Lucky escape

[HAWK 30]

Had a great days flying today, however on the last flight of the evening I noticed that the tail was waggling as if the gyro gain was too high mainly at the 12 o’clock of a loop while trying to keep it inverted NO H/H then I thought I will try it with H/H but it was no better.
The tail also waggled badly on a roll!
Have any of you guys had a similar problem?
I landed the heli to check it out why the tail is waggling; this is what I found.








The paddles have jammed themselves in front of each of the leading edges of the blades.







Can you please tell me what could have caused this ?

How is it possible for the heli to fly this the way it is!


I have checked the gears, all seem to be okay no missing teeth or anything like that.

Thanks in advance.

Z

[glen_j]

wow thats impressive, especially as you got it down in one piece very interested in how it happened too

[tourerjim]

Thats very strange cos flybar is bent to direction of rotation which I would say is impossible in flight.

[moonmanflyer]

Never seen anything like that before, must be a iffy flybar or a vibration issue, does the flybar bend easy?

[robgt]

I can't see how that could possibly happen in flight.
The flybar is bent with the rotation of the head, i.e. forwards, not backwards - so the paddles are up against the trailing edge of the blades, not the leading edge as suggested.

There is no way that I'm aware of that a metal bar can bend itself forwards in advance of the natural rotational force it is encountering?

Is it April 1st again??
Cheers,
Rob

[Nick B]

Dodgy batch of steel,im in the roadsweeper brush bussiness and get soft batches

Fairplay for getting it down

[robgt]

If it was weak steel, it would have bent backwards not forwards.
The force being applied to the paddles/flybar would be against the rotorhead rotation, not with it, or indeed taking precendence over it, as is shown in the pics?

Cheers,
Rob

[gazza]

Been sat for the best part of 20 minutes working this one out & I'm stumped!!
The laws of physics wouldn't allow this to happen due to the forces involved and the direction of rotation.
Or so you would think

[trillian]

It's as if the rotorhead came to a sudden stop and the inertia of the flybar paddles was so great that they continued to travel, bending the flybar.

[HAWK 30]

Never seen anything like that before, must be a iffy flybar or a vibration issue, does the flybar bend easy?

no it does not, in fact I am having a hard time bending it back in order to pull it out ! next is to cut it.

I can't see how that could possibly happen in flight.
The flybar is bent with the rotation of the head, i.e. forwards, not backwards - so the paddles are up against the trailing edge of the blades, not the leading edge as suggested.

There is no way that I'm aware of that a metal bar can bend itself forwards in advance of the natural rotational force it is encountering?

Rob

What you don't see in the picture is the way the paddles were once I landed, they were jammed in front of the Leading edge, the are white scuff marks there.


Some of the Suggestions so far, similar to Trillian
"sloppy blades" but they are just tight
"The engine stopped dead/the main shaft stopped dead. But the blades carried on and clocked the flybar and paddles"

I can carry out the repair but what if it happens again ! will I be so lucky ? am I doing something I shouldn't be ? (apart from flying instead of working)
Some of you guys throw your helis around with out any problems, all I do is basic stuff.

Please keep them coming guys.

Regards

Z

[callum]

Stumped aswell :S

Try flying it again? this time record it?

^^ Dont actually do it.

[tourerjim]

I can't see how that could possibly happen in flight.
The flybar is bent with the rotation of the head, i.e. forwards, not backwards - so the paddles are up against the trailing edge of the blades, not the leading edge as suggested.

There is no way that I'm aware of that a metal bar can bend itself forwards in advance of the natural rotational force it is encountering?

Is it April 1st again??
Cheers,
Rob

Exactly!

[tourerjim]

It's as if the rotorhead came to a sudden stop and the inertia of the flybar paddles was so great that they continued to travel, bending the flybar.

Not without seeing some sort of damage to paddles or blades!!!

[andylinney]

Hawk, have you upset the missus recently, could be some spousal sabotage...

[HAWK 30]

Not without seeing some sort of damage to paddles or blades!!!

The leading edge has white scuff marking on both blades and one of the trailing edges has a small impact damage as it folded against the blade holder !
White Marking



Impact damage


Where Impact damage occurred