hey whos the builder eh. Good luck with your flight testing and l’ll be watching to see how it all goes . Martin from 🇬🇧
Flawed design, if the engine fails, there is no collective that can put the rotors into autoration. The life is solely controlled by RPM. When and if that engine fails, the this machine will become junk. It cannot survive a total engine failure. Why would anyone design a helicopter that can't have a collective lever go into autorotation.
Thanks for all the great name suggestions so far. There are a couple I really like and will name it in the next video. Cheers Ben
Dixey 3 hummingbird
I'm surprised noone has come up with Dixey Normous yet.
🤣 took me a minute.
You learned so much up to this to point. Don't give up my man.
The Dixey Death Trap?
Someone has to say it Dixey McDikFace
🤣 love it
Actually, I think the Dixey Dragonfly is a perfect name, since YOUR aircraft has two pairs of wings (rotors) that, at times, mimic the appearance of the 'living' dragonfly quite well.
I'm sure that any other occurrences of the name dragonfly were because their designers didn't give it as much thought as you have.
Admirable tenacity btw.
Regards Mark in the UK
Thanks Mark. Yeah I do agree the Dragonfly would have been perfect.
A helicopter is a mechanical engineer's dream and an aeronautical engineer's nightmare.
I really like the idea of offsetting the hinge from the mast, sounds like a very elegant solution!
Dixie Gizmo PowerDGP or just Dixie Gizmo
Cool video just discovered. Cool machine. Interesting the offset hinge. Indeed i seen plans of the early gyrocopter with no offset gimbal. All newer ones use the offset approach. Its fascinating to learn the development path of why things are arranged the way they are. Like the underslung approach. Of the teeterbolt raised up above the plain of the blades. Anyway cool helicopter. Hopefully you found a good name.
For a machine designed for short flights I would think Dixie PoGo seems a fitting name.
Excellent video as usual and I love all the humour injected in as well!
Dixie Blender.
😆
could you put a shroud around the radiator facing upwards to catch air off the rotors for cooling? (I'm a layman, go easy on me)
I could, might help, there are a few things to consider. The weight of the duct, how much negative lift would be created from rotors blowing on the cowling and the CG effects. A cowling hasn't been suggested before and I like that idea more than moving the rad into the downwash.
Dixey Locust, Locusts also have 2 sets of wings, and so far it has only leaped in the air, but not because of the inability to fly. :D
How about the "Dixey Dancer"? It reminds me of the Belgian polar explorer Dixie Dansercoer.
Yeah that name occurred to me too but not for the reason you gave :)
How about the Dixey Sky Dancer ?
How about dixey dolittle?
Love the tail rotor setup. Is it quite effective when in a strong headwind ? TIA
I don't have enough experience to answer that I'm afraid. I can barely control it in no wind. I expect it is satisfactory though, the sch2a seems to work and they are available to purchase.
What about the "Dixey Falcon"
I kinda like the Dixey Duck or Dixey Goose :)
How's about The Whistlin' Dixey?
Clever 👍😉 did you see him with the mini 500?
@@Ben-Dixey I haven't seen that, do you have a link?
th-cam.com/video/nwxKFzvcpDM/w-d-xo.html
@@Ben-Dixey Thanks! You also reminded me I wasn't even subbed to him anymore! My last account was hacked and deleted so I've been struggling to remember all the channels I was subbed to.
@@Ben-Dixey Indoors!!! 😬 Wow!!! That poor copter!!! 😳🥺😢😢😢
Beautiful work on your starter pinion. First try even!
Thank you 👍
The Dixie Widow Maker
😆
the Dixey Pixie
Hi Ben, the "Dixie Demon 720."......don't have comical names there is a reason for the 720 .. Peter
Dodo in GTA 3 wasn't supposed to fly, but it did, in skilled hands. So it's not a bad name imo.
I guess balance is far more important with a small helicopter than say a Chinook, which is very heavy and can have a dozen or more soldiers jumping in and out.
Speaking of which, when I was in the RAN we worked with the Yanks a lot. I've seen brilliant flying from Chinook pilots, flying sideways at 30 plus knots in fairly rough sea states, while loading and unloading slings of cargo, without hitting any parts of our ship. VERY impressive piloting.
Chinooks are awesome machines, the design that has gone into those tandem rotors is incredible. I think they are the most efficient in terms of lift.
As for balance the lighter and smaller blades the easier it is to Balance I would suggest. The big helicopters are virtually impossible to balance, they need electronically and hydraulically controlled anti vibration systems just to function. I was talking to someone who works for leonardo helicopters and he said they cannot balance the rotors well enough and need the anti vibration system to keep levels low.
Helicopters are the most fascinating machines, so much going on that is taking engineering to the limits.
Epic sense of humour
how about calling your machine "dixey dear" I think she is indeed dear to you.
Dixey Ranger. Dixey Flyer. Flying Dixey. And, of course, Dixey McDixeyface.
How about "The Dual Rotor Dixey" or "The Dixey Dual Rotor"?
Helicopter ~ A million parts flying in loose formation.
Im confused by your explaination of rotor flap back. I fly gyros which also use teetering rotors.
Now your explaination doesnt make sense to me but this could be my understanding is mistaken.
When your advancing blade teeters it washes off angle of attack as it teeters up the rereating blade as it teeters down. Lift is thus equal. From my understanding the angle of the rotor is irrelevant as lift is evenly distributed. Of coutse i dont fly a spindle head its offset.
Amy input you put into the disk will also cause a change in angle of both blades and thus one to teeter as it flies to a new plane of rotation i have never noticed any 90 degree precession as any precession is happening 90 degrees and thus any difference in lift will be compensated fir via the teeter. I dont think the angle of the blade relative to thr disk is relevant its the amount of lift being the same on both.
Cierva mentioned when he developed the teeter hinge they removed both the dyssymetry of lift issue and the gyroscopic precession issue.
I must be missing something or is this one of those things like downwind turns that pilots debate about?
I have wondered the same about the teeter hinge and it's ability to flap to equality compensating for flap back.
I haven't found a definitive answer to this. I can only speculate that the flapping via the teeter hinge can't react fast enough to counter flap back.
I will do some more research but rotor flap back is well documented on teetering heads in helicopters at least.
The offset mast hinge on a gyro compensates for flap back I believe.
@@Ben-Dixey yes i appreciate that. It may be something to do with your greater spinng mass mast engine etc. That would still have gyroscopic forces acting on quite a bit of mass.
All i can say is having flown gyros over 16 years i can fly into massive thermals and never get any significant pitching and no precessive effects from cyclic inputs.
In fact i started in ultralights and after a few years of gyros a bloke took me up in the Thruster i learned in. We took off and offered for me to take over. We got hit by a thetmal under the ledt wing and it banked. He saud are you going to level off oh yes and i did then we hit one on the right and tilted right. Are you going to level off. I thought why am i not keeping it level and i realised the gyro teeter compensates for any change in lift via the teeter hinge so you just leave the stick alone and it compensates dor itself. Obviously this means the blades divert from the imaginary or average disk but id feel a gyroscopic force if it happened it may do but as the head is aligned with the teeter 90 degrees offset then i dont see how or why it shpuld make a difference for you and not a gyro.
If i hit a really big thermal my nose will gently drop about 1 inch and rise an inch again after i fly out but i had put that down to the vectot of lift relative to balance and the downthrust of the emgine. I think this because the bkades on a gyro are tilted 9 degrees back at best LD thus additional lift will change the balance of lift until the blades slow again. This seemed likely as it gradually comes in rather than instantly as it does in a fixed wing. If it was a precession effect youd think it would kick in 1/4 a revoltion latter.
Anyway thanks again.
Are you sure that motor is not the one to change ? 😊
Mixey Dixey, because its like a kitchen mixer.
@ 6:22 is it your intention to weld the lower cross memers to the side rails? Or is hardware sufficient? Oh BTW yer a smart cookie 🍪🚁 EDIT: would it be wise to consider extending the pullrope to the cockpit so that you could pull it in flight if ever necessary or just for the convenience of pulling from the seat 😉
Hi and thanks, the cross members are bolted as is the rest of the airframe. Most airframes are mechanically fixed together usually via bolts or rivets. Vibration from rotorcraft will eventually cause welds to crack so this technique isn't used for commercial aircraft. For a home built welding is probably ok as these things typically get used very little (as was the outcome with mine)!
The suggestion of starting the engine while sat in the pilot seat I doubt would be possible via a rope. You need your full body to pull hard enough to start the engine. Something to be aware of is if a helicopter has an engine failure, engine restarts are never attempted as far as I know, unlike fixed wing aircraft. There is far too much for a helicopter pilot to do during an engine failure for it to be possible for an engine restart attempt.
On the subject of welded frames. There is an Italian helicopter that has an all welded frame. The frame is filled with compressed gas and has a gauge. If the pressure drops, you know it's time to land immediately.😁😁 @@Ben-Dixey
"The"
Dixey Bird
Dixey Dozen
Dixey Defiant
Dixey Dusk
Dixey Dusky
Dixey Dash
Dixey Darter
Dixey Demon
Dixey Dove
Dixey Dawn
Dixey Darling
Dixey DooBerry
The Dixey with cheese
😂Thanks for all these, great effort 😂
Look up the meaning of "Not whistling Dixie", a phrase used here in the US.
I do enjoy watching your videos. 👍
The Dixie Sky Dancer
Ben, for structure you used 6061 t6? If so how to bend hardened pipe?
You use tig welding in structure chassis; the hardness of the pipe get affected?
6061 bends without annealing most of the time but where you need a tighter bend it needs to be annealed. That reduces the strength and so does welding. Most of my frame is bolted and the tube is 6063, I can't get 6082 in 1.6mm wall but can get 6063 in 1.6mm wall. I can get 6061 but only from an aircraft material supply company which is expensive.
For a homebuilt helicopter such as mine it's fine to have a welded frame made from 6063, it's a much lighter way to join material compared to bolting. If you were making a certified aircraft that would fly at Altitude then welded chromoly steel would be the best choice. That's how the big manufactures do it.
I bolted my frame because I was worried about fatigue cracking of the welds in aluminium but I think it would have been ok for my purpose of just hovering around at low altitude.
My new flying boat project is all aluminium 6063 welded tubular frame.
Tig welding the frame does anneal the area so it's not as strong but it's strong enough if designed well.
Yes Ben, you are right ✅️.
Have you seen the backyard flyer; who make his small aircraft all welded, aluminum tubing used 6061 material.
Is there any welding process you know; with which we can save the aluminum material properties?
My project is also for just hovering at low height just like you. So I think I will use tig welding instead of bolting.
The Dixeyflyer. The HeliDixey.
Dixie darning needle or Dixie needle for short :-) (darning needle is a another name for a dragonfly)
Im getting to this video late. I'd call it the Normous. You're respectfully a crazy bastard to be designing and flying this helicopter. You have to have the testicular fortitude the same as the Isle of Man TT riders. Hat's off to you.
😉 thanks. It was an exciting machine but now it's broken and might not be fixed. I haven't decided whether I should fix it or not.
@btd1982 oh no. I'm still trying to catch up on all your videos.
Changing the rotor drive gear to a smaller diameter will not increase HP, however it will increase torque.
If he maintains the same rotor rpm but increases engine rpm, both power and torque will increase. That is if the engine makes more power at higher rpm.
@@chippyjohn1 Sure, no argument there providing the engine is capable of entering into a higher power band. Appears the power plant is gasping to maintain revs in any case. If the same rotor revs are maintained then no more lift would be available (fixed pitch). If more pitch was applied then more load/drag on the blades which would absorb any incremental increase in power.
Yes, more power is available further up rev range. Engine torque will drop off slightly but that will be more than made up for by the gearing change. The top rotor is at 5.5 degrees pitch and I would expect more lift at greater pitch angles. I haven't tried anymore pitch than that but suspect it's on the limit of performance and the engine is near full throttle but again I've not hit the throttle stop yet with this pitch setting. I'll keep reducing weight for now as a smaller tooth drive pulley will take the belt beyond its design parameters.
Great video. I've never seen swarf cooked in such a manner😀. I'll throw my hat in:- Whirling Dixey.
Thank you 😊😊
Dixey Pixie
Double oh Dixy as in OODixey a play on 007 he would have liked this heli 4 sure
NAME IT THE DIXEY 3 HUMMINGBIRD
Dixie Chopper!
the Double Dixey
So Floaty McFloatface isn't a goer then?
😆👌
I take it the "Dixey GoGo" is a no no then ? :) ... but yes, the Dixey DoDo is the wrong name for this charming machine !!
How about the "Dixey Devil" ? ...... or Dixey Deville
I also thought of Dixey Dancer but see others have already suggested it ... I like the couple of suggestions of Dixey Pixie ...
Perhaps Dixey Sprite / Imp / Goblin (there's a really high performance RC heli called the Goblin from SAB if you like irony)
I did think of the Dixey Choppa but mmm, maybe not ....
I quite like the Dixey Grasshopper or Cricket .... or maybe Dixey Flea or Gnat ? :)
Then of course there's always the Dixey Thraptor !! :D :D :D
I saw someone suggested a shroud for the radiator but weight and excess drag from the down wash are a concern ...
I wonder if a series of 3 or 4 Venetian blind type shroud/wings might help to redirect the air from the down wash through the radiator with out adding too much weight or drag ? If the fan is pulling the air through the radiator this could be done without increasing the "frontal" area the down wash sees, if you see what I mean. ... I'll do a drawing if not.
Although I suspect getting the gear ratio right may help with the cooling issue as the engine could run more freely so to speak.
How about Bendi-Xe. Name Ben, di=2 rotors, X for counter rotating, E = experimental and you could have a Y= for the question you ask when you are high in the air freaking out.
Dixey Dreamer.
Clever name. My nickname is actually Bendi.
Hi , how about “ The Dixie Duo “ l like it but hey whos the builder eh.
Good luck with your flight testing and l’ll be watching to see how it all goes .
Martin from 🇬🇧
Thank you. Recently had a bit of a mishap. Homebuilt Helicopter DISASTER, Is this the END?
th-cam.com/video/qyBcznOJ7_4/w-d-xo.html
Dixey Chopper
Whistling Dixie!
The Tricksy Dixey
Whistlin' Dixie
The Dixie Dodger
How about The DixeyDuo, DixeyRoto, DixeySprite, DixeySparrow or DixeyDamsel
Dixy Dreamer. Or The Dixy Flyer
The Leonardo da Dixey
The Lixey
La Lixey
Da Dixey
Dixey Duelly
Dixie Hornet
Nice
Dixey flier
Dixey Doobry!
Dixie Dasher
dixie hummer
Flawed design, if the engine fails, there is no collective that can put the rotors into autoration. The life is solely controlled by RPM. When and if that engine fails, the this machine will become junk. It cannot survive a total engine failure. Why would anyone design a helicopter that can't have a collective lever go into autorotation.
Well, the idea was to never go above a few feet. Limited benefit to Collective in that situation. But now I would still prefer collective.
Whistlin' Dixie