Will the pl... helicopter take off?

[Beev]

Found this pic, hadn't seen it before, did a search, didn't see any threads on it. If it's R! then please lock.

New debate!

Will it take off?

 

[RichardE]

Nope

 

[XZeroII]

short answer, yes with an if...
long answer, no with a but...

 

[gorcorps]

This question is most definitely a R! Not the pic though.

 

[Kirby64]

No, cause if a turntable was actually able to spin the helicopter fast enough to keep up with the blade speed, I'm pretty sure the helicopter would peel apart from sheer wind velocity. Maybe I'm wrong

Also, even if it didn't, it wouldn't take off... cause the copter uses the blade thrust to lift. If the blade thrust is negated, so is the lifting power.

 

[marvdmartian]

I'd have to answer your question with a well thought out.......DEPENDS. (no, not THOSE depends!!)

 

[SlitheryDee]

The force of the turntable would definitely be acting on the blades. Turning with the blades would add to their speed and turning in the opposite direction would reduce their speed relative to the ground and the air that they would be acting upon normally for lift. I'm going to say no.

Edit: That's assuming that the rules are similar to the classic airplane/treadmill scenario, that being that the turntable matches the speed of the blades in the opposite direction.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Centrifugal "force" FTW. The helicopter would be flung off the turntable in a matter of seconds.

 

[randay]

yes, the pl... helicopter takes off.

 

[hiromizu]

the earth would implode yet the choppah will take off.

 

[Howard]

Depends.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Centrifugal "force" FTW. The helicopter would be flung off the turntable in a matter of seconds.

Assume that the mass is centered?

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

The turntable won't be pushing air up unless it has angles... are we assuming it's flat? Either way, the blades of the helicopter should creating more lift and let it take off.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Centrifugal "force" FTW. The helicopter would be flung off the turntable in a matter of seconds.

not if it's center of gravity was on the axis.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Centrifugal "force" FTW. The helicopter would be flung off the turntable in a matter of seconds.

not if it's center of gravity was on the axis.

That would also assume the chopper is exactly symmetrical and it's front half has exactly the same amount of mass as its back half. Helicopters need to be more massive in the front in order to fly.

This scenario would be completely impossible with any "regular" helicopter.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Centrifugal "force" FTW. The helicopter would be flung off the turntable in a matter of seconds.

not if it's center of gravity was on the axis.

That would also assume the chopper is exactly symmetrical and it's front half has exactly the same amount of mass as its back half. Helicopters need to be more massive in the front in order to fly.

This scenario would be completely impossible with any "regular" helicopter.

The *centripital* force would not knock the helicopter away if you had a turntable large enough that you could call the helicopter a "point" (like if you had a helicopter on a turntable with the radius of the Earth).

 

[Leros]

The blades would remain stationary as if they were held in place, thus generating no lift. Unless... the rotating helicopter body produces enough rotational wind that enough lift is being generated by the blades to lift the helicopter.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Originally posted by: Brainonska511

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Centrifugal "force" FTW. The helicopter would be flung off the turntable in a matter of seconds.

not if it's center of gravity was on the axis.

That would also assume the chopper is exactly symmetrical and it's front half has exactly the same amount of mass as its back half. Helicopters need to be more massive in the front in order to fly.

This scenario would be completely impossible with any "regular" helicopter.

The *centripital* force would not knock the helicopter away if you had a turntable large enough that you could call the helicopter a "point" (like if you had a helicopter on a turntable with the radius of the Earth).

It is not centripetal as that would be the actual force pulling an object toward the center of a more massive one (a la why the moon stays in orbit around the earth). I quoted "centrifugal" because it is not an actual force, but rather the noticeable effect of the acceleration of the object moving in a circle being pushed OUTWARD.

As I said before-- if the mass of the object is exactly uniform on both sides of the center "point," the helicopter itself would just spin and would be able to take off. Though practically speaking, a helicopter will not be uniform on both sides of the center point. Thus, due to the unequal distribution, the "centrifugal force" caused by the rotating turntable will push the unequally massive helicopter away from the center of the turntable until it is flung off of it.

 

[randay]

seems like nobody knows the purpose of the tail rotor?

 

[LegendKiller]

Where is Smacked Down? Maybe he'll use his superior physics knowledge to argue some idiotic point, like it'll fly. Somebody PM me when he shows up so I can get a good laugh.

 

[IronWing]

The blades spin counterclockwise relative to the body. The body is fixed relative to the platter. The platter spins clockwise. In the scenario shown in the picture the helicopter should stay put.

 

[IronWing]

Originally posted by: randay
seems like nobody knows the purpose of the tail rotor?

The purpose of tail rotors is to fall off, leading to the crash of the helicopter.

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: ironwing

Originally posted by: randay
seems like nobody knows the purpose of the tail rotor?

The purpose of tail rotors is to fall off, leading to the crash of the helicopter.

Not before flying through the cabin slicing people to bits.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Beev
Found this pic, hadn't seen it before, did a search, didn't see any threads on it. If it's R! then please lock.

New debate!

Will it take off?

new? this is probably just 37 seconds younger than the plane one.

 

[Cold Steel]

It will take off.