A study of the aerodynamic interaction between a main rotor and a fuselage

The wake of a helicopter rotor can have a significant effect on a fuselage. Results from a recent wind-tunnel investigation show that certain fuselage characteristics, normalized by rotor thrust, scale proportionally to a rotor-wake-induced velocity parameter. Effects on the body of changes in velocity, thrust, tip-path-plane angle of attack, and rotor/body position are discussed. These results show that the rotor can have a favorable or unfavorable influence on the body, depending upon the operating condition.