Hi OffroadBEAR,
Thanks for your reply.
The XFY-1 is not a helicopter and its not really akin to a helicopter.
You're right. I'm sorry I called it one. But in that picture it is landing a bit like a helicopter though isn't it? Rotor on top, providing lift.
I think you want to build a robotic radio controlled bird.
It's not so much the birdyness I'm interested in. It's more of the zero speed landing (and the VR headset). I'm not that keen on ornithopters. I always thought they were irritating flapping things. But, yes, robotic is the right word. Partly controlled by an onboard computer, and partly from the ground. In a similar way I believe a modern fighter jet is controlled. The pilot instructs the computer, and the computer takes care of the surfaces to control what would otherwise be an unstable plane. (correct me if I'm wrong).
What I really have in mind is an
airplane which could make a zero speed landing. If it must have some features of a bird in order to achieve this, then so be it.
An airplane has a wing, which generates the lifting force required for flight. This lift force is only generated when air is flowing past the wing. A wing cannot generate lift when the air velocity around it is zero.
Are you saying that it's strictly impossible for an airplane to make a zero speed landing? It's surely possible in theory to land on a perch above ground.
Perhaps better questions are:
What's the theoretical lowest landing speed?
What could you do to push this towards zero?
What's the theoretical lowest perch for landing at zero speed?
What could you do to push this towards zero?
Are you wanting to start an R&D project for an engineering company or a school design team challenge?
Neither. I work at a robotics company, but we don't do this kind of project commercially. Some of us were just interested in it as a hobby. We have access to all of the equipment in the lab in our spare time (machining centers, CAD/CAM, electronics etc) and we live for fun and difficult projects. We have very little experience with RC planes, but then we had very little experience making robots when we started.
Many thanks
Hugo