[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 3 - 09:51:26 ]
Welcome to our early arriving chatters. We will begin today's chat with Larry Young in approximately 10 minutes. Please stay with us!

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 4 - 09:59:46 ]
Hello and welcome to today's Aerospace Team Online chat with Larry Young from NASA Ames Research Center.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 5 - 09:59:55 ]
Larry Young is currently the project manager for the Tilt Rotor Aeroacoustic Model (TRAM) project. He leads a team of engineering and technical professionals investigating how to make tiltrotor aircraft as quiet as possible. The group hopes that one day, tiltrotors can reduce the growing congestion at our country's airports, and provide service for small or underdeveloped communities not served by major commercial airlines.

[ LarryYoung/ARC - 6 - 10:00:09 ]
Hello Everybody!

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 7 - 10:00:14 ]
And now, here is Larry Young to answer your questions.

[ Ryan - 8 - 10:00:24 ]
Dear Mr. Young A noise reduced tiltrotor? How much do you think intstalling your device cost, and will it be worth the trouble?

[ LarryYoung/ARC - 9 - 10:02:27 ]
It's hard at this point to quantify cost to a vehicle. But, my guess is that anything that adds more than 10% cost isn't likely to be implemented. As to is it worth it: the answer is yes for a variety of reasons.

[ LarryYoung/ARC - 11 - 10:06:51 ]
For example, Ryan, we are closely looking at using 'active' rotor control to reduce noise. This entails putting in high frequency control inputs to the rotors well above the primary rotor control rates. This will entail adding a low authority, high freq control system to the rotor blades and/or control system.

[ LarryYoung/ARC - 12 - 10:10:31 ]
RE: [Ryan] Dear Mr. Young A noise reduced tiltrotor? How much do you think intstalling your device cost, and will it be worth the trouble?
As to why tiltrotor noise reduction is worth it there are several reasons why it is. First, our hope within NASA is to make civil tiltrotors an important part of America's future transportation network. Second, from a military standpoint quiet tiltrotors are harder to detect by opponents.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 13 - 10:12:20 ]
Larry, while we're waiting for more questions, can you share with us some of the differences (e.g. travel time, maneuverability) between tilt rotors and jet engine aircraft?

[ LarryYoung/ARC - 15 - 10:17:05 ]
To give you some reasons why tiltrotors are key to future transportation. First of all, tiltrotors can almost hover as efficiently as helicopters, but can fly much faster. Tiltrotors can cruise anywhere from 250 to 300 knots (1 knot is 1.15 mile per hour). Some design studies suggest tiltrotors can fly up to around 400 knots. A modern turbo-prop airplane flies from around 300 to 400 knots. A modern commercial jet airplane flies around 450-500 knots.

[ LarryYoung/ARC - 16 - 10:19:27 ]
RE: [Susan] Hi Larry, Is a tiltrotor louder than a helicoper?
Hi Susan. A tiltrotor, right now, is louder than most helicopters when it is hovering and/or taking off or landing. However, it is quieter when it is flying in cruise (when it's noise level is comparable to a turbo-prop airplane). Some of the noise reduction work we are doing at NASA will hopefully reduce tiltrotor noise well below current levels for rotorcraft as a whole.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 21 - 10:24:20 ]
Corey, welcome, and thank you for joining us.

[ LarryYoung/ARC - 22 - 10:24:56 ]
RE: [Ryan] Once we acquire this technology do you think it can be duplicated and used against us?
This (and any) technology is likely to be copied by other countries if it proves valuable. However, the United States has invested for several decades in tiltrotor technology. We are well ahead of any other country as to tiltrotor technology. Further, critical technologies (even those developed by NASA) can have constraints/conditions applied to them to minimize information distribution. Competition is generally good, but everything needs to be weighed by a case by case basis.

[ LarryYoung/ARC - 24 - 10:28:22 ]
RE: [Corey] I like the idea that the blades can be horizontal or vertical. Who came up with that idea and how is it done.
Hi Corey. Like a lot of good ideas a number of companies and people arrived at the same design solution about the same time in the forties and fifties. But the leader in the practical implementation of tiltrotor technology has bee Bell Helicopter Textron, in Texas. Bell, through NASA and the U.S. Army funding and collaboration, has been developing the tiltrotor flight vehicles since the sixties. Bell and Boeing have put in production the V-22 Osprey and Bell is on track for selling the Bell Augusta 609 civil tiltrotor.

[ LarryYoung/ARC - 25 - 10:30:21 ]
RE: [Susan] Thanks for answering my question Larry. Does the acoustic remodel of the 40 x 80 wind tunnel help your research?
Yes Susan. One test alone does not solve a complex problem such as making a quieter tiltrotor. But the 40-by-80 test and the TRAM project that I lead are important to the overall problem solving process. TRAM's primary objective is acquiring high quality critical data to validate design computer codes for tiltrotors.

[ LarryYoung/ARC - 27 - 10:34:19 ]
RE: [Cassie] Were you nervous the first time you went to NASA?
You bet Cassie! I came to NASA Ames just out of college. I hadn't ever lived outside Washington State before. Coming to the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley was a big change for me. I work closely with the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (40-by-80 and 80-by-120 Foot Wind Tunnels). These tunnels are huge. The six fan drives are 25 foot in diameter. It can consume 100 Mega-Watts of power -- enough to power a small town. Yes, I was nervous. But a lot of good things in life make you nervous the first time you do them.

[ LarryYoung/ARC - 29 - 10:39:30 ]
RE: [Clayton] Is there a button to push while the pilot is in flight, so tha the blades can switch from horizontal to vertical?
Hi Clayton. Yes, there are some very sophisticated fly-by-wire controls in modern tiltrotor aircraft -- such as the V-22 Osprey and the BA 609. Flight controls development is a major technical discipline within aeronautics and rotorcraft. Noise reduction devices and flight path management will in the future further increase the complexity of tiltrotor flight controls.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 30 - 10:40:33 ]
At the conclusion of today's chat, we ask that you share your comments with us at http://quest.nasa.gov/qchats. We look forward to hearing from you!

[ LarryYoung/ARC - 32 - 10:47:42 ]
RE: [Oran/NASAChatHost] Larry, what would you say has been most fulfilling for you in your career with NASA so far?
Several things actually. But the two most fulfilling aspects of my job are solving complex problems and working with the hardworking, dedicated civil servants and contractors within the NASA system.

[ LarryYoung/ARC - 34 - 10:51:01 ]
If anybody would like to talk about some of the work I've been doing recently looking at vertical lift planetary aerial vehicles (for example flying on Mars), I'd be happy to. You can also look at my field journal on the Quest site.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 35 - 10:52:31 ]
RE: [LarryYoung/ARC] If anybody would like to talk about some of the work I've been doing recently looking at vertical lift planetary aerial vehicles (for example flying on Mars), I'd be happy to. You can also look at my field journal on the Quest site.
Larry's field journals are located within his online profile, at http://quest.nasa.gov/aero/team/young.html

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 36 - 10:54:33 ]
This concludes today's Aerospace Team Online chat with Larry Young from NASA Ames Research Cneter. We would like to thank everyone for joining us today, along with Larry Young for sharing his career experience with us.

[ LarryYoung/ARC - 37 - 10:55:11 ]
Well, it's been fun. I hope everybody enjoyed themselves, and learned something as well.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 38 - 10:55:55 ]
We invite you to join us for our next ATO chat with Gavin Botha from NASA Ames Research Center, on Tuesday, February 1 at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 39 - 10:56:25 ]
A final reminder to send your thoughts about today's chat with us, at http://quest.nasa.gov/qchats. Thank you again to everyone for joining us today. Have a good day.