ALFRED GESSOW /GARRY C. MYERS Jr The standard work on helicopters, “the best textbook on the subject” —LEE ARNOLD. Chairman, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, New York University Tizero wind) 7iveloaiiyy yy) Flopping ongle ‘ ----l=2:,AERODYNAMICS OF THE HELICOPTER ALFRED GESSOW GARRY C. MYERS, JR. U FREDERICK UNGAR PUBLISHING CO. NEW YORKDEDICATED TO MorRIs AND EMMA GESSOW Eighth Printing, 1985 Copyright 1952 by Alfred Gessow and the estate of Garry C. Myers, Jr. Republished 1967 by arrangement with Alfred Gessow and the estate of Garry C. Myers, Jr. Printed in the United States of America ISBN 0-8044-4275-4 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 67-26126 PREFACE TO THE THIRD PRINTING Since the first printing of Aerodynamics of the Helicopter in 1951, much has happened to the helicopter to justify the faith of the early enthusiasts who predicted a great future for the ungainly, noisy, vibrating aircraft which could barely lift their own weight on a hot day. The helicopter has fulfilled amply those expectations by proving its worth in a multitude of commercial and military tasks. It is especially gratifying that even in military operations, the helicopter has served primarily in a constructive and lifesaving capacity. The impressive list of accomplishments achieved by the modern helicopter is obviously the result of marked improvement over the early models produced during the period when the text for this book was written. Why, then, republish the book in its original edition? To put the question in another way, why was it not fully revised? Actually, the new printing was produced in response to numerous requests from engineers, professors, and students who were not able to obtain copies of the earlier printings. Obviously then, the basic treatment in the text of the various facets of helicopter aerodynamics is fundamental and just as valid for today’s helicopters as it was for the earliest versions. The text was not revised for this reason and for fear of tampering with what experience has shown to be a successful format. Although much new material could have been added to make the book more complete, it might have been at the expense of simplicity