folding rotorcraft

folding rotorcraft

The layout of a single-seat or two-seat experimental machine is presented. The fuselage is streamlined (taking into account the lift of rotor mode and drag reduction of fixed wing mode). The wing is short-range flat wing or swept wing. The core feature is the foldable rotor system on the upper part of the fuselage-the rotor blades can be folded along the axis and stored above the fuselage or wing (simulating the experimental function of "rotor stowing and switching fixed wing flight"). The rotor shaft and transmission structure are clearly visible.
Lockheed CL-945 Loading Rotorcraft

Lockheed CL-945 Loading Rotorcraft

In the mid-60s, various forms of VTOL were all the rage. In 1965, Lockheed responded to a U.S. Army request for proposals with the CL-945 concept, a design for a stowed-rotor helicopter. At low speeds and when hovering, it will operate as a helicopter; at higher speeds, an aircraft-type propulsion system will power it; at speeds much higher than those normally reached by a helicopter, the rotor will stop rotating and will fold back and retract for minimal drag. This is a great idea, but there is a small problem, which is that it is very complicated, heavy and expensive.