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Safe Helicopters
1. Introduction
One of the main differences between a helicopter and a plane is the
landing. We all know that if the propeller stops spinning the helicopter
will fall to the ground like a rock. There is no way of landing a
helicopter safely in the event of a mechanical fault with the helicopter
propeller or motor. This is why some helicopters have two propellers
instead of one. However, what are other ways to make a helicopter
safer?
2. Drone Helicopter
A typical drone usually has four propellers. A good drone might
continue to fly if only three or four propellers are working. There are
drones with 100 propellers. However, what if the fault is such that one
of the motors is draining power from the battery due to fault. How will
you fix this problem?
An alternative solution is to create a normal helicopter and attach
drone motors on the side that will turn ON only if there is a mechanical
fault with the propeller.
3. Inflatable
A number of NASA Mars landers used an inflatable to land safely on
the surface of the red planet [1, 2]. An inflatable can inflate in an event
of mechanical fault thus cushioning the impact of a fallen helicopter.
However, the Mars lander landed safely because Mars is a smaller
planet than earth. Thus there is less gravitational force.
The inflatable is also useful if the helicopter falls on water (eg. ocean,
sea, lake or river).
4. Parachute
Mars and Venus landers used parachutes to land [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
because those planets have an atmosphere. This was not possible for
moon rover landings. A helicopter can land safely with the use of a
parachute that can be ejected from the centre of the propeller or from
the tail of the helicopter.
5. Seat Ejection
The helicopter pilot and passengers can eject from a falling helicopter
and land safely on the ground with the use of the parachute. Such
systems are used in fighter planes.
6. Rocket Boosters
Rocket boosters can allow the helicopter to stay in the air in an event
of mechanical fault and even land safely. Modern Mars rovers use
rocket boosters to land safely on the red planet [6].
7. Conclusion
Engineers can combine a few of those methods together to make the
helicopter more safe. However, there are obstacles in implementing
those ideas. The safety mechanisms might:
● increase the cost of manufacturing and maintenance,
● Increase design and development time,
● increase the chance of failure.
Also, it is not often that a helicopter falls from the sky.
8. References
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunity_(rover)
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_(rover)
3. https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venera_6