Hovering Mechanics

Imagine a helicopter hovering in the air with zero acceleration. Since the acceleration is nil, the total force acting on the helicopter must also be zero.

In the vertical direction, we can observe the forces at play: a force generated from the helicopter's interaction with the air must counteract its weight (approximately 9.8 N/kg on Earth).

What about the tail rotor? As the main rotor blades spin and interact with the atmosphere, they create a torque that the tail rotor counteracts, ensuring that the helicopter maintains rotational stability.

Next, let's develop a physics model to quantify the thrust necessary for a helicopter to remain airborne. This begins with recognizing that forces result from interactions between objects—in this case, the helicopter and the air. The force the helicopter exerts on the air matches the force exerted back on it, facilitating hover.

Consider a cylinder of air above the rotor; the helicopter pushes this air downward with a force. This air cylinder shares the same circular area as the rotors and possesses a height (h). If the air descends with some velocity (v), we can apply the momentum principle, which states that the net force equals the time rate of change of momentum.

To find the air cylinder’s mass, we utilize air density (ρ = 1.2 kg/m³) and the cylinder's volume. The change in momentum of the air becomes relevant here, focusing solely on the vertical component. The initial velocity is zero, while the final velocity remains to be determined.

Next, we can incorporate the distance h into our calculations using the definition of average velocity. Solving for the time interval (Δt) allows us to substitute this expression back into the momentum principle, yielding an equation for the lift force generated by the rotor.

It's important to note that this lift (designated as F-air, keeping in mind that forces act in pairs) depends on air density, rotor dimensions, and the air velocity produced by the rotors. For a helicopter to hover, this lift must equal the aircraft's weight, allowing us to derive the thrust velocity.

The first video, "Mars Helicopter (before it went to Mars)," highlights the engineering and preparation of the Mars helicopter, showcasing its design and capabilities.

Power Requirements for Hovering

Now, let's consider the power needed for a helicopter to hover. Power is defined as the rate of energy change. If energy is measured in Joules and time in seconds, power is expressed in Watts.

In the context of hovering, energy changes will relate to the kinetic energy of the air displaced by the rotors. We can utilize our previous expression for the air cylinder's mass alongside the time interval to derive the power equation. Notably, the power required to hover is proportional to the air velocity raised to the third power. Larger rotors can facilitate lower thrust speeds, resulting in reduced power requirements.

Human-Powered Helicopters

For a human to power a hovering helicopter effectively, we must ensure manageable power output. Larger rotors and lower thrust speeds are ideal. Take, for instance, the AeroVelo Atlas, which operates solely on human power.

Let's analyze the power needed for a similar craft, the Gamera II from the University of Maryland. Here are the relevant parameters:

• Mass = 37 kg + 60 kg (aircraft plus human)
• Rotor diameter = 14.2 m
• Rotor area = 633.471 m²
• Calculated thrust velocity = 1.54 m/s
• Calculated power = 694 Watts

Can a human sustain 694 Watts? It's challenging but feasible for brief intervals.

The second video, "Can a toy helicopter fly at Mars pressure?" demonstrates the effects of Mars' atmospheric pressure on helicopter functionality, providing insights into the physics involved.

Physics Models Versus Real Helicopters

Are our models accurate representations of real-world helicopters? Given the complexity of helicopter dynamics, we cannot rely solely on basic physics principles. However, we can validate our power models by comparing calculated values with those of actual helicopters, which differ in rotor size and mass.

Consulting resources like Wikipedia reveals rotor sizes, masses, and power details for various helicopters. By plotting actual power against calculated power, we can assess the reliability of our model.

Surprisingly, the results align linearly, indicating our power model holds validity. While the slope may not equal 1.0, it suggests the listed power values likely represent maximum outputs rather than hover requirements.

Investigating the thrust velocity across different helicopters also reveals interesting trends. Although the relationship isn't entirely clear, all analyzed helicopters demonstrate a consistent thrust speed range, with the slowest calculated speed at 17 m/s and the fastest just over 30 m/s.

Exploring Mars Ingenuity

Can we apply our model to understand the physics of flying on Mars? Absolutely! The Mars atmosphere presents unique challenges, notably its thinness—air density is merely 1% of Earth's. However, Mars' gravity is also lower, approximately 38% that of Earth.

Using the Mars Ingenuity helicopter's specifications (mass of 1.8 kg and rotor diameter of 1.2 m), we calculate a thrust speed of 31.4 m/s and a power requirement of 105 Watts, which aligns with NASA's indicated power of 350 Watts. Notably, the Ingenuity operates without a tail rotor due to its counter-rotating blades, which maintain equilibrium.

S.H.E.I.L.D. Helicarrier

Now, let's consider the fictional S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. Although it's not a real helicopter, we can analyze the power it would require to achieve flight. Assuming it resembles a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier with a mass of approximately 10⁸ kg and a rotor radius of 17.8 m, our calculations yield a thrust speed of 642 m/s and a power of 3.17 x 10¹¹ Watts.

While this power requirement may seem excessive compared to a real aircraft carrier's nuclear power output, it sparks intriguing discussions about advanced technologies such as the Tesseract, which could hypothetically provide immense energy.

However, the thrust speed is prohibitively high, nearly double the speed of sound. By adjusting our parameters, we find that reducing thrust speed to 50 m/s necessitates significantly larger rotor sizes to generate sufficient lift.

Ultimately, the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier's design evolution in the "Captain America: Winter Soldier" film introduces advanced technology, highlighting the blend of science fiction with intriguing physics concepts.