Helicopter Facts
Helicopter Facts
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Interesting Helicopter Facts: |
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In 1861 a machine was called a helicopter, but it could not lift off the ground. |
Helicopters are designed with spinning rotors, which can include two or more blades that provide the lift and thrust that make vertical flight possible. |
Most helicopters have two rotors, one on the top and one on the tail. |
Because helicopters are capable of vertical take-off and landing they are ideal for accessing difficult to reach locations in emergency situations. |
Helicopters tend to be much noisier than airplanes, and they vibrate a lot. |
Helicopters are capable of hovering but it is a difficult maneuver to control due to the air flow created by the rotors of the helicopter itself. |
If the helicopter's engine stops, the rotor will often allow the helicopter to land safely because it continues to spin. |
It is believed that there are approximately 45,000 helicopters operating around the world today. This number includes military helicopters. |
There is a nut holding the main rotor to the shaft of the helicopter, called the 'Jesus nut'. This nut was named as such when a pilot said, "Oh Jesus, if that nut comes off..." |
Helicopters can be used to lift heavy items into place. The Russian helicopter MIL Mi-12 Homer could lift 40,204kg to a height of 2255 meters. |
The first person was rescued at sea by a helicopter in 1944. It is estimated that the use of helicopters has saved more than 3 million lives in war and peace times around the world since then. |
Helicopters are also referred to as helos, whirlybirds, choppers, and copters. |
In 2002 a helicopter crash in Chechnya resulted in the deaths of 114 passengers. There were 147 people on board, which exceeded the helicopter's capacity by 1.5 times. |
Helicopters travel at speeds much slower than airplanes, but the advancing rotor blade can exceed the speed of sound. |
If helicopters were not designed as well as they are, the vibration would be capable of shaking them apart. |
The fastest recorded speed of a helicopter is roughly 248 miles per hour. |
The farthest a helicopter has traveled without landing is 2213 miles. |
Helicopters are often used to take photographs and film footage from the air. |
Helicopters can help fight forest fires as they can carry helibuckets full of water to be dropped on strategic areas. |
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