msterry Posted December 15, 2003 Report Share Posted December 15, 2003 Does anyone have or know where I can get a picture of an AStar with the "Squirrel Cheeks" installed? Any help is appreciated! Tailwinds, Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopperdr Posted December 16, 2003 Report Share Posted December 16, 2003 sir: go to the airborne law enforcement website, under photos go to the rcmp set, there b3 has them installed, the cheeks are made by eurocopter canada.cal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Hunt Posted December 16, 2003 Report Share Posted December 16, 2003 Send me a private message, i will email you a shot of a Squirrel with a right-hand cheek. Good for golf clubs and bulky items, didn't slow us down noticeably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Greenhalgh Posted December 16, 2003 Report Share Posted December 16, 2003 One of the Ontario MNR B2's with the cheeks. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamic Component Posted January 14, 2004 Report Share Posted January 14, 2004 Does anyone know if the "cheeks"affect the Auto carastiristics(big word for me) at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heli-Ops Posted January 14, 2004 Report Share Posted January 14, 2004 John Cameron Aviation at Bankstown Airport make them, let me know if you want contact details. Not sure if Dart Aero also make them as I know they used to represent John Cameron in Canada. Heli Ops rotorheadsmiley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECL_FTE Posted January 21, 2004 Report Share Posted January 21, 2004 Dynamic Component - the autorotation characteristics of the aircraft are not affected by the squirrel cheeks. Great option (more or less no performance penalties).. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Posted January 22, 2004 Report Share Posted January 22, 2004 I'd agree that autos aren't affected by "cheeks," but cruise flight is, somewhat. The aircraft aerodynamic trim stability is decreased and it will "hunt" in pitch and yaw. It's not marked and some guys never notice, but it's there.If you carry bulky and or heavy gear and pax, it's a great addition to a fine aircraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECL_FTE Posted January 22, 2004 Report Share Posted January 22, 2004 Wally - Are you talking about the Eurocopter Canada Cheeks or DART or American Eurocopter ? I've done the certification of the Eurocopter Canada's ones and never noticed yaw hunting. Static stability is slightly changed but nothing noticeable (slope of static stab unchanged). Do you have any other options installed on your aircraft ? maybe it's a combination of external mod... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Posted January 23, 2004 Report Share Posted January 23, 2004 Don't recall brands- the squarish cheeks were the most pronounced hunters, the others (Photo above), less so. I'd flown the same aircraft for years, and years again with the cheeks, and other line aircraft, with and without. All with pop out floats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 Generally there is little change with one "cheek" or "pod" fitted other than losing a knot or so. From advice from "somewhere in France" however, beware of possible "unusual" pitch behaviour at extreme C of G during steep or descending turns if you have cheeks/pods fitted to both sides. The advice was that "under certain conditions" the nose had a tendency to want to tuck under. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECL_FTE Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 I think we have to be careful when we talk about the cargo pods. There are at least 3 different manufacturers that I know of in North America (Dart, American Eurocopter and Eurocopter Canada). They have different behaviour / effects on the aircraft and so when one says there is some "unusual behaviour" he should mention the exact type of pods. I know for a fact that when we performed the flight test on the Astar with the Eurocopter Canada pods we did not notice any yaw and / or pitch hunting. However if anyone has data to substantiate the fact, I'd really like to take a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopperdr Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 helped dart develop there 350 pods, then was employed at ecl, can verify that the overall shape of the dart pods and ecl squirrel cheeks are basically the same. the mfg technique's are much different, wet layup vs autoclave. was present for flight test on dart pods, and do not recall any unusual flight characteristics. the aec pods are very square in shape and have a small verticle scoop at the aft end of the pod, which leads me to believe this was installed to overcome some sort of handling anamoly.dr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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