Shorts Helivan

[Weaver]

Okay, just a taster before the lost weekend: my entry will be an Airfix Shorts Skyvan converted into a helicopter using two UH-1 rotor blades in a Kaman "eggbeater" layout and pen-top engines.

One exceedingly rough mockup:



Notes:

1. The engine pods will be shortened to about half that length.

2. The rotor system may look tall but it has the advantage of clearing a man on the ground to either side, something eggbeaters are notoriously dangerous for.

3. The advantage of splitting the rotor shafts like that is that it reduces the angle they have to be canted outboard at in order for the blades to miss the hubs. That has a knock-on effect on minimum blade-to-ground clearance (see point 2).

4. It MAY be possible to fit the tails in the original position rather than inverting them, due to the height and diameter of the rotors.

5. The Skyvan kit is warped in all kinds of ways: one example where I actually APPROVE of the later, bigger boxing.

6. Yes I WILL remember to invert one ofthe blades so they're going in opposite directions....

[Rheged]

 I was once told by a pilot of many years experience that a Skyvan wasn't actually an aircraft, it was the box that the  Jetstream came in.  However, I seem to remember reading about Nepal using a Skyvan for their Royal Flight.Can anyone confirm this?

[Hobbes]

Let's see what Google turns up.

http://www.nepalitimes.com.np/issue/2005/05/27/FromtheNepaliPress/351
it says that the Royal Nepal Airlines corp. has two Boeing 757s which are used to transport the Royal Family among their other duties.

There's also a Royal Flight which has a Skyvan, a HS.748 (in 1986 at least) and some helicopters.
http://aircraft-production-lists.weebly.com/uploads/4/0/6/4/4064724/shorts_050111.csv

[Weaver]

I suppose I should have a separate thread for the jokes, huh?

Off at a tangent, I really think I should do my other Skyvan as a tour plane (yes, tour bus might be more appropriate... ) for this lot:

http://www.budgie.uk.com/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budgie_(band)

There is/was even a spin-off group (don't quite understand what went on) called "6-Ton Budgie", which was one of the band's original names before they shortened it.

Given the band's origin, their limited success, their quirky humour and the Skyvan's short range and small size, "WORLD TOUR OF WALES" might be an appropriate slogan....

[GTX]

Looks promising!

Regards,

Greg

[Captain Canada]

3. The advantage of splitting the rotor shafts like that is that it reduces the angle they have to be canted outboard at in order for the blades to miss the hubs. That has a knock-on effect on minimum blade-to-ground clearance (see point 3).

That is point 3 !


Very cool idea

[jcf]

Harold, are you going to put fairings over the rotor masts ala the H-43 or struts like the HTK-1?



The H-43 based K1125 was almost a Heli-van. 

[Weaver]

3. The advantage of splitting the rotor shafts like that is that it reduces the angle they have to be canted outboard at in order for the blades to miss the hubs. That has a knock-on effect on minimum blade-to-ground clearance (see point 3).

That is point 3 !


Very cool idea

Whoops, good spot! Should have been point 2 of course...

(very tired when I typed that!)

[Weaver]

Harold, are you going to put fairings over the rotor masts ala the H-43 or struts like the HTK-1?

That's the leading question. The default is to put slim fairings over them using brass "streamline" tube which has a thick aerofoil section. It's only just bigger than the shafts though, so I'm going to either find something to butcher or have a go at making more substantial ones from scratch.

[Taiidantomcat]

Creative 

[Weaver]

Good news and bad news:

Good news is I've got a new job, Bad news is I'm going to be WAY busy for an indeterminate time. Might have to give the GB a miss, or might have to go with something less ambitious - we shall see.

[NARSES2]

Congratulations on the job Harold 

[GTX]

Congratulations on the job Harold 

Ditto!

[Weaver]

FINALLY managed to make a start on this!

No work on rotors or engines yet: need a solid structure to build them onto first. I've put a sheet of thin plastic diamond-tread pattern over the cargo-bay floor to cover the airliner seat holes opened up by the previous owner, and I've given it a proper tail ramp. Although the Skyvan looks like it should have a ramp, in fact most of that panel opens upwards and inwards, with just a small "fishtail" piece at the bottom. I've swapped that round and made new pivot points at the bottom so it can act as a proper ramp. However, the panel is curved, so I've had to build up the inside face of it and add another piece of diamond plate.

I'm also working on a payload for it. It'll take a Landrover, but that's too recognisable (this is Patchwork World, remember), but looking at my collection of landy bits, I had a brainwave. I'm now sticking two of the GS trailers together to make a Mule-like light vehicle. One of them is pretty much standard with a covered cargo bay but the other is the one that I nicked the tarp and body off to make a roof-rack for my Trackrover, so that will be getting an engine box and a very exposed seat.

[upnorth]

Looks like a love child of a Kaman Husky and a Kamov Helix.

Very interesting....