mach0017
Why aren’t aircraft that don’t use airfoils not included in the “rotorcraft” category? They are actually a simplified form of helicopter. (I expect a lot of discussion on that.)
Why aren’t aircraft that don’t use airfoils not included in the “rotorcraft” category? They are actually a simplified form of helicopter. (I expect a lot of discussion on that.)
Mac, I suspect that the non-airfoil machines are indeed rotorcraft. An electric helicopter is still a helicopter. The difference is that some of the machines, like the Joby shown, have wings. Once they have transitioned to cruise flight they fly like an airplane. In the event of power failure and other emergency events they can glide to a conventional forced landing, or presumably limp to a runway touchdown on partial power. Thus the operating rules will end up as a hybrid between rotorcraft rules and airplane rules - and have yet to be written.
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These yet to be written rules are almost certain to set some safety-related hurdles that up to this point have been given little thought by innovators more concerned with creating something that will actually fly a useful load for a useful distance. The saga continues.
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