Physics of Helicopters: Part 1

Exploring the engineering behind helicopters

We've all been curious about helicopters at one point or another. But how do they actually work? How do they lift off the ground, turn, and fly? For example, do the rotors spin faster to make the helicopter rise? And what's the purpose of that smaller rotor on the tail? Let's dive into the fascinating engineering behind it.

Main Rotor Blades

Rotor blades are the long, flat arms you see spinning on top of a helicopter. They're like the wings of an airplane but instead of being fixed, they spin around to lift the helicopter into the air. When these blades turn, they cut through the air and push it downward, which pushes the helicopter up.

Image taken from here

The angle of a helicopter's rotor blades is crucial because it controls how much air the blades push down, which directly affects the thrust, the force that lifts the helicopter.

Think of the rotor blades like the oars of a boat. If you tilt…