What Are The Major Components of A Helicopter?
There are thousands of parts that go into assembling a helicopter. There is the stabilizer bar which is used to help stabilize the rotary blades. There is also the tail fin which helps the pilot to steer the aircraft, as well as the landing skids which enables the aircraft to make a safe landing, and so on. While each part plays an important function, this outline will exclusively cover the parts of the helicopter which impact the most crucial flying aspect of the vessel.
These are the fuselage, the engine, the main rotor, and the tail rotor as you can see outlined below.
- Engine
- Fuselage
- Main Rotor System
- Tail Rotor System
Engine
Depending on the design, a helicopter can have one or two engines. Piston engines are used in smaller helicopters while the more modern helicopters utilize jet engine-reminiscent gas turbines. Turbine gas engines are generally considered the superior choice as they are more powerful, easier to operate, do not create much noise, and they tend to run smoother compared to older models.
Fuselage
The fuselage refers to the entire framework of the helicopter, which serves to establish a very strong and robust skeleton. The fuselage is made up of sturdy composite materials, yet is light enough that it doesn't weigh down the aircraft
Main Rotor System
The main rotor refers to the large blades located atop the aircraft. The purpose of the main rotor is to provide enough force that will make the craft airborne. To satisfy Newton’s third law of motion (every action/force has an equal and opposite reaction), another rotor set is added to the first, with both spinning in the opposite direction. This enables the pilot to control the helicopter as attempting to do so without the added rotor would be impossible.
Tail Rotor System
The tail rotor is another rotor located toward (and sometimes inside) the back tail of the aircraft. Instead of spinning horizontally, the tail rotor spins vertically. The safety and functionality of the tail rotor is very important because any damage to it could cause the helicopter to lose coordination.
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