How helicopters fly

[Kevin]

One thing I've never done is fly in a helicopter. I've always wanted to but haven't had the chance. Small airplanes yes, helicopters, no.

Anyhow, I'm watching the Spectre movie tonight, and the opening scene shows a helicopter doing barrel rolls and a steep climb straight up. This is the movie where Bond is down in Mexico City and destroyed the building during the Day of the Dead Festival.

Can helicopters do this? I know it's a movie but still it's James Bond, not just regular old Hollywood fantasy.

I didn't think Helicopters could fly upside down?

 

[GunnyGene]

One thing I've never done is fly in a helicopter. I've always wanted to but haven't had the chance. Small airplanes yes, helicopters, no.

Anyhow, I'm watching the Spectre movie tonight, and the opening scene shows a helicopter doing barrel rolls and a steep climb straight up. This is the movie where Bond is down in Mexico City and destroyed the building during the Day of the Dead Festival.

Can helicopters do this? I know it's a movie but still it's James Bond, not just regular old Hollywood fantasy.

I didn't think Helicopters could fly upside down?

Depends on the model. Some can do rolls, loops, and other acrobatics. Generally that's limited to the smaller models. Camera angle also plays a role in such things in movies tho.

 

[GRAMPS 51]

I delivered all the fuel to sikorsky for about 10 years while i was un loading i would watch them test fly them and can tell you they can do incredible things scary at times but i never saw one fly upside down

Gramps

 

[RC44Mag]

They fly by beating the air into submission.

 

[Dave P.]

 

[Dave P.]

Chuck Aaron was the pilot in the movie.

 

[mr surveyor]

why do you want to fly on something that's trying to sling it's own wings off


jd

 

[Kevin]

why do you want to fly on something that's trying to sling it's own wings off


jd

I've heard they are very choppy, like an egg blender.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Watching Cleetus McFarland learn to land without engine power taught me a lot about the physics.

 

[contender]

I flew in Huey's in the Army as a Crewchief. And,, I've been at the controls of a few of them, as well as other helicopters. I truly enjoy flying in them over an airplane. Not "choppy" as suggested above,, and can be quite agile in how they maneuver.

Yes,, some of them can do aerobatics in the hands of a SKILLED pilot.

I'll see if I can find a picture I have,, taken in the 1970's,, of the Army's OH-6 demo team,, The "Silver Eagles" where they prove their skills. Yes,, loops & rolls can be done.

 

[RoninPA]

Contender and FoxMike will need to chime in since they have military chopper experience. I see Tyrone did.

I rode in choppers when I was stationed in Iceland. We had to go on site to calibrate equipment for the radar sites so they transported us and our equipment to the sites via a HH-53C Super Jolly Green Giant. Even got to be on one during its in flight refueling. They were killing three birds with one stone, transporting us to the site, getting some inflight refueling experience and giving a bit of an airshow to the onlookers below (Icelanders and Americans). I didn't think the ride was "choppy" maybe not as smooth as an airplane but not bad al all.

 

[Busterswoodshop]

I took quite a few trips in helicopters when I was in the service. I really liked flying in them.
A friend of mine flew airplanes in the Navy , and after that was a commercial pilot until he retired.
He was , and is still a certified aircraft mechanic.
He say's he would never fly in a helicopter. He say's there are too many moving parts.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

The last time I was in a helicopter was JUL 87......a CH46 Sea Knight....and you better believe it was the LAST time....

Lifted off from Masirah, Oman with the intention of finding the USS Constellation that was conducting Escort for Kuwaiti tankers passing through the Straight of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf. Well into the flight it began shuddering terribly, and the lines above us were leaking onto us. There was me, two other passengers, a crew chief, pilot and co-pilot. The crew chief after speaking to the pilots came to each of us individually and told us by yelling into our cranial ear pieces that we had to land and it was going to be rough. My first thought was "where?" we were over water.....we had changed course to meet up with the USS Niagara Falls. The water was rough and that tiny flight deck was going up and down. That Sea Knight we were in bounced off that deck like a rubber ball. The landing gear was destroyed, and when it was finally done we were canted. That event is in the top 5 most intense moments of my life and I have a constant memory of it as I believe my lower back problems stem from it. I was sore for days. Corpsman basically handed me Motrin and that was it. I've had two (02) back surgeries and enough crap injected into each side of my sacrum over the years to fill a keg....If I can help it I will never set foot in a helicopter again.

My older Brother flew helos in the Army (Cobra). He also flew helo for police dept. I've had opportunities to go up but there is no way in H E double hockey sticks I ever will voluntarily.

EDIT: I lied...actually the LAST time was in another CH46. They drug the one we (crash) landed in into the tiny hangar. It was a mess. Another one showed a day later and it took us to the USS Constellation....very tense ride.

 

[Dave P.]

I've heard they are very choppy, like an egg blender.

Maybe some vibration at certain RPM or power settings. Lots happening mechanically so sometimes you can feel
a "harmonic" come through. I would not call them "choppy" but maybe "buzzy" sometimes.
Small piston engine ones more so. I took about 4 hours of instruction in a Schweizer 300 and a couple in a Robinson R-22
basically just to see what they were like to fly. If you owned the right kind of property and maybe a vacation home someplace
you could fly to it would be cool to own one. That said, they make airplanes look cheap from a cost standpoint.

 

[Fox Mike]

I spent a great deal of my life working on and flying in helicopters. Some can do incredible maneuvers. Some can roll and loop. I personally have never been in one that could or did. The OH-6 (think Magnum PI for the unknowing) was a "sports car" of a helicopter. I have seen he Sliver Eagles perform and they were 'talented' pilots. The Cobra was an adrenaline rush from the front seat. Helicopters hold a special place in my life as I picked my wife up, for our first date, in a UH-1`H (Huey).

 

[freakindawgen]

I was a mechanic for the Navy working on UH-1 Huey's and Bell TH-57's (Jet Ranger). As a two bladed rotor, you would think it would never fly. The rotor blade is shaped like a wing. Flat on bottom, curved on top. It gets lift but will max out and snap down, then the other does the same. So at any given time only one rotor is lifting. Thats what gives that "whop whop" sound. The more rotors the better.

Back when the Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk was introduced, they brought one to let the Marines in our squadron to test it out. Most of the pilots were Vietnam Veterans and still had their crazy side and, well...Marine.They filled it up with people and took off. Did several maneuvers and high speed gun runs. The last one they pulled it up and did a barrel roll. Upon coming back in, the Sikorsky rep jumps out and on all 4's started kissing the ground. " @$%%$÷÷=$$ Marines!! They are not sposed to go upside down!" But this is now and yes the do. I've seen Red Bull Team do crazy stuff.

 

[Robb Barnes]

A buddy of mine is a former Alaskan bush pilot a nd acrobatic flyer in his little hot rod plane. He said he would never fly in a chopper because they are 10,000 bolts and nuts trying to all come loose at once. That said my daughter in law flies Hueys and Ospreys for the A/F and the son in law flies Pavehawks for the Pararescue jumpers and they love flying rotor wing ships.

 

[sceva]

Companies where I worked in Quality Assurance made many parts for Sikorsky, Bell, Kaman, McDonnell Douglas, Robinson and others.

Helicopters do not Fly; They beat the air into submission.

 

[GunnyGene]

For y'all helo guys, here's the latest for the USMC.

Suitable for computer wallpaper.

Secretive Long Range Attack Missile For Marine AH-1s Is Now Being Flight Tested

The Long Range Attack Missile, based on an unknown Air Force weapon, will help ensure Marine AH-1Zs stay relevant in future high-end fights.

www.twz.com

 

[MaxMan]

Helo rotors are shaped like an airplane's wings. Same principal of lift.