The control of helicopters

At first sight, helicopter controls appear similar to those of a fixed-wing air­craft. A control stick or handlebar grip provides roll and pitch control via the cyclic pitch control mechanism mentioned in Chapter 1, and foot pedals con­trol the yaw, usually by controlling the tail rotor thrust. The main difference lies in the addition of a collective pitch control lever which can be used to make the helicopter go up or down. This lever is usually located beside the pilot’s seat and resembles a car handbrake lever both in appearance and position. Pulling the lever up causes the helicopter to rise.

Controlling a helicopter is initially much more difficult than flying a fixed – wing aircraft, as the helicopter responds quite differently, and may appear to be quite unstable. Very few student pilots can hold a small simple helicopter in a controlled hover for more than a few seconds on their first attempt. Like rid­ing a bicycle though, it seems relatively easy once the skill has been acquired.

Recommended further reading

Davies, D. P., Handling the big jets, 3rd edn, CAA, London, 1971.

Middleton, D. H., Avionic systems, Longman, Harlow, 1989.

Wilkinson, R., Aircraft structures and systems, 2nd edn, Mechaero Publishing, St. Albans, UK, 2001, ISBN 095407341X. A good easily read introductory text with a non-mathematical approach.