Post
by granch » Wed Mar 21, 2012 4:04 pm
When you drive your car with all windows open, you'll need more fuel for the same distance and at the same speed. The reason is the resistance to air flow. With closed doors on helicopters, it will have the same effect, since the entire fuselage including doors is studied to have the smallest resistance to air flow and opened windows or doors enhance the drag and lower the speed. In desert areas, there is an other problem: sand... with the rotor wind during start and landing, you'll get sand into a very expensive electronic, but if you sand the windows, you'll have a less good vision outdoor with time. So, I think that before mission, many factors are studied: how far, with what speed and load, quick out boarding necessary or not, altitude (and cold) and so on. So, for short distances, without doors makes the weight advantage and pilot's comfort the difference. All questions of choosing the best compromise.
I've been surprised to see that you can carry 4 men + crew. But probably only on short distances, and it might be not only the question of comfort of these 3rd class seats (with a nice sight around though).