Helicopter Performance, Stability and Control

Provided in this text, for both the student and the practicing helicopter aerodynamicist, is the information necessary to analyze the performance of an existing helicopter or to participate in the design of a new helicopter. This information includes the derivation of the theory behind the various methods of analysis, appropriate experimental data to correlate and supplement the theory, and charts that permit rapid analysis. A special attempt is made to relate helicopter aerodynamics to airplane aerodynamics for those who are making the transition. The first six chapters are devoted to the various aspects of helicopter performance. Chapters 7, 8, and 9 cover stability and control. The final chapter presents the tradeoff considerations that the engineer must face during the preliminary design phase to ensure both good performance and good flying qualities. In Appendix A, an "Example Helicopter" is defined and is consistently used throughout the book to illustrate, by numerical calculations, the application of the analysis.