Helicopter 101
Helicopter 101
Impressive video! That guy's really good!
Helicopters don't have Ailerons, nor do they have elevators like a conventional fixed-wing aircraft. They use variable pitched (Main) rotors to control lift, which “acts†like a wing, by creating low-pressure above the rotor assy. The more low pressure that’s created; the greater the lift.
“Lift†is controlled by a lever (also tied to the throttle grip like a motorcycle), called a “Collective†controller. Yank that and you go up, while increasing rotor speed usually at the same time.
“Pitch†(or direction) is controlled by tilting the Rotor relative to the fuselage (body). Pitch it forward, you move forward. Pitch right, you move right. And so on. That's the center "joystick", called a "Cyclic" control.
These rotor inputs are physically transmitted from the engine to the rotary wing, with a do-flam called a “Swash-plateâ€Â. Without it, we would not have helicopters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swashplate_(helicopter)
Aerobatics won't work: In real helicopters, the weight of the aircraft wins and out performs the (now) required “down force†to sustain inverted flight (applying the opposite aerodynamic rules of lift coefficiency). Thus, sustained inverted flight is impossible in real helicopters, unlike fixed wing birds, although the crazy South Africans have looped a helo before. You gotta be half nuts!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXLfpeyRzfc
The "tail" rotor control torque, so you don't spin the bejulies out of the occupants or the airframe. This allows the helicopter to point in the same direction constantly, relative to the pilot’s input signals. It can also be used to maneuver rotationally. Rotary-wing tail rotors are controlled the same as a fixed-wing aircraft's vertical rudder, via the rudder pedals at the pilot's feet.
RC models don’t have the same constraints of actual aircraft weight, so the same rules don’t apply, allowing them to perform wildly. No real weight to speak of. No fuel load. No useful load. No passengers and no hurling!
