Helicopter Facts, 2022
FRIDAY, October 3, 2022 2:41:00 AM
Helicopters are the only aircraft that can move forward, backward, side-to-side, and hover. They also allow you to take-off and land with much less space. This makes them the perfect vehicles for sight-seeing, allowing you to maneuver into smaller or more difficult to reach locations and hover over beautiful sights for that perfect picture. Keep reading to learn more interesting facts about helicopters and helicopter flight.
The Basics of Controlling a Helicopter
In order to fly a helicopter, the pilot must use three main controls, the collective pitch, the cyclic pitch, and the tail rotor control. In addition, the pilot also uses a throttle control, which is mounted directly onto the collective pitch. The collective pitch is used to control the angle of the main rotor blades. By doing this, the pilot can control the lift created by the blades and move the helicopter up or down. The throttle controls the speed of the blades. The cyclic controls which direction the helicopter flies, forward, rearward, left, or right. Finally, the tail rotor control allows the pilot to turn the helicopter left or right. Obviously it is more complicated than just these basics, but this gives you the general idea!
The History of Helicopters
- Toy helicopters, made from bamboo, have existed since as far back as 400 BC.
- A French writer named Ponton D’Amecourt was the first person to use the word helicopter in 1863.
- Paul Cornu invented the first piloted helicopter in 1907, but his design was not successful.
- In 1938 the first successful helicopter was made by Igor Sikorsky.
- Stanley Hiller flew the first helicopter across the United States in 1949.
- In 1982 two men flew around the world in a helicopter.
- On May 14, 2005 a helicopter landed on the summit of Mount Everest, the highest point on earth.
Interesting Helicopter Facts
- The fastest a helicopter has been flown is 248 miles per hour.
- The longest a helicopter has flown without landing is 2213 miles.
- The first person was saved by a helicopter in 1944 and since then helicopters have saved more than 3 million lives.
- Helicopters are the only aircraft that can move forward, backward, and side-to-side.
- Some nicknames for helicopters include “chopper,” “helo,” “copter,” “heli,” and “whirlybird.”
- Helicopters have many uses including tourism, search and rescue, medical transport, fighting fires, aerial photography, military activity, and more.
Want to learn more about helicopters first hand? Fly with Air Maui Helicopters. Read below to find out what our guests have to say about their experiences.
“My only complaint is that the video of our flight did not download. Extremely disappointing. I would have used my cellphone more had I even thought the video would not load. Other than that the doors off experience is must” – PhillyHomeBoy
“You feel like you’re flying without the plane. You get up close to so many beautiful views! I would differently do it again!” – Trudy E
“This was an extremely enjoyable experience. Our pilot was professional courteous and friendly throughout the trip, providing lots of background about the terrain we were flying over. Takeoffs and landings were smooth. The weather even cooperated to give us a rainbow to nearly fly through. Highest recommendation possible.” – eric
“The entire experience was excellent. Everyone at the Air Maui have been very professional, courteous and knowledgeable. They entire time we felt safe and the places we saw were breathtaking. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at the Air Maui for making this trip a wonderful experience. Nathan, our pilot was not only an excellent pilot but a very good guide. Thank you. Cris.” – Cris D
“Outstanding Experience. On an Island where very little represents value for money this was an excellent experience and value for money given almost 60 minutes of machine time in an AS350. Saw large tracts of the Island including the volcano with excellent commentary from the pilot. Highly recommended.” – nedwob123
Interested in flying with Air Maui Helicopters? Book online through our tours page or call us at (808) 877-7005 if you have any questions!