Performance degradation of a model helicopter main rotor in hover and forward flight with a generic ice shape

A model helicopter has been used to collect test data and provide an experimental means of studying helicopter performance in a subsonic wind tunnel. A simulated generic ice shape was attached to the rotor blades and performance data were obtained for both hover and forward flights. Significant degradation in helicopter performance with respect to torque and thrust coefficient was observed; the rotor tip region was especially sensitive. Two-dimensional wind tunnel tests were conducted over a Reynolds number range 0.7-3 x 10 to the 6th in order to investigate the effect of Reynolds number on the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil in both clean and iced configurations. Only minimal dependence of the aerodynamic data on Reynolds number was observed.