Why not use feathers as propellor plates, helicopter blades. If you could translate the rotational motion into flapping.
-- JesusHChrist, Jan 01 2017

//Why not//

Well, mainly because it's very difficult to find a feather that will support a load of several hundred (or in the case of a large helicopter, up to several thousand) kg.

Does that answer your question?

<waits>

<taps on glass>

I said: does that answer your... yes, banana. Very good.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 01 2017


If you had several gross of feathers this would probably work. Of course, teaching the birds to flap while rotating would be a challenge, as would keeping sufficient washer fluid to keep the windshield clean.
-- whatrock, Jan 02 2017


First of all, flapping on an aircraft would require just too strong structure, so you would run inoto problems. Second- propellers run at very high speeds (their tips are actually supersonic at at least several moments) so feathers wouldnt hold it. Also, helicopter blade parts near tips run at high speeds so feathers also may not hold (birds fly up to 300kmh, but not 1200). But if you make helicopter blades run quite slow and invent a mount to hold feathers, you CAN make a helicopter blade using feathers, although it would be rotating and not flapping as you desired.
-- dreamtechnics, Jan 03 2017


"It's the brain drain. His brain is draining." -- Victor Spinetti
-- whatrock, Jan 03 2017



random, halfbakery