Rotary-Wing — Aircraft Types

Aircraft that generate lift from rotating blades — a rotor — rather than from forward motion. The spinning rotor creates its own relative wind, enabling hover and vertical flight.

How lift is generated

The main rotor spins continuously. Each blade is an airfoil — as it rotates, it moves through the air and generates lift just as a fixed wing does, but the relative wind comes from the blade's own rotation rather than the aircraft's forward speed. The angle of each blade (collective pitch) is controlled to produce more or less lift. The rotor disk can also be tilted to direct lift forward, backward, or sideways for flight in those directions.

The torque problem

Spinning the main rotor requires torque from the engine. By Newton's third law, the fuselage wants to spin in the opposite direction. Most helicopters use a tail rotor — a small vertically mounted propeller — to cancel this torque and give the pilot yaw control via the pedals. Alternative solutions include counter-rotating rotors (tandem helicopters like the CH-47 Chinook) or tip-jets that drive the rotor without torque reaction on the fuselage.

Quick reference

Lift source	Rotating rotor blades
Can hover	Yes
Minimum forward speed	None required for flight
Torque counter	Tail rotor, counter-rotating rotors, or tip drive
Examples	Robinson R22, Bell 206, UH-60 Black Hawk, CH-47 Chinook

Autorotation: If the engine fails, a helicopter doesn't fall like a stone. With no engine power, the rotor is driven by the upward airflow as the aircraft descends — much like a falling maple seed. The pilot manages descent rate and flares at the bottom to land safely. Autorotation is the helicopter's equivalent of a glide.

Related terms

Fixed-Wing — the alternative; stationary wings and forward airspeed
Lift — generated by the rotating blades just as a wing generates it
Yaw — the axis the tail rotor controls

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