What causes a helicopter to go into a tailspin?

As the engine spins the main rotor (say clockwise direction), the fuselage (body) of the helicopter tends to spin in the opposite direction (anti-clockwise). This is due to a physical phenomenon called ‘Anti-Torque. ‘ Therefore, to cancel-out this Anti-torque, the tail rotor is placed.

Why do helicopters lose control?

Loss of main rotor control is commonly due to a malfunction in either the swash plate (a device that transmits flight controls to the rotor), linkage control, or a hydraulic system. Loss of tail rotor function. Numerous helicopter crashes are caused by the pilot’s inability to control the tail rotor.

What happens if a helicopter loses its rotor?

The helicopter will immediately begin spinning and the pilot will need to close the throttle and perform a hovering autorotation. In addition to issues resulting from the loss of tail rotor thrust, the helicopter will pitch down and the pilot most likely will not have sufficient aft cyclic movement to recover.

Can a helicopter fly without a tail?

One significant advancement in the last decade has been the no-tail rotor, or NOTAR, helicopter. As you now know, vertical-lift flight is impossible without a tail rotor to counteract the torque produced by the main rotor. Unfortunately, the much-smaller tail rotor makes a lot of noise and is often easily damaged.

What happens when a tail rotor fails on a helicopter?

Tail rotor drive system failures include driveshaft failures, tail rotor gearbox failures, or a complete loss of the tail rotor itself. In any of these cases, the loss of antitorque normally results in an immediate yawing of the helicopter’s nose.

What happens when a helicopter yaw to the right?

An antitorque failure with a high power setting at a low airspeed results in a severe yawing to the right. At low power settings and high airspeeds, the yaw is less severe. High airspeeds tend to streamline the helicopter and keep it from spinning. If a tail rotor failure occurs, power has to be reduced in order to reduce main rotor torque.

Why do helicopter pilots turn the engine off when they practice?

When practicing, instead of actually shutting the engine off completely though, they usually just turn the engine down enough to disengage it from the rotor. This way, if the student encounters a problem during a no-power landing, the helicopter can be throttled back up to avoid an accident.

How do you keep a helicopter from spinning?

High airspeeds tend to streamline the helicopter and keep it from spinning. If a tail rotor failure occurs, power has to be reduced in order to reduce main rotor torque. The techniques differ depending on whether the helicopter is in flight or in a hover, but will ultimately require an autorotation.