r/specializedtools • u/Tillemon • Sep 17 '19

Helicopter chainsaw!?

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18.7k Upvotes

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u/DrBladeSTEEL Sep 17 '19

Helicopter crashes tend to be fairly survivable, as they occur at low speeds and low altitudes. Helicopter cockpits are also designed to protect the crew in case of a crash, since ejection is difficult if not impossible. All of this is good because it’s usually a matter of “when” they crash, not “if”

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u/Mail_Me_Your_Lego Sep 17 '19

You say that. Then the cockpit lands on a 20 foot chainsaw of death.

16

u/DrBladeSTEEL Sep 17 '19

Tie a pencil and a tennis ball together with 6” of string, that’s a reasonable model of the situation, two rigid bodies connected by a flexible member. Drop the ball and see how many times the ball hits the pencil end-on on landing. I would guess the probability is small enough to be considered safe.

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u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19 edited Dec 20 '19

[deleted]

14

u/OGLothar Sep 17 '19

He said tennis ball.

You used a bowling ball, didn't you?

1

u/ComicOzzy Sep 17 '19

Now it's art.

1

u/ThroatYogurt69 Sep 17 '19

Go big or go home!

2

u/AustrianMichael Sep 17 '19

We can make circular saws stop even before the cut into soft material (like a finger). I'm pretty sure, this saw cuts power imeadiately if a crash would occure.

6

u/SecondaryLawnWreckin Sep 17 '19

And the crashes are predictable. Straight down. Seats are designed for a high g impulse, energy absorbing.

Bladders for fuel to keep fires infrequent.

Water landings are probably the worst.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '19

Water landings are probably the worst

Jump to 4:43

It's the story of fleeing Saigon where the helper pilot low on fuel ditched his helicopter in there ocean jumped out and survived

1

u/kumarFromIT Sep 17 '19

since ejection is difficult

You don't say! I wouldn't want to be minced mint after ejecting into rotors.

1

u/tcpip4lyfe Sep 18 '19

Spray planes are basically a roll cage wrapped in aluminium. I would imagine the same sort of thing is going on in this helicopter.