a question about tail rotors...

[schluterdude]

here's a good q i just cooked up.....

when building a scale model, in particular, of a ship that uses a tail rotor that rotates in a plane other than perpendicular to the main rotors, how are the forces balanced out? any time you alter the tail rotor, the bird would want to forward and to the side, or back and to the other side, correct?

i don't plan on building a model like this quite yet, as my skill set isn't there. but, i just thought of this and was like "hmmm...."

i know that the companies with multi-axis gyros would say that their system would help alleviate this condition, but is that the only alternative? mixing in the radio? any mechanical means i would think to be reasonably complex, and not worth the effort. anyone have an answer?

[Rappy1]

I dont think its an issue. when i get home i will find the info i have on the NOTAR style systems as part of the design of these is to aim some of their thrust for anti rotation towards the ground. It even has a special name for it.

ok, i was wrong the air does not blow at the ground it exits in a direction that almost pointing towards the ground and then uses an effect called the Coanda effect which pretty much means the air flows around the side of the tail boom and out at an angle.
however i was thinking from this that the same effect happens more than likely around the helicopter in forward flight reducing how effective the tail rotor is anyway. giving tail rotor blades are symetrical so not creating un evenlift on one side of the blade then it should have no effect on the aerodynamics of the heli. afterall some helis have tail fins that are at times almost on a 45deg angle. Tail rotors are only effective when torque is applied and in a hover as well.

[schluterdude]

kinda makes sense, but, when it is set stable in a hover, and then, in a hover, you change the thrust coming from the tail, i would've thought it would induce some sort of movent in an additional axis other than yaw...