When discovering the theme of this contest, one and only one model came to my mind.

This is my holy grail, the project i try 10 times to work on and let down due to its complexity.

It is the mother of all helicopters.

It is the most complex linkage system I ever see and attempt to build.

I feel it's this time or never.

Here we go:

Take 01 : basic preliminary rush and frame:

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 20196 yr by steph77

Oh yes, this will be epic . Good luck!

I can’t see the photo :(

 

 

Just now, Seasider said:

I can’t see the photo :(

I do ?

Link re-edited:

Edited December 3, 20186 yr by steph77

good luck 

Strange it’s not displaying on my iPhone, but my work pc shows it.

so a Chinook I’m guessing

looking forward to seeing this, good luck

Edited December 3, 20186 yr by Seasider

30 minutes ago, Seasider said:

Strange it’s not displaying on my iPhone, but my work pc shows it.

so a Chinook I’m guessing

looking forward to seeing this, good luck

that is why I use android based phone...iPhone has it's own issues, but @steph77 perhaps you can use a link to whole gallery in first post...i see image, but can not guess (with 100% certainty) which model it will be.

10 minutes ago, I_Igor said:

..i see image, but can not guess (with 100% certainty) which model it will be.

It Will be a chinook...

Edited December 3, 20186 yr by steph77

18 minutes ago, steph77 said:

It Will be a chinook...

It looks like that things go around the same Legend 

I'm already excited for this one. You've put out some amazing helicopters but this one just might take the cake!

Going to follow this project, I look forward to see it grow. Good luck!
BTW, are you going to do some ground resonance tests after building it? :D (If yes, I wish you much better results :D)

 

Edited December 3, 20186 yr by HorcikDesigns
mispost

I usually do this kind of test.

Obviously, on a lego model, i never come to this extreme results.

On a lego model the problem is not to look what happend when vibration happened, but the goal is to reduce the existing vibration at max.

I do work on this aspect on my AW169 and get good results. At this stage, no idea on how a tandem rotor could behave.

History will tell.

I contemplated on doing a Chinook as well, but I decided that I'd probably loose interest in the model once I had the controls figured out, so I ditched it. But I am very excited to see you try it. With your AW169 under your belt you should be in a good shape to make this work.

I read previously on EB that creating an early topic wasn't for reserving an idea. Be sure I don't.

I spend the two past days to think at my project and, today, is time for defining the overall technical aspects of my model.

This is the expected functions I planed to realize:

- Complete flying command retranscription

- additional features like motorized opening of the ramp, winch (main on the underside and secondary lateral),

- I think also at a retractable landing gears, even if real model does not have it

- And that's it.

Take 02: prototyping of the flying commands

Building a Chinook is easy. Building the flight commands of a standards helicopter is quiet another cup of tea. Building Chinook commands is really harder.

It is harder due to fact that, even if basic principles of flight are the same, the Chinook is a tandem helicopter.

The pilot has exactly the same commands in the cockpit, and he had to act on the command exactly the same way than on a classic helicopter.

From a technical point of view, behind the pilot's joystick, all action on the rotor are radically different. The following explanation is based on the pilot action POV.

• The pilots pull the main collective command (left hand): on a basic helicopter, this does lower the whole swashplate and increase the angle of the blades. On a Chinook it does exactly the same, but on the two rotors. The aircraft lift up.
• The pilot pulls the main cyclic joystick upwards or backwards: on a basic helicopter, the swashplate incline to the front or to the back. The angle of the main blades increase in the opposite direction of the wish translation movement and the aircraft goes to the front or to the back. On a Chinook it is different. When pilot push the joystick to the front, the COLLECTIVE increase to the rear main rotor when simultaneously it decrease on the front one. Therefore, the aircraft incline itself supported by rear rotor that as more lifting power on the rear.
• The pilot push the joystick laterally from to the left or right: on a standard helicopter, swashplate tilt to left or right, blades angle variate cyclically and aircraft follow the direction. On a Chinook it work the same way. Both swashplates tilt from left or right together increasing the lifting force correspondingly. It's a CYCLIC movement.
• The pilot push feet pedals left or right. On a classic copter, it is the rear small anti-torque rotor who is activated. In one direction it gives less resistance on the natural torque action of the main rotor and so, the aircraft turn on the vertical axis of the main rotor in one or the other direction. On a Chinook, as the two contro-rotative rotors annulated the torque effect, it is needed to create a torque effect. When a pilot push the feet pedals of a Chinook, both swashplate tilt in opposite direction from left to right. In this case, the front right area of front and left area of rear rotor increase their lifting power and the Chinook rotate on a vertical axis situated between the two rotors.

So to summarize all this,

Main joystic: Font and back movement : collective components - left and right: cyclic components

Collective lever : only collective components

pedals : only cyclic components

There is therefore a mixing unit in the kinematic chain located between pilot's commands and the swashplate.

 

On my lego model, intend to apply the same controls than on my AW169. Logically for the user, commands are to be at same position and oriented the same way. This will able the comparison between the two aircrafts. I figure out on how realizing this. I spend ours to fix the different element's positions. In my idea the entry of joystick command will be done by the underside of the mixer as the output will be located on the upper side in right alignment position in order to be able to link them to the front and rear swashplates.

Here is the second prototype of mixing system.

I put colors to explain, and this mixer has to be compacted. Action on this levers has for result that the 4 3X3 90° liftarm in yellow will move. I name them OUTPUT. These liftarms will be connected to both front and rear swashplates respectively.

Connected to left side joystick of the Lego model:

In RED you have pedals control (on my model placed on the right side together with main collective command) . The output move in order to basculate the two swashplates in opposite direction

In GREEN, you have the main collective shaft. when you act on this lever the outputs are moving the same way together.

Connected to right side joystick of the Lego model:

In BLUE, you have the shaft of the front/back movement of the cyclic joystick. Output are movinc collectively in opposite direction

In ORANGE: you have the shaft of the cyclic left/right movement. The output moves in order to basculate swashplates in left or right direction on a cyclic movement and together the same way.

 

I hope this is clear.

I read that this contest was all about design, not that much functionalities, at least according to some of us here. I won't follow that way ;)

This said, I am quiet afraid by the timing. quiet short for me ;)

. 

 

Edited December 5, 20186 yr by steph77

All these helicopter controls are beyond me... and you go one step further with this build. Already amazed by what you have built... keep it up, you'll make it in time

Lucky for you the Chinook is a big bird, so there is ample space to put these mechanisms in.

I hadn't realized the operation is so different from ordinary choppers, but it makes sense once you start thinking about it.

Happy building

I remember many months ago you explained to me how all this worked. If anyone can pull off such an amazingly ambitious project in so little time, it's you.

19 hours ago, steph77 said:

I won't follow that way ;)

That's good. This is already on of my favorites.

Great choice for a model - I was thinking about it as well. You sure got my attention! This is my favourite helicopter. NOT sure if I'll manage to make anything though...

Best regards and good luck!

Hi all,

Some news about the project. I do pass a command near TLG for some panel stock.

Could someone please help me finding a pair of 90' swashplate element? or tell me where I could by two of them? thx.

3 hours ago, steph77 said:

Hi all,

Some news about the project. I do pass a command near TLG for some panel stock.

Could someone please help me finding a pair of 90' swashplate element? or tell me where I could by two of them? thx.

2908? The only one I understand as a swashplate

Take 03 - compacting time

As I am waiting to receive the parts I command on the net, I used this few days to compact the swashplate selector.

Actually I must admit it works. But not that well. In fact I do have lack problems and I need to built things more sturdy.

The fact of mixing movement involve a succession of two step mixing unit. Actually the whole mixer do the job but does not transfer any movement to the swashplate due to lack.

But ok. I usually need 6 to 9 month to develop a copter project. still the beginning here.

 

waiting for parts now.

BTW, the TLG shop is over until 02/2019. it will be difficult to finish it!

 

 

Edited December 15, 20186 yr by steph77

Noticed the TLG shop was closed yesterday too. Hopefully it doesn’t set me too far behind too. The updates are looking good.

The only way to solve your problems is BrickLink, but you know the best what us possible. I must admit that you use car mudguards in very creative way 

Hi guys,

I got one sad news for you.

I had to give up this project. After working hours on it, I just realized I would not be able to finish it in time. More, even after completing the whole rotor system, it doesn't work that well and I found there was no real interest in it. I am bored by this one. It finally will be , and continue to be, the impossible thing to build.

I was in that state of mind, and it's a good news for you  , when in thought I had these words ruling my mind:

Take 04

In the 22th century, as winter has finally come and the world is living in a post apocalyptical period , bandits of all kind are ruling the world. It was the time to put some order in that world. It was build at hunter's image. It was quick, silent and frightening machine. As people pass time trying to save what it could be, this thing wasn't designed to save anything nor anyone. It's name is AH-77S and it is the white hunter

teaser:

Steph.

 

 

Edited December 28, 20186 yr by steph77