GB1274659A - Man-powered flying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

1,274,659. Manpowered helicopters. C. A. GILHAM. 3 Oct., 1969 [16 Oct., 1968], No. 49124/68. Headings B7G and B7W. A manpowered helicopter comprises an airframe provided with a rotor 14 adapted to provide both vertical lift and forward thrust, and a tail rotor 5 for steering the helicopter. The two rotors are driven by a common manpowered driving means comprising pedals 9 connected with the rotors by an assembly of shafts, rightangled drive mechanisms and universal joints (Fig. 6, not shown). To take off, a pilot causes the rotors to rotate in synchronism by pedalling, then collectively increases the pitch of the blades of rotor 14 via lever 13 until sufficient lift is created (Fig. 5, not shown). Translational movement can be achieved by inclining the tip path plane of the rotor 14 via lever 12 and a linkage of rods (Fig. 4, not shown) which bodily tilt the rotor. The machine is steered by pitch change of the tail rotor 5 by means of a horizontally movable tiller 11 connected (Fig. 2, not shown) to a movable T-bar (29) on a plate (31) rigidly attached to the ariframe adjacent the tail rotor. The pedals 9 may as an alternative be manually operated by the pilot in the prone position, the levers 12, 13 then being converted to footoperated controls and the tiller 11 being incorporated into the pedal unit.