Just back from a long weekend in the flatlands and have three questions for the locals:

1) Why are there loads of roads directed as “Byway to xxxxxx”?
2) What are all the big choppers heading in a kind of SW direction to Norwich way? Are the like Bristow or similar servicing the windfarms?
3) and what the hell was the VTOLish looking aircraft doing turns above East Harling? Big props, aspect adjustment and eff-all wing? Looked ace.

was 3 this:

The bristows will be heading out to the oil rigs, situated about 120 miles off the norfolk coast, did some work out there on PG09 many years ago.

that’s the cuddly looking lovely. Thanks. Name?

The bulbous side pods looked more pronounced with the colour scheme. Lovely looking in the air. Very graceful.

where do the bristows go out from?

Osprey, US

oh, and one last question on the VTOL: the prop RPM was slow enough to tell that they were contra-rotating. Which in my head makes sense, but I cant visualise whether ALL 2+ prop craft have contra-rotating pairs of props? Im thinking C130s here for example.

I don’t think so, other wise engines (+ gearboxes) would only be able to be fitted on one wing. But I could be wrong.

Fly from norwich airport usually, have on occasion got a connection down from Humberside but that was unusual.

cheers benji – that makes sense. Over home all we get are Merlins and Chinooks – never seen big civil helos before.

rich – just turn the engine and gearbox around. Sorted.

I would expect a small prop relative to the size of the plane would turn faster, and have much less power too hence far less torque exerted on the wings. That thing must have huge torque, which would need some beefy reinforcing I suppose. So they probably contra rotate to allow the thing to be built symmetrically.

Having said that, if they didn’t contra rotate the moment of the one prop would not be cancelled out by the other so it might tend to spin the craft too. I can’t picture it in my head properly.

doesn’t look like a contra from that pic. and the “air superiority grey” paint scheme suggest it might be military. US Marine Corps?

Action and reaction: if you drive the rotor clockwise the aircraft starts to rotate anticlockwise so you need a tail rotor to counteract that counter spin. Contra rotation does away with needing a tail rotor as one lifting rotor cancels the unwanted counter spin of the other.

Four-prop aircraft don’t contra-rotate, because the props are too small to create enough torque to affect the stability of a 70-ton aircraft.
Except for Avro Shackleton’s, which had a pair of contra-rotating props on each nacelle, and the Fairey Gannet, which had a pair of contra-rotating props, because it had two engines, enabling it to shut down one engine and loiter for hours at a time. Fantastic aircraft, like the Harrier, should never have been scrapped.
Those huge props on the Osprey would turn the thing in circles on its axis as soon as it started up, because of the torque, and there was at least one hekilopiter, like the little r/c ones, with a pair of contra-rotating rotors, one above the other, without a tail rotor, to avoid torque-induced spin.
The Shackleton had Griffon engines instead of Merlins, which were slower revving, using conventional propellers would have needed an increase in propeller diameter to absorb the increased power and torque of the Griffons, which was not possible due to limitations in undercarriage length and engine nacelle positioning of the Lincoln wing; the contra-rotating propellers gave greater blade area within the same overall propeller diameter.
Clever design, that.
I love those Osprey’s but sadly never seen one flying, they don’t come over my way, especially now Lyneham’s closed.
Pity, cool plane.

doesn’t look like a contra from that pic. and the “air superiority grey” paint scheme suggest it might be military. US Marine Corps?

It is indeed US Marine Corps, it’s painted on the rear fuselage, just in front of the tail plane. 😉

cheers CZ – very clearly put.

Just back from a long weekend in the flatlands and have three questions for the locals:

1) Why are there loads of roads directed as “Byway to xxxxxx”?
2) What are all the big choppers heading in a kind of SW direction to Norwich way? Are the like Bristow or similar servicing the windfarms?
3) and what the hell was the VTOLish looking aircraft doing turns above East Harling? Big props, aspect adjustment and eff-all wing? Looked ace.

you’re back home then.

OK.

Will try another time 😉

Most of the oil rig support choppers fly out of Great Yarmouth, I wouldn’t be surprised if that VTOL aircraft was E-Harling way, then he may well have been doing cheeky turns over Snetterton to watch the touring cars 8)

Quite often get apaches hunting in pairs too out towards bury st Edmunds , they really are impressive to see up close

what does one hunt around Bury St Edmunds?

anytime brant. red wine a’watin’…

and there was at least one hekilopiter, like the little r/c ones, with a pair of contra-rotating rotors, one above the other, without a tail rotor, to avoid torque-induced spin.

Kaman K-max is might be you’re thinking of. Odd little things.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJDxCEk6aEk[/video]