Homebuilt Helicopter DISASTER, Is this the END?
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- Опубліковано 15 кві 2023
- An unfortunate turn of events puts the project in serious jeopardy. Such a shame as confidence in handling the machine was improving. Some time to reflect is now needed. Thanks to everyone who supported the project, I've had an amazing journey and will never forget it.
- Наука та технологія
Think of it from an engineering point of view…you have not failed, you have simply reached the limit of that design. You already know what the change needs to be…it’s just the effort to get there. I personally hope you continue….I work on military aircraft and seeing this from one person is incredible! Head up and please follow your passion.
I love this comment with all my heart ❤️
Exactly correct here. Can see where it won't push forward more... Redesign
Yes it's hard work to do 10 - 4
I'll be honest, there is no scariest flying machine than a homemade helicopter. I really which you luck on your journey. I know you can do it!
"He didn't love crashing, probably."
Ben, you are an inspiration to those of us who dream of seeing our dreams come to life. Whether or not your machine will fly, remains unknown. But by inspiring others, you have accomplished much indeed. Thank you and well done Sir.
You ...cannot... quit after making so much progress. Take some time and redesign but don't quit. There is a large community of enthusiasts who will do whatever they can to help you succeed.
Pure hubris.
@@kevinhornbuckle if that failure had happened midair I don’t think he would keep going forward
Quitting is perfectly wise if you do not expect to succeed - especially if continuing places your life in danger. There are bigger fish to fry.
"He died doing what he loved."
Quit! If that could work it would have been done already. Intelligence without knowledge is worthless.
Don't add weight to trim the aircraft.
Move the weight you have got to achieve the trim.
Turn the radiator over so that the inlet hose goes in at the top removing the need for a convoluted coolant pipe.
I would suggest that the drive shaft should have a sliding splined portion half way along with support bearings above and below to remove any lateral movement in the CV joints.
No need for a CV joint? There's no real articulation needed so that rubber flex joint and a spline shaft would be better. Bolting a heavy CV joint onto a flex rubber is asking for a disaster IMO.,
Massive achievement Mr Ben!! So glad the design features you included for safety purposes worked as needed. So impressed with how you designed and implemented your idea into the Dixey Pixie, it took a lot of time and effort that goes unseen. And then to vlog it and share it, you should feel very proud of what you have achieved. Well done mate!! 👍🙏👌👏
OH NO !!! You can't give up on your Pixie helicopter. You've done so well to get to where you are now. To design your own airplane, much less your own helicopter is an incredible achievement and watching you build up your helicopter and flying it has been great.
Whatever happens, you've designed, built, and learned to fly your own helicopter. That's a pretty astonishing achievement! It's been a pleasure to follow your madness. Good luck, whatever you decide.
Thank you
"That saved me, which was nice" - understatement of the year!
You still have a good air frame, components, etc!
Take a break, have that think on it, and get the life critical parts/linkages correct. That shaft was dodgy at best, but you knew that.
I look forward to following your continued journey.
You got this.
yea, i never liked that shaft from the get-go , theres gotta be a better solution than that large housing wobbling on a set of rollers.
Well if this is the end, (I hope it isn't) then it's been a pleasure to follow your slightly mad journey.
Why is it mad ?
@@tonywright8294 because it's dangerous
Your video popped up in my feed, a couple of things. CV joints are after the differential, normally spinning over 3 times slower than a driveline. You should try standard U-joints if possible and / or a cardan joint. As for the radiator, you shouldn't need a fan if you have a working thermostat. The water will not have time to cool if it's moving too fast through the radiator. Or set up a cycle switch for the pump so as the temp comes up it pulls in cool water then turns off until temp comes back up. Keep it up!
Water is the best coolant. Even with its lower vapor point, it carries more heat per unit. One way to avoid boiling with water cooling systems is to use a higher pressure radiator cap. Large aluminum radiator with a 20psi cap is the best coolant set up by far. A corrosion inhibitor in the system would be a good idea however. Good luck with your project! Don't give up! Subscribed.
The engineering and accomplishment are nothing short of amazing. Don't quit!
Great stuff Ben, that must have been a bit scary. Keep at it. It took me 12 years to sort all those problems out. 🙂
That makes me feel better Cam! 😊
Thank you.
@@Ben-Dixey Have you considered using a Thompson Coupling? They have a You Tube Vid explaining the advantages over CV drive shaft.
Not seen a Thompson coupling will have a look 👍
I had a flight instructor tell me once "You have to remember that every part on a helicopter is working as hard as it can to become TWO parts." You just have to keep your operating total time below the performance limits of the weakest part. Looks like you just determined one of those limits "empirically"! Even so, it was a "good landing"...you walked away unscathed and you learned something in the process. Keep it up! Someone much smarter than me once said, "95% of success is just showing up"...just keep showing up! Great Work!
Thank you very much👍 and I agree with your instructor. Helicopters are so demanding of the machine to stay together. I had a lesson in a Robinson and it vibrated and shakes more than my homemade one does.
Crazy but cool machines if you ask me.
Hello from the States: do not give up! The "trying" is the thing. Your endeavor inspires us all. The "trying"is what is important!
Please don't give up. It's the journey, not the destination, what matters. Take a small break, but not a long one, and come up with a plan. Always keep in mind that designing and building your own full-scale helicopter is a daunting task, and only a few have even attempted to do. You've already achieved a lot!! I wish you all the very best for future development of this marvellous machine. All the way from Sri Lanka - Shanaka. 😊
A scary moment for sure, and such a shame as you looked so much more confident in the test hovers, and they seemed so much more controlled. Thanks for sharing the journey, and whatever happens it’s been a great one.
I am glad to hear your nervous, great sign of respect toward the machine you are handling, injuries occur once respect is lost. Respect the machine and the machine will respect you. Thanks for sharing may the Centripetal force be with you.
The chopper should be called "The Horse" because you'd need to be a cowboy to fly it 😁
Respect for the courage needed to do this 👍👍
I've tested CV joints for racing racing application & the tri-bearing style create a harmonic vibration so I expect a pair of them, especially if they're out of phase would be a failure waiting to happen. The ball style don't have any issues with that & run smooth all the way to 8k rpm. Your sliding shaft between them would need to be tested as an assembly to be sure that isn't a balance issue as well. The boots are useless at rpm & any extra grease in there will just compound the problem. I spun some cupped sheet metal covers that are just high enough to clear the ball cage & tig welded them to the joint body a little at a time to not affect the joint hardness or the grease. The hole is just big enough for shaft clearance & enough to push a small foam seal in there to keep the grease in & the dirt out. I'm also a backyard in the shed builder of theoretically impossible stuff as well so don't give up Mate! I'm just finishing a 4000hp 4WD streamliner capable of 500+ mph & that shouldn't be possible for one country bumpkin in a shed either!
Great comment thanks so much. The harmonic vibration, do you think I would have felt such a vibration ? There wasn't any indication of drive vibration that I could tell. I assumed as these joints were called constant velocity that they wouldn't need to be in phase. Interesting how you solved the boot problem, great idea. 👍
@@Ben-Dixey I built a jig to spin them & be able to change the angle on each end. The tri bearing were better in phase than out but had a hum & slight feel to them at best. I doubt you'd notice it with that 2 stroke screaming & all the rest of it doing it's stuff. The multi ball joints were quiet & smooth all the way to 7k-rpm & up to 10 degrees of angle was the most I tested to. With all your angle change being at the rotor head you might be better with just a rubber donut at the engine to soak up the harmonics & a CV at the head. I also fly a Pitbull gyro but don't need any of that shaft nonsense!😜 Keep at it M8!
I hope that it is 'minor' enough (yeah, riiight) that you do not give up! It is an amazing journey and you are letting us live vicariously through you in it.
In the days when I could still fly, I built an RV6-A. I spared no expense, and everything was aviation-certified. That airplane was solid as a rock, and I had no fears it would fall apart in the air. I don’t have the same feeling about that helicopter.
That's great but this helicopter is not a kit like the RV-6. Different goals.
@@Ben-Dixey I realize that, of course. But this is a project I’d put away personally. Igor Sikorski didn’t put it away, but most people probably wouldn’t expose themselves to that level of risk.
It has been a fantastic achievement for you, and I really appreciate your story so far. Looking at your dedication so far I am sure it wont be the end, yes collective pitch is the way to go, however very easy for me to sit here and say, not very easy in practice. Look forward to seeing you back soon.
I know you will figure it out. Whether a redesign or not, you're an inspiration. I hope to see more soon. Best of luck and I'll keep a lookout for you in the future.
Your objective was to design, build and hover your own helicopter. I'd say you achieved all of that - congratulations! How many people on this planet have achieved such a target? Sme of your hovering was better than many. I know you must be disappointed in the driveshaft failure, but you ought to view this as a success IMO. Bravo! to you!
Thank you 👍
You built a machine that flies, don't give up on that.
Fascinating journey. Thanks to showing us! 💛🙏🏽
I really hope you can find the motivation to go on with the project I've been following along for a while and you've really inspired me to maby try something similar when I have the resources and time. I would love to see it fly again but even if it doesn't you've inspired a lot of people and I think you should be really proud of what you've achieved, cheers mate.
It’s been fun watching you, but I would totally understand if this was the end. I’d hate to hear you were hurt or killed by continuing on out of bravado. I spent 2 days in the ICU for a failed creation of my own. There is absolutely no shame in stopping before you are hurt. That experience taught me the value of life. So please, if you do continue, do so safely.
Very wise comment. I know from experience that any flight activity is extremely unforgiving. Your family and those who care about you are trusting you to make the right decision.
Great Video! I'm glad you are unhurt. Take all the time you want, we have loved this project and will anxiously await any future content.
Please don't quit on this project. I want to see you flying this thing.
Thanks for the encouragement, the project is on hold for the time being but I am starting to build a flying boat. New videos of the build coming soon. I can see myself building another helicopter which would be a much more serious machine. The one I built was ok but had some drawbacks by design.
stay with it buddy! You have done a fantastic job with lots of hurdles. Hopefully you can work it out.
Please don’t give up. You have come leaps and bounds. I know the disappointments you’ve been through. Yes sit back a look how far you’ve come. Just think what the inventors went through, the same as you. Good luck, and I look forward to what you do next.
I am so so impressed. Must have balls of steel to get into such a craft and spin it up!!!!
As far as the c v joint shaft breaking. I would go to the helicopter
manufacturers, and ask them what they think would be a good shaft for your project.
DO NOT GIVE UP!!!!!
Well, i've been really enthusiastic following the proyect and i think that's impressive what you have achieved, so please do not loose what you've learned and take time to redesing it, is going to be for the best and if now you were so close to getting it, then i believe that for sure you will suceed dude
Don't give up. You have traveled such a log way on this journey, and we've been cheering you on all the way. In my humble opinion, the cv joint issue might be as simple as too much grease. It is not unusual that a cv joint with too much grease will blow the boot off due to expansion from the heat. Not to mention the imbalance once the grease piles up on one side of the boot. Don't give up. you're still alive, and at first, I thought thay might end the project but you have done great lol. Stay safe
Dude. Keep it going. I’m cheering for you !
'Don't give up, never surrender.... '
'Damm the torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead!'
Have you considered Thomas Disc couplers (often used on heli tail shafts//Very simple and light // No lubrication required) Zero backlash so no destructive resonance but they are somewhat limited on deflection angles. (+ -1 degree I think)
I think the disks used are often 403 stainless and can be very thin stacks or much thicker single plates with thin legs (See Robinson tail rotor coupling)
Thanks, I like those couplings , unfortunately i need more angle and around 100mm of plunge.
I worked with industrial turbines for some years and know that shaft alignment is critical. The two main suppliers of drive shafts used were turboflex and Bibby. I feel sure you have done lots of research but maybe these firms could offer you advice which may help
Don’t give up!!! Never seen your videos. This one just happened to pop up. Don’t quit!!!
First video of yours I've seen, subscribed and want to watch you continue this journey! There have been times where I've thought of giving up on my own airplane but the joy I've had from flying it outweighs all the frustrations it ever gave me.
One day, when you're old, you'll look back at this video and smile, you'll also be glad that you didn't give up. Stick with it lad, you can do it. BTW which way does that fan push air? Up towards the downwash, or down towards the floor?
Thank you. The fan pulls through the rad.
Being careful, not flying to high, paid off. Well executed test flight. Thank you so much for sharing this epic adventure with all of us aviation enthusiasts! You could fix it, of course, but I think it is time to move on to the next project, be it a new version of Dixey Pixie or something completely different. You have gained so much knowledge and had so much exiting fun, no need to push your luck with the current design! All the best to you! :-D
Thank you and I agree. If I lived near you I would offer to help build your full scale levitator. You have certainly given me ideas with your project.
You had two successes!
One was that you actually flew.
The other is that you landed on the ground unscathed.
Wonderful!
This is so incredibly cool. I really hope the issues can be worked out and you can take to the skies.
The CV joint is a brilliant idea, its just that the parts youre using arent up to the stresses and RPMs put upon them. You may want to consider stepping up to heavy duty racing parts or have something machined to stronger specs. Also consider looking at some kits out there- how are they doing it? someone must have had this problem and solved it too. Dont give up- Youve proven the concept works, just get back at it with beefier components.
They are too big and heavy to be going 5500 rpm, they don't do that when they are used in a vehicle, its a redesign job really.
Drive shaft pipe would be better
Certified aircraft parts are needed in this area.
just sayin id happily donate or buy a t shirt to see project V2 start happening with everything you learned from this prototype. i love the project. keep up the great work man.
Same I don't do that very often but I really wanna see dixey pixie fly again.
That's very thoughtful and a first 😆
You are an extremly diligent! Appreciate.
I do thank you for sharing your journey thus far I hope you don't give up but in the end it's all you. Thank you again and you are a joy to watch and learn from. Good luck in you next adventure I will be waiting and watching.
Glycol will be much worse than straight water unfortunately.
hey man your videos have motivated me to take my thesis on helicopter rotor head design, Still coming up untill this point is good as it is but maybe you should try having another one cnc machined from steel(would cost 2000euros or so) and then somehow heat treat it regardless
Hi, I'm pleased you are going to be researching rotor head design. It's a fascinating subject if you ask me. Steel would be a better choice for fatigue resistance I think, I would certainly make the blade straps from steel next time.
What a fantastic little project. I want to watch the progress.
Great job so far! Take your time and then go on from where you are now!
Hey Ben! I've been watching your videos for a while now and this one actually concerned me. It wasn't the joint failure, but the harness and coolant junction issues that raised a big red flag. I feel it's time to consult with an A&P from your friendly local airfield and show them what you're doing, have them inspect it and the listen very humbly to the advice they'll give. There are best standards for working with electrical and cooling components that you're not following, and based off that I wonder what other shortcuts you're taking. That sort of experimenting is best left for machinery that doesn't fly.
You're taking too many risks, even only hovering a few feet off the ground.
Seeing all the encouragement is great, and you've got an enthusiastic following, but it follows the classic dunning kruger effect if none of the people following you are more educated about it than you.
this is the most sensible comment I've read on here so far. Mine was a lot harsher.
@@nexpro6985
We all have differing "risk reward" calculations... Some sum on sitting on the sofa and some sum on picking up the spanners and actually doing something interesting.
The former often living vicariously on the latter.
Using plastic for the cooling hose joint was certainly way below par and stupid as was the Lucas style bullet connectors. I know better without asking an expert. Decisions on how much money or time to spend on any particular item is constantly being weighed up. The hoses only have to last as long as it takes to decide if the cooling system is going to work. No point paying a lot of money for special hoses when you are just going change it soon after. If I had chosen another material for the joint I don't see the issue for its extremely short service life.
I would certainly listen to anyone with aviation expertise within reason. There is a difference between standards on a prototype short test machine and a certified aircraft flying at altitudes where any failure would result in a very serious situation.
The longer my machine went on the more time and money I would spend on things like the cooling and wiring. I would build a new harness with all the proper connectors. Again no point doing this when the next minute I'm adding or removing electrical components.
It's a balancing act to doing what's sensible and sometime I fall short of what's sensible.
@@Ben-Dixey
At three foot off the floor, you can indeed afford to push your luck :)
Ill guarantee we would dot the "I's" and cross the "T's" before we had the balls to hop over a tree... Fear is a great motivator.
I'm currently working on my rescue parachute in the hope that the entire aircraft could come apart but the pilot and rescue chute remain attached.
A very unlikely scenario but the fear has the better of me :)
Really sad to see the project end like this. You put so much effort in it.
But the truth is, it will likely never be safe enough to fly with it.
Don't give up dude, what your doing is incredible
Thank goodness your altitude was 3/4 of an inch . In Africa you would be a national hero . Stay safe captain 👩✈️
Thank you 😊
stop. stop now. stop now before you hurt yourself badly
Don't give up please. It already hovered well. Every thing seems to be good except some small issues.
That's incredible! I mean, very sad what happened but still an incredible accomplishment! Don't give up!
KEEP GOING!!!! 💪💪💪💪💪
This rando from South Africa has MAD respect!!!
You can't stop. I've only just found, liked and subscribed!!
You’ve done an excellent job so far - don’t give up. 🙏
,I have been an instrument rated pilot for 20 years. I have also worked on and have been around helicopters. When flying there is more than enough to do without worrying about the integrity of the aircraft. We need more smart people like you in this world. Scrap it and either start over or give the whole idea up. Get a great paying job and buy a commercially made machine if you must fly to be happy. Good luck !!
Thanks but I'm not all that interested in flying. It was more about the fun of building and testing. I would like to be able to hover a helicopter though.
Straight water actually cools better than glycol-based coolants. Glycol-based coolants really exist for their low temperature and anti-corrosion properties
Need larger rotors, better prop shaft, a torque gauge, and some flight instruction. Don't give up, this is freakin bad ass.
Don't give up! You've come so far and are so close!!!
Some days you are the bug and some days you are the windshield. You have been the windshield more than the bug so re-group and carry on. As you said, this is a journey - Carpe Diem! !! !!!
you came so far, its been a great series to watch and i doubt you just want to give up now, and I dont think anyone subscribed would want you to, you'll get there just keep chipping away
I agree don't give up. It takes time to get it right.
Try using a telescoping drive shaft instead of a CV joint.
I made a UTV that had a 14 inch lift kit on it, my drive line was a telescoping axle and it worked great under the torque and driving over rough terrain.
I like the way you are using the tail vanes to produce your counter thrust.
Looking at the design, the drive shaft needs to be balanced and free from lateral vibration and forces. In particular I would engineer the engine and drive shaft to be a part of an integral structure. The rotor needs a rethink on articulation and the entire mechanism needs to be design so that an engine seizure results in the blades 'windmilling'. There is a reason helicopters are expensive as heck! If you decide to proceed, I would strongly recommend pairing-up with an aviation engineer/designer who really understands the forces involved. That said, I love the effort you've put in to this project - totally admirable and maximum effort. Well done!
Thanks, I'll go into detail on the next video about all the issues with this design. I'm not sure vibration caused the failure but I could be wrong.
Thanks for your honest frustration being expressed in the video, wish you safety for your on coming experiments! when I was small I tried to make my own helicopter at home, I remember all the frustration just to make it fly for few seconds and crash soon and need to work on for another day to fly a few more sseconds.
Sometimes what appears to be a disaster is a blessing in disguise. At least you weren't hundreds of feet in the air and you know what is the weak link now. Fix it better than before and keep going. You're so close to success you can't stop now.
Thanks for making the awesome videos! Even if you dont continue on this project please film future projects. Who knows, maybe you could keep it in the garage for a bit and take a long break. Sometimes thats how great ideas and inspiration are created.
Good luck figuring out which way you want to take this. It's really cool that you got this far.
Good effort, keep it up. If you got this far you will no doubt sort out the problems.
I know it's frustrating, costly, both in time and money, but I'm cheering you on with this amazing adventure. Never had as much fun watching and egging on success and if the pockets allow, look forward to your next design..
“There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.” ― Oscar Levant.
Good evening from Washington state USA friend, please don't give up, learn what you had done wrong, no body perfect, always learn from mistakes we have done, it will get better i support you., i watched on my smart TV . Thanks for your share and hard work. 👍👍
Hi and thanks for watching, a lot has been learnt from this project and this knowledge can be used on the next one. It was a lot of fun and more to come.
The continuing failure rate of the various systems indicates a trend leading to a fatal disaster. Your tenacity is admirable, though.
Good luck to you. You have already achieved so much more than most.
Have you considered just doing a shaft with u-joints and a splined slip joint?
Winners never quit and quitters never win. Perfect your design and get pressing forward.
I had the same thing happen to me with an ultralight. Nothing went right and it fought me every step of the way. I ended up hitting a curb when taxing and ripped the landing gear off, tore my brand new prop to pieces, and broke my nose and blacked both my eyes. Ended up selling it. But in hindsight I realized that it was my guardian angels looking after me. You did an excellent job building it and you got to fly it! And the best part of all is that you are still alive! I know that you don't want to hear this, but let it go and it will be a fantastic story that you can tell your grandkids one day. Saying this out of love and admiration.
Fair comment. thank you👍👍
My dad used to say ( can't, died in a salt barrel. ) don't give up . I'm rooting for you!
not heard that expression👍
@btd1982 I'm going on 57 years old still trying to figure out what he meant butt I figure it's something like never say never. Or don't stop trying
Such a shame Ben. Glad I chose to come up and watch when I did! Hopefully it can continue, let me know when you need photos of the Mk2!
It was a sign Charlie, the stars aligned. So glad you did. I will order some printed photos from you pics they are so good.
DONT STOP MATE. YOU HAVE COME SO FAR
I do hope its not the end. This could turn out to be an incredible journey
Better than anything Africa has put out, good work!
Just in case UA-cam notification doesn't work: I have added a reply to my earlier post about a mechanically simple method to improve this machines autorotation safety. I think it can be developed for forward flight, which is necessary to convert forward KE to auto flare power. I'm subscribed so will add ideas as I see problems. Keep going...
As a mechanic, I do not like the CV shaft AT ALL, considering the centrifugal force displacing the grease anyway, you never have good lubrication during extended flight. The fact that the joints are under torque stress as well as the compressive stress from cycling, it's a scary single point of failure. if the main part of the drive was solid and only the rotor shaft moved, that would make it tall, but reliable.
Obviously a balanced, aviation grade collective is the way to go, since your life is on the line here.
Helicopters are unstable by nature, always crashing and only the pilot makes it fly, so yeah, a tricky machine to make!
An airplane is MUCH simpler and so is a drone style vehicle, multicopter that is.
Please don't give up....please.
We learn so much from every mistake be it catastrophic or a minor breakage. Your hovering is so good too, so dooo continue.... we are all with you. ❤from Rome.
Man that sucks. That is so demoralizing. I hope that you don't ultimately give up. It probably won't hurt to take a break from it for a bit and then maybe you will feel better coming back to it later.
Back to the old drawing board! I have to agree with you that cv shaft HAS to go. No way to keep those joints reliable and balanced at high speed. They barely do the job in Audi Quattro and vibrate if they are off even slightly. You are crazy strapping yourself into that thing 🤣
The CV shaft is operating faster than they would be in a vehicle, in vehicles they don't go at engine speed .
Yeah I never liked the drive shaft. A rethink, have to say though the balance was good, no vibration felt anyway. The shaft I made from 7075t6 and I clocked it well in the lathe. It ran nice
What ever your decision will be it was honor to be on that journey with you cheers
That is so cool! I want one!