Training for Landing a Helicopter

Principles of Flight

• Helicopters fly thanks to the lift produced by their rotors, or airfoils. Pilots use three primary controls --- the collective, cyclic and pedals --- to adjust the rate of airflow through the rotors, change direction and operate the tail rotor. The tail rotor negates the torque created by the main rotors, which would otherwise cause the helicopter to spin beneath them.

Landing

• The pilot must first find a suitable landing site, either a helipad or any area free of trees and power lines. The collective and cyclic are used to achieve a controlled descent and to lower airspeed. Once above the landing zone, the pilot brings the helicopter to a hover and then lowers the collective to bring it to the ground slowly.

Autorotation

• In case of engine failure, autorotation allows helicopters to glide like airplanes. To maintain a constant rotations-per-minute (rpm) throughout the glide, the collective must be lowered immediately to allow air to pass up through the rotors for a controlled descent before flaring (pitching the nose up) to reduce air speed. The pilot can then hover to the ground.