Editing 1972: Autogyros
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
+ | {{incomplete|Have created sections for explaining each of the statements, but they need to be expanded. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
+ | |||
[[Randall]] has been looking at the facts about [[wikipedia:autogyro|autogyro]]s, hence the title of the comic. He has drawn [[Megan]] flying in such a vehicle with several statements of the facts he has unveiled. | [[Randall]] has been looking at the facts about [[wikipedia:autogyro|autogyro]]s, hence the title of the comic. He has drawn [[Megan]] flying in such a vehicle with several statements of the facts he has unveiled. | ||
− | Randall states that an autogyro is nothing like a [[wikipedia:helicopter|helicopter]] (which it looks like), nothing like a [[wikipedia:airplane|plane]] (but flies like one) and works like a [[wikipedia: | + | Randall states that an autogyro is nothing like a [[wikipedia:helicopter|helicopter]] (which it looks like), nothing like a [[wikipedia:airplane|plane]] (but flies like one) and works like a powered [[wikipedia:parachute|parachute]] (without anything looking remotely as such). He continues to make a total of 12 [[#Statements|statments]] which will be explained individually below. |
− | The final statement at the bottom right is the punch line of how strange these flying machines are, because they are safe, as long as you do not do what a pilot instinctively would do in a plane in case of a stall because if you do so the autogyros will crash immediately... See the [[#Extremely safe|explanation below]]. That sentence is almost rendered unnecessary by the one above it that states that autogyros [[#Never stalls|never | + | The final statement at the bottom right is the punch line of how strange these flying machines are, because they are safe, as long as you do not do what a pilot instinctively would do in a plane in case of a stall, because if you do so the autogyros will crash immediately... See the [[#Extremely safe|explanation below]]. That sentence is almost rendered unnecessary by the one above it that states that autogyros [[#Never stalls|never stalls]]! |
Randall's conclusion is clear: Autogyros are '''''weird'''''. | Randall's conclusion is clear: Autogyros are '''''weird'''''. | ||
− | In the title text Randall continues on the last statement by saying that today | + | In the title text Randall continues on the last statement by saying that today autogyros are much more stable. Which must refer to that this was not always the case. And this new stability probably means that a [[#Never stalls|stall situation]] is much less likely and the last statement is then not so relevant anymore. |
− | Randall then goes on to suggest that ''the autogyro people'' will be angered by this comic, which attacks the safety of their beloved machines. But he keeps on mocking them, | + | Randall then goes on to suggest that ''the autogyro people'' will be angered by this comic, which [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/impugn#English impugns] (i.e. attacks) the safety of their beloved machines. But he keeps on mocking them. In fact, he states that they will come after him, once they have finished building the autogyros they have been working on in their garage for the last 10 years. By this, he implies that the people who work on them do this as a home garage project so they will never get them finished and able to fly. Thus, they will probably never come after him. |
− | + | But if a bunch of them do manage to finish their autogyros simultaneously and come after him as a pack, Randall will have trouble escaping the angry autogyro mob. | |
− | *Below | + | |
+ | ==Statements== | ||
+ | *Below each of the statements in the comic are explained | ||
**The optimal reading order is to read them in the four columns they are arranged in: | **The optimal reading order is to read them in the four columns they are arranged in: | ||
− | **The left with four, the two single in the middle | + | **The left with four, the two single in the middle and the six on the right. |
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | + | ===Nothing like a helicopter=== | |
+ | ''Looks like a helicopter, but is nothing like a helicopter'' | ||
− | + | ===Nothing like a plane=== | |
+ | ''Flies like a plane but is nothing like a plane'' | ||
− | + | ===Powered parachute=== | |
+ | ''Sort of like a powered parachute'' | ||
− | + | ===Rare in the US=== | |
+ | ''Rare in the US, usually homemade. Common in Europe. '' | ||
− | + | ===Big blade on top=== | |
+ | ''Big blade on top is not powered and spins freely'' | ||
− | + | ===Flown without a license=== | |
+ | ''Can often be flown without a license'' | ||
− | + | ===Cheap=== | |
− | |||
− | |||
Helicopters are notorious for being extremely expensive to operate. At a typical general aviation service in the US, a two-seat aircraft may rent for under $100/hr, while a helicopter runs over $200/hr. Similarly, a small used helicopter may cost almost $200,000 while a small new autogyro may cost under $25,000. Since many people home-build their autogyros, it would often be even cheaper. | Helicopters are notorious for being extremely expensive to operate. At a typical general aviation service in the US, a two-seat aircraft may rent for under $100/hr, while a helicopter runs over $200/hr. Similarly, a small used helicopter may cost almost $200,000 while a small new autogyro may cost under $25,000. Since many people home-build their autogyros, it would often be even cheaper. | ||
− | + | ===Needs a runway to take off=== | |
− | + | ''Needs a runway to take off, but not a long one'' | |
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | + | ===Can land vertically=== | |
+ | An autogyro can land vertically: for that matter, so can any airplane. What matters isn't ground speed but airspeed, and as long as there's as much headwind as the landing airspeed of the aircraft, it will land vertically. Now, with fixed wing airplanes the landing speed is at least 40-50 mph, and you don't often find headwinds like that. The much lower landing airspeed of an autogyro makes vertical landings feasible. | ||
− | + | ===Cannot hover=== | |
+ | True hovering would require the rotor to be powered. However, an autogyro must be moving forward in order for the rotor to generate lift. | ||
− | + | ===Never stalls=== | |
+ | This is not entirely correct. If you reduce the forward speed of an autogyro, the rotor slows down, reducing lift so the autogyro will descend. Under most circumstances, this would lead to a controlled landing. However, if it happens at high altitude, you can run out of lift completely while still high above the ground causing a stall. This is more likely to happen if there is a strong tailwind. | ||
− | + | ===Extremely safe=== | |
+ | ''Extremely safe, unless you do the one thing you instinctively do to escape a stall in a normal airplane, in which case it will crash immediately'' | ||
− | + | On a normal airplane, one will push the yoke forward in a stall or engine out situation, to regain airspeed and to stabilize the plane. On an {{w|autogyro}}, this leads to negative angle of attack, decelerating the rotor, which may lead to a crash. Also pushing the yoke hard forward while flying full throttle may lead to a crash. | |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[A picture of Megan wearing aviator goggles, sitting in an autogyro and holding the control stick. The autogyro is surrounded by sentence fragments, explaining | + | :[A picture of Megan wearing aviator goggles, sitting in an autogyro and holding the control stick. The autogyro is surrounded by sentence fragments, explaining characteristics of it. The one above the blade that concerns the blade has an arrow pointing from the text to the blade. The sentences in columns from the left (i.e. left sentences first, then the two above the autogyros body and finally the sentences to the right):] |
:Looks like a helicopter, but is nothing like a helicopter | :Looks like a helicopter, but is nothing like a helicopter | ||
:Flies like a plane but is nothing like a plane | :Flies like a plane but is nothing like a plane | ||
Line 98: | Line 89: | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] | ||
− |