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Flying is exciting ... plain and simple. Flying helicopters is even more fun. You can take off from anywhere, land anywhere and slow to a crawl while still maintaining control if you need to settle into a small space. You don't need a runway. Runways are for fashion models. more »
To truly appreciate the vast natural beauty of St. Lucia, take a helicopter sightseeing tour. This is a fun and interesting way to get a close up glimpse of the tops of majestic mountains, waterfalls, rain forests and the surrounding coral reefs. Flights operate only during daylight hours Monday through Saturday, and sunrise flights... more »
Before becoming a pilot, the first obstacle is obtaining a private pilot's license, or PPL. The steppingstone to a career as a commercial pilot for the big airlines or as commander of a corporate jet, a private pilot's license also allows general aviation enthusiasts to take to the skies on their own. These licenses can be expensive,... more »
Soaring high above the ground, helicopter pilots make their living from operating some of the most advanced technology in the aviation industry. Helicopters are capable of making very quick and precise movements, which takes a steady hand and a good technical and mechanical aptitude to operate. Helicopter pilots must display these... more »
Flying a helicopter is a dynamic process requiring the constant monitoring of instruments, especially while hovering. However, by knowing what to expect during different phases of flight, and what to do in case of an emergency, you'll have a much better chance of being a successful copter pilot. more »
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While they took longer to develop, helicopters are now as ubiquitous as fixed-wing aircraft. Although they now share the vertical take-off and... more »
If you are in the market for a civil or heavy-lift helicopter you essentially will need two things: research time and money. With the wide array... more »
Bell Helicopters are seen all over the world. They are used by corporations, private individuals, and the United States military. The company did... more »
The Army operates four types of rotary-wing aircraft for which it trains and staffs flight crews. The Apache attack helicopter is crewed by a... more »
British International Helicopters offers as many as 40 flights daily, six days a week, to the historic Isles of Scilly, just 20 minutes off the... more »
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A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine driven rotors. In contrast with fixed-wing aircraft, this allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards and laterally. These attributes allow helicopters to be used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aircraft would not be able to take off or land. The capability to hover for extended periods of time, and more efficiently than other forms of vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, allows helicopters to accomplish tasks that fixed-wing aircraft cannot perform.
The word helicopter is adapted from the French hélicoptère, coined by Gustave de Ponton dAmecourt in 1861, which originates from the Greek helix/helik- () spiral or turning and pteron () wing.. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved: 28 November 2007 Cottez 1980, p. 181.
Helicopters were developed and built during the first half-century of flight, with some reaching limited production, but it was not until 1942 that a helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky reached full-scale production,"Munson">Munson 1968 with 131 aircraft built."Hirschberg">Hirschberg, Michael J. and David K. Dailey, . American Helicopter Society, International. 7 July 2000. Though most earlier designs used more than one main rotor, it was the single main rotor with antitorque tail rotor configuration of this design that would come to be recognized worldwide as the helicopter.
History
The earliest references for vertical flight have come from China. Since 400 BC,Leishman, J. Gordon. Principles of Helicopter Aerodynamics. Cambridge aerospace series, 18. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN 9780521858601 Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys . Aerospaceweb.org. Accessed on 1 November 2008."china-1">Goebel, Greg. . Vectorsite.net. Retrieved: 11 November 2008. and a book written in 4th-century China, referred to as Pao Phu read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicopter
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