Did you know that helicopters fly with their rotors pointed straight down? When you see a helicopter in the air, it is flying with its rotors pointed straight down. This is because the natural tendency of an aircraft to fly forward causes the aircraft to rise. In order to fly level, helicopters tilt their rotors forward at an angle, creating lift and keeping the aircraft stationary in the air. If a helicopter flies straight up, it will stall and fall back down. But that is just the start. Here, are some more interesting facts about helicopters:
From UH-1 Huey to the latest UH-60 Blackhawk
One of the most interesting helicopters was the UH-1 Huey. This helicopter is still in use and has been in production since 1963. It can transport up to 20 passengers and flew in Vietnam during the war. Another cool helicopter is the UH-60 Blackhawk, which has been in production since 1978. The Blackhawk is used by the Army and Air Force, but it also provides passenger service to commercial airlines. It was originally designed as a multipurpose aircraft that could be used for special forces operations and provide heavy firepower on short notice. In 1992, it became the first helicopter to circumnavigate the globe, crossing both poles at an altitude of 20,000 feet above sea level. The last interesting helicopter is called “Super Stallion” or “Sikorsky S-92”, which was designed for medical evacuation missions. This helicopter can carry 12 patients, each with a stretcher that can be raised from 2 feet below ground to 15 feet high (the maximum height for a standard helipad) or lowered from 15 feet to 2 feet below ground for emergency landings.
All helicopters have 3 main parts
There are three main parts that make up a helicopter: the fuselage, rotor, and tail rotor. The fuselage is where the engine and the cockpit is located. The rotor is what rotates around to provide power for flight. And the tail rotor is used to stabilize the aircraft and prevent it from spinning out of control.
A helicopter can lift more weight than an equivalent sized airplane
A helicopter can lift more weight than an equivalent sized airplane.
They have to fly close to the ground
A helicopter is one of the few aircrafts that has a positive angle of attack. This means that the rotor has a lower angle at the front of the rotor disc, creating lift and allowing them to fly. At the back of their rotor discs, helicopters have a higher angle of attack which creates drag, making it harder for them to fly. That’s why helicopters often fly very close to the ground and use their engine power to compensate for what they lose in lift due to drag.
A helicopter’s rotor has 3 blades and a helicopter has 2 rotors
A helicopter’s rotor has three blades and a helicopter has two rotors. They are usually one above the other, and they can rotate at different speeds, depending on their use. For example, an air ambulance typically has slow-rotating rotors to help maintain their altitude. On the other hand, military helicopters typically have fast-rotating rotors for faster movement.
This powerful tail rotor helps stabilize the aircraft in flight and prevent it from tucking its nose in when it turns or takes off vertically. In fact, most helicopters have a tail rotor that acts as a counterbalance to the main rotor to keep stability while turning or taking off vertically. If you take a helicopter up in the air but don’t turn on its engine, it will drift down due to gravity. However, if you turn on its engine while ascending to fly level, the electricity generated by the engine will counteract gravity and keep the helicopter stable in flight.
Conclusion
A helicopter is a versatile aircraft that can be used for a variety of tasks. It’s also unique in the way it hovers in place. There are many fascinating facts about helicopters that you might not know, and I hope you found this blog post interesting!
To watch some helicopter in action, visit my friend’s youtube channel about them 🙂 see below.