Small turbines 100hp 130hp

[skippydiesel]

 I'm NOT a fan of vertical thrust. Its a "contraption" that cannot be efficient and will fall from the sky  out of control, once power is not available.  It gets NO lift from moving. It's a distraction in the big scheme of things. Fun to play with and all that but ..  Bit like hovercraft (aircushion) but more dangerous.. Nev

I hear you however the dream of being able to lift off/ cruise/ land like a bird will always attract aviators. For some this means "egg beaters" but for the fixed wing fraternity to have all the elegance & subtlety of a flying brick, is not attractive..

 

 

[facthunter]

I haven't seen too many birds with rotating wings and most don't take off and land vertically. They have exceptionally efficient wings  with slots and flaps and manoueuver beautifully with just two wings and a tail some can fly 1/3rd of the way around the world without landing or refueling, they are so efficient..

 

    These "trick" drone style vehicles will have a problem when a few go in, and people die and damage is done to someone else . As fixed wings DON'T fall out of the sky when the power fails (like they do in movies , quite incorrectly)  and can still be flown and controlled well, I find it a quantum leap to be likely to fall down dead when it does, as being acceptable in principle. Without enough power and it being precisely vectored, these things are only a piece of junk tumbling in the sky. . Keep your wings FIXED if you can, Rotating if you can't but at least have some wings to aid you when the power is not there.  Redundancy is an inherent part of good aviation design.. Even if you jump clear with a chute you are still leaving  something to just fall down uncontrolled on some part of the world, when you've finished with it . Nev

 

 

[Methusala]

My opinion exactly. Helicopters make good tractors, don't glide well and have too many moving parts causing unwanted complexity as well as vibration.

 

 

[skippydiesel]

Most birds do not take off/land vertically but most (not all) can & do take of/land to a "spot" irrespective of "airborne capability" - almost no run/role. Scrub birds usually with short rounded wings can "explode" upwards. Heavy bodied water birds may need quite a long take of run. etc etc. Few require the sort of take of/landing (50 ft obstetrical clearance) space  of conventional aircraft.  As Facthunter pointed out, birds have , in effect, variable geometry wings  that facilitate the transition from ground to air movement.