Cadalyst - August 2008 - (Page 15)

techtrends Intelligent Pipe/HVAC CADPIPE Figure 2. The Sportcopter II is an autogiro plane, which flies primarily with a self-rotating rotor and aerodynamics. Design Autogiro Airplanes The birth of the autogiro aircraft, or gyroplane, is usually attributed to Juan de la Cierva, a Spanish nobleman who had the brilliant idea to combine an existing aircraft frame with a windmill rotor (www.gyroplanepassion.com). The craft’s flight power comes primarily from a free-spinning rotor and aerodynamics. Soon after a video clip of the Sportcopter II’s debut flight appeared on YouTube.com, someone posted a frequently asked question about gyroplanes: “What if the engine goes out?” The test pilot who submitted the clip responded, “The main rotor blades are not powered — they are autorotating, so if the engine were to fail, you can glide and land safely.” based on customer feedback. To date, the demand for a Mac version has not been high enough to warrant it.” The chassis of the SCII was “cut from a single chunk of material, then molded into shape,” said Vanek. “We provided [the machine shop] with the solid model of the body. They sliced it into two halves.” Coordination AutoCAD based since 1986 Green Commute Sportcopter plans to sell its latest craft for $90,000–$120,000, depending on whether the customer purchases it as a kit or a fully finished model with desired options. Though gyroplane flights currently are confined to hobbyists, Vanek doesn’t see why these lightweight, fuel-less aircrafts could not be used for short aerial commutes of roughly 350 to 400 miles. (Gyroplanes may be equipped with engines, but once airborne, they fly primarily on self-rotating blades and aerodynamics [figure 2].) From a private helipad or a rooftop, this type of craft could easily take off and land, bypassing the need to wade through airport security checkpoints. “Some of the machines are very simple. It has an engine and a rotor, so you just start the rotor by hand, taxi the craft, and fly,” said Vanek. On the other hand, models such as the SCII are sophisticated enough to include an autopilot mode, which allowed Vanek’s 12-year-old son to land the craft by himself once. It seems that another generation of Vanek has been bitten by the rotor bug. Kenneth Wong is Cadalyst’s executive editor. E-mail him at Kenneth.Wong at cadalyst.com. Through Thick and Thin Before building the machine, Sportcopter’s engineers ran stress tests on the nose wheel, the suspension system, the rotor head, and other critical components using COSMOSXpress, the design-validation tool embedded in SolidWorks. “In some of the complex parts, because we were trying to make them really light, it was helpful to see where the stress lines were,” Vanek recalled. “Eventually, we began to see how to reshape those parts by adding or taking away materials.” Vanek wishes he could run SolidWorks on the Macintosh, but the software currently isn’t available for that platform. SolidWorks’ press office clarified, “Currently SolidWorks has no plans to add a Mac version of its software to its product portfolio but is constantly reassessing that decision August 2008 cadalyst www.cadalyst.com Fabrication Installation More Information and Free Demos: www.cadpipe.com 1-888-239-9004 x502 15 http://www.cadpipe.com http://www.gyroplanepassion.com http://www.cadpipe.com http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - August 2008

Cadalyst - August 2008 Contents Editor's Window CAD Central Tech Trends: Rotor Bug Strikes Again Cadalyst Labs Reviews: Digital Dreams — Visualization Software: Make Your Design Visions a Reality Maple 12 — Math Software AutoLINE 2009 — Linetype Management Add-On Deep Access — Digital-Media Asset Management Software View Point: Examining the Autodesk–Bentley Agreement CAD Manager: Managing Multioffice Mayhem MCAD Modeling: Do You Need Modeling Standards? AEC Insight: Modeling Technology for Building Engineers CAD Cartoon Issue Indexes Hot Tip Harry: Better Living with Objects and Smart Entities

Cadalyst - August 2008

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