The dream of flying was born more than two thousand years before anyone ever made attempts realizing that dream. The kite was the first invention by human beings to know the skies. The first ever record of kite flying was in China where a Chinese general flew a distance of around two hundred meters in order to survey their enemy's territory. The ideas in flight went on advancing and from the kite the hang gliders arose. It is crucial for one to note that the Wright brothers were responsible for the first ever air borne structure that could carry the weight of human beings. This simple invention became the mother of all the air crafts that people fly today all over the world.
The helicopter is one of the most convenient modes of transport and is not as expensive as a commercial plane. As a result, many people all over the world have their own helicopters. Consequently, many job opportunities are being coming about in the field of aviation especially in the private sector. Hiring a personal pilot is terribly expensive. Due to this fact many people opt to learn how to fly one and do it themselves. In the near future, owning a helicopter will be as common as it is to own a mobile phone. Many people tend to think that flying a helicopter is an easy and straight forward task. This however, is not the case. Flying a helicopter is actually quite technical and requires a lot of skill and concentration. Unlike large commercial air crafts, helicopters do not have a lot of controls. The few controls however, require a lot of practice time and concentration to grasp. One cannot learn how to fly a plane theoretically since that is a practical field, but one can learn and understand the concept making it easier for them to grasp things when they get to the practical part of it. Below are images illustrating the cockpit top view and the key external parts of a helicopter.
The first and most salient thing for one to understand is that a helicopter's movements are controlled by the main rotor. These are the rotating blades often on the top part of a helicopter that resemble a wind mill. Without the rotor blades, the helicopter cannot leave the ground or make any movements. For a typical helicopter, there are three main flying input controls. These are the channels through which the pilot controls the helicopter's movements. The first controls its movement vertically, horizontally and forward. The second controls the pitch of the rotor the main rotors and the third controls the pitch of the rear rotors.
The first control is the cyclic lever. When the pilot is seating on his or her seat there is usually a lever that is present between the pilot’s legs. This is the lever often resembles the joystick in most large air planes. The cyclic is responsible for the control of the main rotor blades. It is necessary to note that the main rotor blades are responsible for the angle of tilt of the helicopter. According to Watkinson (84), the cyclic usually tilts the rotor blades forward or backward. The direction in which the rotor blade tilts causes the determines the direction towards which the helicopter tilts. For example, if the rotor blades tilt downwards the helicopter also tilts in that direction. Another important thing to know is that the direction of tilt of the rotor blade is usually the same as the direction of tilt of the cyclic itself. If the pilot chooses to tilt the cyclic upward, the rotor blades will tilt upwards and in turn the helicopter itself will move upwards.
The second and equally important control of a helicopter is the collective pitch control. The pilot controls the collective using one hand usually the left hand. As the name suggests this control is responsible for the pitch of the main rotors. It usually has an adjustable control for friction so as to avoid moving it unintentionally. Unlike the cyclic, which only affects one side of the rotor blades at a time, the collective usually affects the pitch of all the rotor blades at the same time. This control is usually responsible for upward or downward motion. Like in the case of the cyclic, the direction in which the collective moves determines the motion. If the pilot moves the collective up the helicopter also moves up, and if he or she moves it downward, the helicopter also moves downwards. Another useful thing to note is that the collective is only found in helicopters and it is also in connection with the plane's engine. Large commercial airplanes do not have this control.
According to Wagtendonk (56), the third control is the anti-torque pedals. People often refer to the anti-torque pedals as rudder pedals. This is however, an informal way and somewhat incorrect way of referring to the anti-torque pedals. They however, serve the same function in a helicopter as rudder pedals. This refers to the pedals on the floor of the helicopter. These are usually responsible for controlling the pitch of the rear or tail rotors. When the pilot intends to fly in a straight line, he or she must set the tail rotors to remain stationary. This is important because if the tail rotors are not rigid the pilot may lose control of the aircraft as it may turn in the opposite direction when the main rotors are turning in a certain direction. These pedals are usually two one being on the right and the other on the left. The left pedal is responsible for increasing the pitch of the tail rotors while the right pedal decreases it. This controls the direction to which the front or nose of the aircraft is pointing. The increase in pitch of the rear or tail rotors causes a trust in the direction of the increase and the same principle works for reducing the pitch.
The last and also extremely important control for a helicopter is the throttle. This controls and or regulated the amount of power that the helicopter's engine produces. The throttle therefore ensures that the rotors do not operate below or past a certain speed. This is for safety purposes. If the pilot, does not control the throttle properly the helicopter is very likely to crush since the engine may not produce enough power to lift the helicopter. These are the most critical controls.
Having grasped these controls one is now ready to start the actual flight. Having warmed up the plane's engine, the pilot increases the pitch of the collective. This causes the helicopter to ascend into the air. At this point, the helicopter is neither moving forward sideways. Here, the pilot adjusts the cyclic so as to move forward. As said earlier the cyclic is responsible for the directional movements of the helicopter. To stop, the pilot sets the cyclic to neutral and the plane automatically stops in midair. The pilot then uses the collective pitch again to descend and land. In conclusion, the helicopter's movements are primarily controlled by the cyclic and the selective.
Works Cited
Wagtendonk, W. J. Principles of Helicopter Flight. Newcastle, WA: Aviation Supplies & Academics, 2006.
Watkinson, John. Art of the Helicopter. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2004.
