This is just the basic informations for the beginners which did not know any things about the helicopter or airplane before and wants to know some principles that why the helicopter can fly but not in deep details. For the people that want to know more than what I have in here, please go to the text book which have many professors wrote them or go to the specific helicopter manuals. The details about the helicopter has so much to put it all in the WEB.

The wings of the airplane create a lift force when they move through the air. As we known,during flight, there are four forces acting on the helicopter or airplane and those are LIFT , DRAG , THRUST ,and WEIGHT .(please go back and see on What makes an airplane fly ? section).In order to make the wings to move through the air , of course, the plane itself has to move. A helicopter works by having its wings move through the air while the body stays still. The helicopter's wings are called Main Rotor Blades. The shape and the angle of the blades move through the air will determine how much Lift force is created. After the helicopter lifted off the ground, the pilot can tilt the blades, causing the helicopter to tip forward or backward or sideward.

Although we will describe certain terms or parts of helicopter more in the next sections as we go along, but we should familier with all of these terms in order to understand the helicopter better.

Helicopter, Lift is obtained by means of one or more power driven horizontal propellers which called Main Rotor. When the main rotor of helicopter turns it produces lift and reaction torque. Reaction torque tends to make helicopter spin. On most helicopters, a small rotor near the tail which called tail rotor compensates for this torque. On twin rotor helicopter the rotors rotate in opposite directions, their reactions cancel each other.

The lifting force is produced by the main rotor . As they spin in the air and produced the lift. Each blade produces an equal share of the lifting force. The weight of a helicopter is divided evenly between the rotor blades on the main rotor system. If a helicopter weight 4000 lbs and it has two blades, then each blade must be able to support 2000 lbs.In addition to the static weight of helicopter ,each blade must be accept dynamic load as well . For example, if a helicopter pull up in a 1.5 g manouver (1.5 time the gravity force), then the effective weight of helicopter will be 1.5 time of static helicopter weight or 6000 lbs. due to gravitational pull.

The tail rotor is very important. If you spin a rotor with an engine, the rotor will rotate,but the engine and helicopter body will tend to rotate in opposite direction to the rotor. This is called Torque reaction. Newton's third law of motion states , " to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" . The tail rotor is used to compensates for this torque and hold the helicopter straight. On twin-rotors helicopter , the rotors spin in opposite directions, so their reactions cancel each other.

All rotor systems are subject to Dissymmetry of Lift in forward flight . At a hover , the lift is equal across the entire rotor disk . As the helicopter gain air speed , the advanceing blade develops greater lift because of the increased airspeed and the retreating blade will produce less lift , this will cause the helicopter to roll (for example: if rotor speed = 400 km/hr , helicopter move forward=100 km/hr then advancing blade will have speed=500 km/hr but the retreating blade will has moving speed of only 300 kr/hr ) . This has to be compensated for in some way .

Dissymmetry of lift is compensated for by Blade flapping. Because of the increased airspeed and lift on the advancing blade will cause the blade to flap up and decreasing the angle of attack . The decreased lift on the retreating blade will cause the blade to flap down and increasing the angle of attack . The combination of decreased angle of attack on the advancing blade and increased angle of attack on the retreating blade through blade flapping action tends to equalize the lift over the two halves of the rotor disc.

The Thrust produced by the auxiliary (tail) rotor is governed by the position of anti torque pedals. These are not rudder pedals, although they are in the same place as rudder pedals on an airplane. They are linked to a pitch change mechanism in the tail rotor gear box to permit the pilot to increase the pitch of the tail rotor blades. The primary purpose of the tail rotor and its controls is to counteract the torque effect of the main rotor.

Helicopter, Lift is obtained by means of one or more power driven horizontal propellers which called Rotors. When the rotors of helicopter turns it produces lift and reaction torque, reaction torque which tends to make helicopter spin. on most helicopters a small rotor near the tail which called tail rotor compensates for this torque. On twin rotor helicopter the rotors rotate in opposite directions, their reactions cancel each other. The direction of helicopter is controlled by inclining the axis of the main rotor path in that direction.

There are three major controls in the helicopter that the pilot must use during flight. They are : ( 1 ) Collective pitch control. ( 2 ) Anti Torque Pedals or Tail Rotor Control. ( 3 ) Cyclic Stick Control.

Collective Lever is connected to the rotor system via push pull tubes. It also has droop com pensation devics which sense change in the collective pitch lever and increases or decreases fuel to the engine automatically somewhat in anticipated of a change in power required. This helps to minimize the RPM fluctuations during collective pitch change.


Engine Control (Emergency) is the throttle twist grip. During emergency condition, between flight and flight idle positions. This is useful during any event which would cause engine or rotor RPM to go too high or while landing after a tail rotor failure.

Idle Release Button, when the throttle is rolled from " off " to " idle " the idle release button snaps into a detent which prevents the throttle from being rolled back to " off "

Starter Button : Pushing this button will cause the starter / generator to act as a starter motor ( Starter / Generator is a component that funtion in either mode as a starter or generator ) , turning over the engine.

Landing Light Switch has a three position which are " off " , " forward " and "both " . In forward , only the forward light is activated. In both, the forward and downward lights are activated .


Power Trim Switch ,by holding it in " increase " or " decrease " the pilot can set the RPM that the pilot attempt to maintain

Function of Controls (Continue)

Anti-Torque Pedals or Tail Rotor Control

In accordance with Newton's law of action and reaction, the helicopter fuselage tends to rotate in the direction opposite to the rotor blades . This effect is called torque . Torque must be counteracted and controlled to make flight is possible . Compensation for torque in a single main rotor helicopter is accomplished by means of a variable pitch antitorque rotor (tail rotor) located on the end of the tail boom extension at the rear of fuselage.

Heading Control : In addition to counteracted torque, the tail rotor and its control linkage also permit control of the helicopter heading during flight . Application of more control than is necessary to counteract torque will cause the nose of helicopter to turn in the direction of pedal movement.

In forward flight , the pedals are not used to control the heading of the helicopter (except during portions of crosswind takeoff and approach). They are used to compensate for torque to put the helicopter in longitudinal trim so that coordinated flight can be maintained.

The thrust of the tail rotor is depend upon the pitch angle of the tail rotor blades. The tail rotor may have a positive pitch angle or it may have a negative pitch angle which to push the tail to the right or pull the tail to the left.

With the right pedal pressed or moved forward of the neutral position will cause the tail rotor blades to change the pitch angle and the nose of helicopter will yaw to the right . With the left pedal pressed or moved forward of the neutral position will cause the tail rotor blades to change the pitch angle opposite to the right pedal and the nose of helicopter will yaw to the left.

Function of Controls (Continue)

Cyclic Control

As mention earier , the total lift force is always perpendicular to the tip-path plane of the main rotor. When the tip path plane is tilt away from the horizontal, the lift -thrust force is divide into two components of forces that are, the horizontal acting force, thrust and the upward acting force, lift.

The purpose of the cyclic pitch control is to tilt the tip path plane in the direction that horizontal movement is desired. The thrust component of force then pulls the helicopter in the direction of rotor tilt. The cyclic control changes the direction of this force,thus controlling the attitude and air speed of helicopter.

The rotor disc tilts in the same direction of the cyclic stick was moved. If the cyclic stick is moved forward, the rotor disc tilt forward: if the cyclic is moved aft, the rotor disc tilt aft, and so on. The rotor disc will always tilt in the same direction that the cyclic stick is moved.

The above picture is only typical for cyclic control stick which different manufacturer will have some detail different but the main fuction is the same.

The radio switch is used for pilot to transmit radio by clicking the switch.

The trim switch , pilot use this switch to neutralize stick force . Pilot can use the trim switch to put the stick to the right , left , forward or backward . This runs electric motor which will tension the spring which will tend to hold the stick. The cyclic will stay where it is even the pilot were let it go . This also release tension from pilot.

The cargo release switch is the option switch, some manufacturer may have other function switch.