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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 10:47 pm
by Brian
Yes they are parked at brown.

Don't forget the RedBull Helicopter pilot(chuck aaron) is from california :-)

check the fencecheck.com link there is photos of them at brown field.

This person has some nice shots from the race (Got the card with the URL on Friday from him)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevlar/

I didn't try the close call on friday... was too busy watching the helicopters the blue & Red one ;)

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 2:55 pm
by mike

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 9:47 pm
by N6ATF
I always thought helicopters were supposed to be no more than 45 degrees tilted in any direction, lest they lose control and crash. Those videos prove that wrong.

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 12:47 am
by Brian
Here some Comments the Red Bull pilot(Chuck Aaron) & others posted on some YouTube pages.

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The EC-135 (formerly the BO-105) can fly upside down.

99% of all helicopters have main rotor blades that are "hinged" at the main rotor hub. This allows the main rotors to "flap" while in flight and the result is a much smoother ride. However, hinged rotors do not allow the helicopter to fly upside down.
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By contrast, the BO-105 is one of the very few helicopters that has "hingeless" or rigid-mounted rotors. These hingeless rotors allow the BO-105 to do amazing aerobatics. However, the ride is not near as vibration free as a helicopter with hinged rotors.
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I am NOT trying to bust your bubble...but this particlar BO-105 is NOT factory orginal. It has been highly modified for the aerobatic routine it is doing. The EC-135 does not have the same rotor system and you will "die" if you try this in the EC-135...trust me I am the Pilot. Don't even think about doing this in a STOCK BO-105...
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Go to the Eurocopter website and compare the EC-135 (formerly the BO-105) with the Dauphin AS 365N3. The EC-135 page has a nice close-up photo of the hingless (or bearingless as they call it) rotor head.

The AS365N3 page has a nice picture of the Starflex hinged rotor head - which is typical for all Eurocopters (except the EC-135/BO-105), Sikorsky, Bell, etc.
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The mods are "confidential" so don't ask.
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It's all in the the rotor head - where the blades are mounted. The BO-105 has a rigid head rotor system which gives it incredible strength. In this setup the blades cannot flap up and down but the forces are absorbed by blade bending which are very strong. If the blades were allowed to flap up and down, like in a heli with a fully articulated rotor head, the droop stops would break and the blades would strike the fuselage.
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http://aviationnation.org/06/civilian/r ... opper.html

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 1:08 am
by N6ATF
Heh.