Helicopter

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/helicopter

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the aircraft type?Rotorcraft
2. What is the key control systems?Collective pitch (for lift) and cyclic pitch (for directional control)
3. What makes a helicopter able to fly up, down, and sideways?A helicopter uses a big main rotor that spins to lift it, and a smaller tail rotor to stop the body from spinning. The pilot changes the angle of the blades to go up, down, or move in any direction.
4. How did helicopters first start flying?People like Leonardo da Vinci and early inventors dreamed of vertical flight. The first real helicopter that could stay in the air was built by Igor Sikorsky in the 1930s.

Airfoil: A shape, typically of a wing or rotor blade, that produces lift when air moves over it.
Torque: A rotational or twisting force, which the tail rotor of a helicopter is designed to counteract.
VTOL: Vertical Takeoff and Landing; the ability to ascend and descend vertically without a runway.
Avionics: The electronic systems used on aircraft, including navigation, communication, and flight control systems.