- #1
Whitestar
- 90
- 4
I have always been fascinated with helicopters and it was the tv series "Airwolf" that started it off. In the show, it was acknowledged that Airwolf is the only helicopter that can fly at supersonic speeds. Granted, I'm no physicist, but I do know it is impossible for a helicopter to fly at supersonic speeds due to many physical constraints such as the dissymmetry of lift, airflow reversal, retreating blade stall, and air compressibility. For all intents and purposes, Airwolf cannot exist in real life, however, it was established in the show that the only way for it to fly at supersonic speeds was to disengage the rotors and then activate the turbo-thrusters, thereby, it's (somewhat) aerodynamic body would enable it to fly at those high speeds. The odd thing about this is that while the series did feature Airwolf's turbo-thrusters activated, the rotors were never disengaged as mentioned. I'm guessing the reason for this was because the producers did not have the necessary budget, either that or the fact that CGI technology was in its infancy at that time. The reality is, I cannot see how Airwolf could possibly fly at supersonic speeds without having wings.
I have attached a series of photos below that (hopefully) illustrates this concept. Could it be possible for a jet-like helicopter design equipped with wings to disengaged its rotary blades and activate the turbo-thrusters that could enable it to fly at supersonic speeds (at least in theory)? Could these designs make this a plausible jet helicopter?
I have attached a series of photos below that (hopefully) illustrates this concept. Could it be possible for a jet-like helicopter design equipped with wings to disengaged its rotary blades and activate the turbo-thrusters that could enable it to fly at supersonic speeds (at least in theory)? Could these designs make this a plausible jet helicopter?