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The Art of the Helicopter John Watkinson - Karatunov.net

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238 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Helicopter</strong><br />

quite different and <strong>the</strong> nose will quickly establish that <strong>the</strong> correct fuel has been loaded.<br />

Gasoline engines will not run on AVTUR, whereas turbine engines will burn almost<br />

anything. For low temperature operation turbines may be run on a mixture <strong>of</strong> one part<br />

lead-free AVGAS and two parts AVTUR.<br />

In addition to AVTUR and AVGAS <strong>the</strong>re are MOGAS and ordinary car fuel. Car fuel<br />

is made to fairly slack specifications and no warranty <strong>of</strong> freedom from contamination<br />

is given with it. <strong>The</strong> composition <strong>of</strong> car fuel may vary with <strong>the</strong> season. In winter it<br />

may have higher volatility than AVGAS and can cause vapour locks in <strong>the</strong> fuel pipes. It<br />

should never be used for any aviation purpose. MOGAS is made to tighter specifications<br />

than car fuel and may be suitable for some aircraft piston engines but should not be<br />

used without a specific check.<br />

When refuelling from drums, it must be borne in mind that <strong>the</strong> drums could have<br />

been in storage for some time. <strong>The</strong>re will be an expiry date on <strong>the</strong> label. <strong>The</strong>re could<br />

be rust or o<strong>the</strong>r dirt in <strong>the</strong> fuel along with water. If this is suspected, fuel should be<br />

taken on through a filter to remove debris, and through a chamois or felt pad to soak<br />

up water. After fuelling, <strong>the</strong> tank and filter drains must be checked for water before<br />

flying. In <strong>the</strong> event <strong>of</strong> heavy water contamination, <strong>the</strong> tanks may have to be drained<br />

and refilled.<br />

If it is proposed to load only sufficient fuel to make a given flight, perhaps in order to<br />

increase payload, an allowance must be made for headwinds along with half an hour<br />

for contingencies. <strong>The</strong> flight time plus allowances must be multiplied by <strong>the</strong> machine’s<br />

hourly consumption figure for <strong>the</strong> planned load. It is important to be quite sure <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> units in use. Unfortunately fuel can be measured in pounds, kilograms, imperial<br />

gallons, US gallons and litres and <strong>the</strong>re have been forced landings where <strong>the</strong> refueller<br />

assumed a different unit from <strong>the</strong> captain. In such chaos, <strong>the</strong> old-fashioned dipstick<br />

makes an excellent safety check. However, tanks are <strong>of</strong>ten an irregular shape and <strong>the</strong><br />

quantity is not always proportional to <strong>the</strong> depth <strong>of</strong> fuel.<br />

6.27 <strong>The</strong> transmission<br />

In <strong>the</strong> pure helicopter, <strong>the</strong> rotor provides all lift and propulsion. <strong>The</strong> rotor is an actuator<br />

converting shaft power into thrust. <strong>The</strong> primary functions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> transmission are to<br />

deliver <strong>the</strong> shaft power and to transmit <strong>the</strong> thrust to <strong>the</strong> hull. Secondary functions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

transmission include driving <strong>the</strong> tail rotor and vital services such as hydraulic pumps<br />

and generators. <strong>The</strong>re must be an autorotation clutch that allows a failed engine to<br />

stop whilst <strong>the</strong> rotors carry on turning. In some machines <strong>the</strong> transmission also drives<br />

cooling fans. <strong>The</strong>re may also be a rotor brake to stop <strong>the</strong> rotor quickly after landing. In<br />

piston-engine machines a clutch will generally be needed to allow engine starting. Free<br />

turbine engines have no need for such clutches, but in twin-engine machines having no<br />

APU, an extra clutch may be fitted to allow one engine to be run without <strong>the</strong> rotors<br />

turning.<br />

Figure 6.31 shows <strong>the</strong> construction <strong>of</strong> an autorotation clutch. <strong>The</strong>re are two coaxial<br />

races that are cylindrical. <strong>The</strong> outside member is typically engine driven whereas <strong>the</strong><br />

inner is attached to <strong>the</strong> transmission. Dog bone-shaped wedges known as sprags are<br />

positioned between <strong>the</strong> inner and outer races. <strong>The</strong> sprags are located with a pressed<br />

steel cage. <strong>The</strong> sprags are slightly asymmetrical. As <strong>the</strong> figure shows, if a sprag turns<br />

one way, its effective thickness increases, whereas if it turns <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r way <strong>the</strong> thickness<br />

reduces. <strong>The</strong> sprags are biased in <strong>the</strong> former direction with light springs. If <strong>the</strong> outer<br />

race turns one way, <strong>the</strong> sprags are twisted against <strong>the</strong> springs and slip so that no drive is<br />

transmitted. If <strong>the</strong> outer race turns <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r way, <strong>the</strong> sprags are twisted in such a way

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