782324A849A4D83D

A Brief Introduction to Helicopters
Introduction to Helicopter
Helicopter is an aircraft that is lifted and propelled

by one or more horizontal rotors, each rotor
consisting of two or more rotor blades classified
as rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft which derive
its lift from the rotor blades rotating around a
mast.
The word “helicopter”
• is adapted from the French “hélicoptère “,
coined by Gustave Ponton d'Amécourt in
1861,originates from Greek words helix/helikos
(“spiral” or “turning”) and pteron (“wing”).
Primary advantages of helicopter
It provides lift without requiring the aircraft to

move forward.
Take off and land vertically without the need for
runways.
For this reason, helicopters are often used in
congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing
aircraft are not able to take off or land.
Motivation
• The overall unique aspect of a helicopter is it’s ability
to hover for extended periods of time.
• The ability to hover it a very useful attribute.
– A good example is that of a hummingbird.
Unique Features
– Rotating-wing vehicles
– Ability to hover
– Land and take-off vertically
– Fly forward, backward and sideways
HELICOPTER MISSIONS
• Transport
• External Slung Loads
• Aerial Survey
• Fire Suppression
• EMS/Air Ambulance/MedEvac
• Pleasure Flying
• Line Patrol
• Pipeline Survey
• Police Operations
• Parachute Dropping
• Aerial Filming and Photography
• Sky Diving
• Flower Drop
• Search and Rescue
Helicopters at Work
• With this ability to hover, helicopters can perform
a wide range of missions.
Development of Helicopter, the VS-300
Igor Sikorsky- designed the first successful

helicopter incorporating the tail rotor into the
design, upon which further designs were
based. (source: FAA Helicopter Flying Handbook)
Development of Helicopters
In1942 in the United States, Russian-born

engineer Igor Sikorsky designed the XR-4 that
reached full-scale production, with 131
aircraft built. This is first military helicopter,
which he delivered to Colonel Franklin
Gregory of the U.S. Army.
Development of Helicopter, the XR-4
On December 11, 1951, the K-225 became the first turbine-powered
helicopter in the world. Kaman helicopter, became the first twin-turbine
helicopter to fly.
Helicopter Components
Airframe – the framework and external covering

of a helicopter.
Fuselage – the main body section that houses
the cabin and accommodate the crew,
passengers and cargo.
Main rotor – rotating part of a helicopter which
generates lift consist of a mast, hub and rotor
blades.
Landing gear – attached to the underside of a

helicopter’s fuselage which enable the
helicopter to safely land.
Powerplant – are essentially engines that
provides power for the helicopter to get off
the ground.
Transmission – transfers power from the engine
to the main rotor, tail rotor and accessories.
Transmission- composed of main rotor transmission, tail rotor drive system,

clutch and freewheeling unit.
Drive train
Tail rotor – smaller rotor that rotates vertically at

the tail section of the helicopter to counteract
torque.
HELICOPTER FLIGHT CONTROLS
20
• Main rotor
– Provides lift through relative motion of rotor blades
21
• Main rotor Blade
– The main rotor blade performs the same function
as an airplane’s wings, providing lift as the blades
rotate
22
• Main Rotor hub
• Cyclic pitch lever
– Changes pitch (AOA) of blades in cycle, or individually
– Controls pitch and roll
25
• Collective pitch lever
– Equally changes pitch (AOA) of all blades at once
– Increases / decreases total lift to control movement
along the vertical axis
26
Collective pitch control
• Swash plate
– The purpose of the swash
plate is to convert
stationary control inputs
from the pilot into rotating
inputs which can be
connected to the rotor
blades or control surfaces.
It consists of two main
parts. The stationary
swash plate and rotating
swash 28
Rotor
• Tail rotor
– Counteracts main rotor torque
– Controls movement around vertical axis (yaw);
controlled by anti-torque pedals
29
Helicopter Flight Characteristics
Configurations of Rotorcraft
• Many different ways to counter Reactive Torque
Other possibilities: Tip jets, tip mounted engines
Question: Why do each of these methods work?

What are the likely advantages and disadvantages of each?
Main Rotor - Tail Rotor Config.
Tandem Rotors (Chinook)
Coaxial Rotors (Kamov KA-52)
NOTAR Helicopter
Intermeshing Helicopter
Tilt Rotor (BA 609)
Main Rotor System
Main Rotor System
Main Rotor System
Main Rotor System
Classification of Main Rotor
• Semi rigid Rotor
;
STEERING A
HELICOPTER
 To steer a helicopter, the way the main rotor generates lift needs to be
changed.
 Certain areas of the rotor disk need to generate more lift than others.
 The lift generated by an airfoil is changed by changing the angle of attack.
 The angle of attack needs to be changed relative to the position of the blade.
 This is done using a swashplate mechanism
SWASHPLATE MECHANISM
 The following slides will explain the swashplate mechanism of a Robinson
R44 helicopter
 Rotor systems are categorized by how many ways a blade can move
independently from the rest of the rotor.
 This helicopter has a semi-rigid rotor system.
 Other rotor systems include fully articulated rotors and rigid rotors.
MAST
 Connects the rotor to the transmission, which is connected to the engine.
 Spins at 550 RPM
 Needs to spin at a constant, predefined speed to maintain optimal
performance.
BALL JOINT
 Can slide up and down the shaft.
 Allows the swashplates to tilt.
STATIONARY SWASHPLATE

Supports the rotating swashplate

 Position and tilt rotation of this component determines how much lift is
generated, and in which direction.
LOWER SCISSOR
 Connects the lower swashplate to the helicopter fuselage.
 Prevents it from rotating with the main rotor.
 Allows the lower swashplate to move up and down, and tilt.
 Is connected using a ball joint.
CONTROL RODS
 Controls the position and tilt of the lower swashplate.
 Is controlled by the pilot using hydraulics.
 A backup mechanical connection to the pilot controls exist, in case of
hydraulics failure.
UPPER SWASHPLATE
 Rests on top of the lower swashplate
 Is connected using 2 angular contact ball bearings
 Is responsible for changing the blade angle of attack
UPPER SCISSOR
 Connects the upper swashplate to the shaft.
 Makes sure the upper swashplate rotates with the main rotor.
 Is connected with a ball joint.
TEETERING HINGE
 Allows both blades to make a seesaw movement.
 When one blade goes up, the other goes down.
 The teetering hinge reduces stress on the blades caused by the Coriolis-
effect.
FLAPPING HINGES
 Allows the blades to move up and down independently.
 Rotorblade is connected using a plain bearing made from PTFE (Teflon)
 The combination of centrifugal force and lift cause the blades to cone, the
blades move upward depending on their lift, which in turn depends on their
position.
FEATHERING HINGE
 Allows the blades to rotate along their length (= feathering)
 Rods connect the pitchhorn to the upper swashplate, the position and rotation
of the swashplate assembly controls amount and direction of the lift.
 Rotor blade is connected to the rest of the rotor using 6 angular contact ball
bearings.
Turbo shaft Engine
Widely used to power helicopters

Most of the energy produced by the expanding
gases is used to drive the turbine rather than
producing thrust through the expulsion of
exhaust gases.
N1- first stage turbine referred as gas producer
turbine.
N2 – second stage turbine referred as the power
turbine.
Helicopter Classification
Light
Medium
Heavy
Helicopter Category
Normal Category (CFR Part 27) – 7,000 lbs GW

or nine or less pax seat
Transport Category (CFR Part 29) – 20,000 lbs
GW, 10 or more pax seat
Performance Category
Cat A- refers to multi engine rotorcraft certified

for T/O and landing opns using a critical
engine failure concept & performance ability
in the event of an engine failure.
Cat B – are single or twin engine helis which do
not meet the provisions of Cat A, as they don’t
have guaranteed ability to stay aloft in the
event of engine failure.

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A Brief Introduction to Helicopters

Helicopter is an aircraft that is lifted and propelled

It provides lift without requiring the aircraft to

Igor Sikorsky- designed the first successful

In1942 in the United States, Russian-born

Airframe – the framework and external covering

Landing gear – attached to the underside of a

Transmission- composed of main rotor transmission, tail rotor drive system,

Tail rotor – smaller rotor that rotates vertically at

Other possibilities: Tip jets, tip mounted engines

Question: Why do each of these methods work?

Supports the rotating swashplate

Widely used to power helicopters

Normal Category (CFR Part 27) – 7,000 lbs GW

Cat A- refers to multi engine rotorcraft certified

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