“Did you ever fly a helicopter before?” Chick asked, as they perfected the connections between tank and the lamp base.
“No. But it’s simple! I mean—I can do it! You see, Chick, my flying experience will let me handle the tractor propeller, just the same as in the Dart.”
“I suppose so! And I see that all you have to do about the top set of blades is to throw in a clutch that meshes the gears on the upright mast. The mast is set in a step and bearing in the body frame. It is squared into the gear that turns it—I guess you can manage it.”
Don agreed.
Nevertheless, being a cautious youth who believed in being forehanded, he went over the curious, squat fuselage, tracing gas, oil, water-cooling and other feeds and piping. Then he examined the engine. Except that it was of a make he had not handled, it offered no difficulties.
Assuring himself that the gas gauge indicated at least several hours of fuel supply, and that he understood the controls for the lifting mechanism, Don operated the momentum starter. Its handle, rapidly rotated, gave a big, heavy wheel considerable momentum. Then, applying its control, he transmitted the power thus achieved to the engine and after several attempts the starter caused the charge in a cylinder to be ignited as the flywheel turned onto a point where a firing current passed into a charge of fuel mixture.
At once the engine took up its revolutions.
Don manipulated the throttle until he became fairly conversant with the power response, then, carefully, being sure that all was well, and that they had the film already threaded properly in the projector and that Chick comprehended the handling of the fuel for the lamp jet, he eased down the engine, let in the upper blade clutch, and saw the mast whirl its fan-like top slowly.
Gradually, as Chick cast loose the ropes, Don increased the speed of the upper blades, leaving the forward propeller idle.
The speed of the rotating fan soon began to be felt; but they did not rise.