Helicopter Purpose

Due to the operating characteristics of the helicopter—its ability to takeoff and land vertically, and to hover for extended periods of time, as well as the aircraft's handling properties under low airspeed conditions—it has been chosen to conduct tasks that were previously not possible with other aircraft, or were time- or work-intensive to accomplish on the ground. Today, helicopter uses include transportation, construction, firefighting, search and rescue, and military uses.

Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane

Kern County (California) Fire Department Bell 205 dropping water on fire

A helicopter used to carry loads connected to long cables or slings is called an aerial crane. Aerial cranes are used to place heavy equipment, like radio transmission towers and large air conditioning units, on the tops of tall buildings, or when an item must be raised up in a remote area, such as a radio tower raised on the top of a hill or mountain. Helicopters are used as aerial cranes in the logging industry to lift trees out of terrain where vehicles cannot travel and where environmental concerns prohibit the building of roads. These operations are referred to as longline because of the long, single sling line used to carry the load.

Helitack is the use of helicopters to combat wildland fires. The helicopters are used for aerial firefighting (or water bombing) and may be fitted with tanks or carry helibuckets. Helibuckets, such as the Bambi bucket, are usually filled by submerging the bucket into lakes, rivers, reservoirs, or portable tanks. Tanks fitted onto helicopters are filled from a hose while the helicopter is on the ground or water is siphoned from lakes or reservoirs through a hanging snorkel as the helicopter hovers over the water source. Helitack helicopters are also used to deliver firefighters, who rappel down to inaccessible areas, and to resupply firefighters. Common firefighting helicopters include variants of the Bell 205 and the Erickson S-64 Aircrane helitanker.

A Sikorsky S76-C+, known as the "Traumahawk Air Ambulance" in Palm Beach County, FL

Helicopters are used as air ambulances for emergency medical assistance in situations when an ambulance cannot easily or quickly reach the scene. Helicopters are also used when a patient needs to be transported between medical facilities and air transportation is the most practical method for the safety of the patient. Air ambulance helicopters are equipped to provide medical treatment to a patient while in flight. The use of helicopters as an air ambulance is often referred to as MEDEVAC, and patients are referred to as being "airlifted", or "medevaced".

Oil companies charter helicopters to move workers and parts quickly to remote drilling sites located out to sea or in remote locations. The speed over boats makes the high operating cost of helicopters cost effective to ensure that oil platforms continue to flow. Companies such as CHC Helicopter, Bristow Helicopters, and Air Logistics specialize in this type of operation.

A military helicopter: British Army Air Corps Westland WAH-64 Apache

Police departments and other law enforcement agencies use helicopters to pursue suspects. Since helicopters can achieve a unique aerial view, they are often used in conjunction with police on the ground to report on suspects' locations and movements. They are often mounted with lighting and heat-sensing equipment for night pursuits.

Military forces use attack helicopters to conduct aerial attacks on ground targets. Such helicopters are mounted with missile launchers and miniguns. Transport helicopters are used to ferry troops and supplies where the lack of an airstrip would make transport via fixed-wing aircraft impossible. The use of transport helicopters to deliver troops as an attack force on an objective is referred to as Air Assault. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) helicopter systems of varying sizes are being developed by companies for military reconnaissance and surveillance duties. Naval forces also use helicopters equipped with dipping sonar for antisubmarine warfare, since they can operate from small ships.

Before Taking a Helicopter Flight Training

You always wanted to learn how to fly a helicopter right? Well, don’t just seat there in envy as you watch those normal people fly and enjoy flying. You have to take the first step to get yourself on the stick. You have to enroll on helicopter flight training. Don’t know how?

Here are the things you should know when you are considering enrolling for a helicopter flight training:

The cost.

Upon considering the idea of enrolling for helicopter flight training, the first question you should ask yourself is: Do I have the money? Since flight training involves expensive machine you have to pay to use, you need to make sure that you can maintain the cost. This is a long-term engagement so before you take flight training you have to make sure that you have enough resources up to the end. Meanwhile, there are flight training schools that offer financial assistance to trainees like you. You can search for this information on the training school site.

Finding and selecting flight training school that fits you.

Finding a flight training school may be easy. Here you should consider the cost, the proximity to your place, and the programs they offer. Selecting one involves more criteria.

When selecting a flight training school, it is not enough that you base it on the cost the program. Since you are the student and you are paying big time here, make sure that you check on the eligibility of the flight school you are considering. Weight the school on the criteria of maintenance capability, safety record, and pilot management. You should also talk to your possible flight instructor. Know if the instructor fits your personality. Remember that you will be spending many hours with each other so you better choose one who is fun to be with.

The flight medical certificate.

One important paper you should have if you want to fly is the flight medical certificate. Without it, you can never fly. There are 3 kinds of flight medical certificate: first class medical that is required for an Airline Transport Pilot, second class medical that is required to fly commercial, and the third class medical for private flying.

It is very frustrating if you have finished the training but failed to acquire any of these medical certificates so be sure about that you obtain one before the training.

Before Becoming a Helicopter Pilot

If you want to become a helicopter pilot and make a career out of it, the first thing you should do is to enroll at a helicopter training school. In this way, you will be equipped with the right skill and both basic and advance knowledge of the aircraft you are planning to fly. After finishing the course, you are eligible to apply for a license. After acquiring the license, you can call yourself a helicopter pilot.

But as simple as it sounds, becoming a helicopter pilot is way too complicated than taking the course and acquiring a license.

To better understand this, consider the following…

Before enrolling for a helicopter-training course, make sure you have enough finances to finish it. This is a long-term commitment that involves a lot of money (ranging from $20,000 to $45,000) and therefore, must be planned properly. One shortage or missed training hours could mean bigger expenses. It is painful both on you and your pocket to realize that you are 20 hours short of finishing the course after you realize that you are out of resources to continue, so make sure that once you enter, you can finish.

Before enrolling for a helicopter-training course, you should also know if you are fit or not. It is useless to go and complete the training if you cannot acquire for a license. Read on the specifics about the medical requirement of becoming a helicopter pilot before anything else. If you feel you are fit, validate it by doing a research.

Before enrolling for a helicopter-training course, make a research on the different helicopter training schools. You can prioritize the location since cost of relocation is too much. It would be better if you choose a school that is near your place so that you don’t need to relocate. Also consider the cost of the training.

Once you have finished the training and after acquiring a Helicopter License, you can now be called a helicopter pilot. One thing to note is that there are two kinds of helicopter pilot license: Private Helicopter License and Commercial License. The training is different. Of course, the Commercial License is much thorough. Think of this: we have a professional and non-professional driving license which is relatively the same with the Private Helicopter License and Commercial License. And one thing more: if you plan to make it a living, salary is not worth that much, but with more experience and better skill, you can get paid big-time.

original link: http://rc-helicopter.articlekeep.com/articles/Before-Becoming-a-Helicopter-Pilot.html

Importance of Helicopter Rental

City streets are congested and a kilometer distance would take hours to reach. It might be better to walk than to wait for the green light to turn on only to realize that your vehicle move only several meters. But you cannot walk. It is either scourging hot outside the car or heavily pouring rains. The thing is, there is nowhere to go on land. The only way to go from point A to point B is up there, above your head.

Helicopter is the only way to go if you want to travel fast and more efficient. It cuts off hours of sitting on the car together with thousands of cars around you that share the very same fate like you do.

Now you ask: I don’t own a helicopter, what should it do?

Two words: Helicopter rental.

Helicopter rental is the only solution if you want to escape the long pile up of vehicles on the road. Helicopter rental is the only solution if you want to spend more time on doing more important things than sitting on the backseat of your car.

Helicopter rental gives you the luxury of leaving your hotel room just minutes before your meeting or convention starts. It gives you more time to rest or to take longer shower or eat dinner. Or to simply put it, helicopter rentals provide the only way to always keep you on your schedule.

But this is not the only way to utilize the help of helicopter rental.

If in can you want to get some aerial photography of one place or a survey of a particular territory which would not be possible if done by land, helicopters can be rented as an efficient mean to meet the requirements.

If you are on an urgent business travel or would catch a corporate event and would need to get there as fast as you can, helicopter rental companies will quickly take you to your destination earlier that what you have expected.

If you want to see places up above the sky for mere pleasure, helicopters can be rented.

If you have a special event to hold and would want to make it a little different, for instance wedding, helicopters can be rented as your “bridal chopper”. This would certainly give you better reasons to feel like floating on the air.

Other ways to get helicopter rental would depend on your need. So if you find yourself needing to ride a helicopter for any occasion or reason, contact your nearest helicopter rental company today.

original: http://rc-helicopter.articlekeep.com/

Helicopter - Craft

Helicopter or Craft

A helicopter is an aircraft that is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors, each rotor consisting of two or more rotor blades. Helicopters are classified as rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft to distinguish them from fixed-wing aircraft because the helicopter derives its source of lift from the rotor blades rotating around a mast. The word 'helicopter' is adapted from the French hélicoptère, coined by Gustave de Ponton d'Amecourt in 1861. It is linked to the Greek words helix/helik- (ἕλικ-) = "spiral" or "turning" and pteron (πτερόν) = "wing".^[1][2]

As an aircraft, the primary advantages of the helicopter are due to the rotor blades that revolve through the air, providing lift without requiring the aircraft to move forward. This creates the ability for the helicopter to take off and land vertically without the need for runways. For this reason, helicopters are often used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aircraft are not able to take off or land. The lift from the rotor also allows the helicopter to hover in one area and to do so more efficiently than other forms of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, allowing it to accomplish tasks that fixed-wing aircraft are unable to perform.

Although helicopters were developed and built during the first half-century of flight, some even reaching limited production, it was not until 1942 that a helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky reached full-scale production,^[3] with 131 aircraft built.^[4] Even though most previous 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

Since 400 AD, Chinese children have played with bamboo flying tops. This toy made its way to Europe and is depicted in a 1463 European painting.^[5] Pao Phu Tau (抱朴子) was a 4th-century book in China reported to describe some of the ideas inherent to rotary wing aircraft:^[6]

“

Someone asked the master about the principles of mounting to dangerous heights and traveling into the vast inane. The Master said, "Some have made flying cars with wood from the inner part of the jujube tree, using ox-leather [straps] fastened to returning blades so as to set the machine in motion."[7]

”

Leonardo da Vinci conceived a machine that could be described as an "aerial screw".^[8] He wrote that he made small flying models ^[9] but could not stop the rotor from making the whole craft rotate. Later machines would more closely resemble the ancient bamboo flying top, with spinning wings rather than screws.

In July 1754, Mikhail Lomonosov showed the Russian Academy of Sciences a small coaxial rotor powered by a wound-up spring, intended to lift meteorological instruments.^[9]

In 1783, Christian de Launoy, and his mechanic, Bienvenu, made a model pair of counter-rotating rotors (not coaxial) using turkey's flight feathers as rotor blades, and in 1784 demonstrated it to the French Academy of Sciences.^[9]

In 1861, the word "helicopter" was coined by Gustave de Ponton d'Amécourt,^[9] a French inventor who demonstrated a small steam-powered model.

From 1860 to 1880, many small helicopter models were designed and made.^[9] These included Alphonse Pénaud's model coaxial rotors, powered by twisted rubber bands (1870). Enrico Forlanini's unmanned helicopter was powered by a steam engine. It was the first of its type that rose to a height of 13 meters, where it remained for some 20 seconds, after a vertical take-off from a park in Milan (1877). Emmanuel Dieuaide's design featured counter-rotating rotors and was steam-powered through a hose from a boiler on the ground (1877). Melikoff designed a "man carrier," but it was almost certainly not built (1877). Dandrieux's design had counter-rotating rotors and a 7.7-pound (3.5-kilogram) steam engine. It rose more than 40 feet (12 m) and flew for 20 seconds (circa 1878).

In the 1880s, Thomas Edison experimented with small helicopter models in the USA. First he used a guncotton-powered engine, but it caused damage by explosions, and tests were ended. Next he used an electric motor. His tests showed that a large rotor with low blade area was needed.

Ján Bahýľ, a Slovak inventor, developed a model helicopter powered by an internal combustion engine, that in 1901 reached a height of 0.5 meters. On 5 May 1905, his helicopter reached four meters in altitude and flew for over 1,500 meters.^[10]