How to Fly a Helicopter
For businesses, recreation, military applications, and rescue activities, the helicopter is one of the most useful flying machines known to humankind. Helicopters are very flexible, versatile flying machines, which makes them very efficient for short-distance flying and other flight operations that require precision, accuracy, and speed. Here are some tips to help you learn how to fly a helicopter.
How Helicopters Work
In the 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci designed two drafts of a machine designed to fly: the aerial screw and the Ornithorpter. Leonardo’s flying machines did not materialize, although they did form the basis of modern aviation and the design of the modern helicopter.
Helicopters differ from airplanes in many different ways:
Flight mechanisms. Planes use jet engines to propel themselves forward, and the fixed wings allow the object to stay airborne. Helicopters use rotors and propellers to get and remain airborne. The rotors of a helicopter are designed to act as wings, and the machines are thus called rotary-wing aircraft.
Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). In congested areas like cities, planes are quite impractical because they need a runway or a clearing to take off. VTOL is found in many advanced military planes, but they generate a lot of heat. For congested areas and places without aircraft support, the VTOL capabilities of helicopters prove to be extremely useful.
Hovering. Rescuers and firefighters use helicopters in emergency situations where a flying machine needs to hover for long periods of time. The hovering capabilities of heavy-duty helicopters
Controlling a Helicopter
helicopter pilotHelicopters can be tricky to control at first, but once you get the hang of the control devices, you can zip around the air efficiently. Most helicopters usually have three control systems:
Cyclic control is divided between lateral movement (sideways) and longitudinal movement (forward).
Collective pitch control moves the pitch of the rotor blades to adjust the hovering height of the machine.
Anti-torque and throttle controls adjust the torque and revolutions per minute (RPM) rate of the rotor blades.
The key to flying a helicopter is to combine and synchronize these three controls to get the machine to move where you want it to go. At first you may end up whizzing about aimlessly in the air prone to an accident, but once you get the hang of it you can take a helicopter where you want it to go with pinpoint accuracy.
Helicopter School
Aviation schools and training programs offer specialized education to help you fly a helicopter. The duration of helicopter training programs depend on your skill level and the course program outlined by the flight training facility. Some helicopter training programs may offer simulator training before putting you in an actual helicopter with a very experienced flight instructor on the helm. Prices may also vary depending on the training facilities and the duration of the training program.
Flight has always been a key factor in travel and movement in the modern age. With these tips, you can move around many different places and accomplish many different tasks with one of the most efficient, fastest, and exciting flying machines known today.