Flying ‘paddleboat’ may finally take off

In the KeelyNet archives, there is a story about an English group who has built and are flying these flying paddlewheels. As I recall, they go slow but are very efficient and can lift incredible payloads.

“A cyclogyro flies using “cycloidal propellers” – several wings positioned around the edge of a rotating cylindrical framework, a bit like a paddle-wheel. As each wing rotates, its blades move through the air generating lift and thrust. And, since each wing rotates through a full circle, altering the angle of the individual blades can pull the aircraft forwards, backwards and down as well up. The manoeuvrability that cycloidal propellers could offer provides benefits over more established flying methods. Although no cyclogyro has yet flown without being tethered, its proponents say the design could prove more efficient and manoeuvrable than helicopters at small scales. A team of Singapore researchers is leading the race to construct a working cyclogyro with a prototype that hovers on the end of a line. After studying the performance of different cycloidal designs, the pair modified a toy helicopter, giving it two cycloidal propellers with three blades each, and a small tail rotor for stability. “On the tether, the aircraft can spin, move directly up and down or fly forward and backward,” says Hu. “This is perhaps the first recorded flight for a cyclogyro,” he adds. “There were some people claiming successful flights, but no video or proof for that.” “Cyclogyros are more relevant now because people want to build small, agile UAVs [uncrewed aerial vehicles],” says Weihs. At such sizes they have greater advantages over helicopters, he says. The parts of a helicopter blade nearest and furthest from the hub are moving too slowly and too fast, respectively, to generate thrust. “With a cyclogyro every bit moves at the same speed, so there is no ‘dead space’,” says Weihs. Cyclogyros can also be more manoeuvrable, says Weihs. Helicopters must tilt to travel laterally. But cycloidal propellers can generate thrust in any direction so the craft can remain level, or adopt any other position and still fly in any direction. These advantages are greatest at small sizes. “They are probably not practical above half a metre across,” says Weihs. “You won’t see one carry a passenger.” - Source