Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Alabaster

How to Select a Helicopter Instructor: It's worth your while to select a good one. That said, keep in mind that full time instructors often move on to other flying jobs as they reach 1,000 to 2,000 hours of experience. There is no guarentee that the instructor won't leave part way through your training, so select a school you can live with if the instructor of choice leaves.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Alabaster

Modern Day Military Pilot Training: ll pilots must pass a Class 1 flight physical and have perfect 20/20 vision, either corrected or uncorrected. Pilots must also have normal color perception, depth perception and field of vision. Additionally, Coast Guard pilots must have good dental health with no cavities.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Anniston

How to Select a Helicopter Instructor: Ask the instructor about his experience, both in terms of hours and in terms of how many students he has had. What is his pass/fail ratio? Is he going to be at the school for a while, or is he going to be leaving for a different flying job in the next year?

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Anniston

Before potential rotary wing aviators begin actual helicopter training, they must complete the U.S. Army Aviation Center Survival Escape Resistance and Evasion, or SERE-C, course, and Helicopter Ditching and Dunker training. The SERE-C course teaches how to survive in extreme circumstances, including how to find water and food and even how to improvise weapons.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Auburn

The airline industry has currently made a net loss of $31 billion dollars since 1940. The average profit per seat on a 1 hour flight is $2.20. In 1940 to fly London New York it cost 1 years wages. Today it costs the wage of working only Monday & Tuesday.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Auburn

Helicopter Pilot's License:Private pilot certificates allow pilots who are 17 and older to command single-engine aircraft and carry passengers night or day. Eligibility includes 40 flight hours, 20 of them solo. If attending flight school, pilots need 35 on-the-ground training hours, with another 35 in the air, 15 of those hours flown solo.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Bessemer

There are over 3 million people in the air on planes at any one time. The worlds first flying car arrives in 2012. Called the Terrafugia it costs $194,000

The first reference to a rotor system is credited to inventor Leonardo da Vinci, who designed an ‘aerial screw’ in 1480. No full-scale variant was constructed during his lifetime.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Bessemer

On average, a helicopter ground school program takes 12 to 15 weeks to complete. Although there are schools that offer degree programs, traditional programs concentrate on hands-on training and building the flight hours needed for a license.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Birmingham

Over 3 million lives have been saved by helicopters in both peacetime and wartime operations since the first person was rescued from the sea in 1944.

The record for the fastest helicopter in the world was held by the Sikorsky X2 which, during a flyby over Florida, United States, clocked 258mph (416kph). But this was beaten recently. On June 7th 2013, the X3 blew through the previous air speed record for helicopters by cruising at 255 knots (293 MPH) during a 40-minute flight over Southern France near Istres.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Birmingham

On average, a helicopter ground school program takes 12 to 15 weeks to complete. Although there are schools that offer degree programs, traditional programs concentrate on hands-on training and building the flight hours needed for a license.

FAA - A History of Aircraft Structures Factoid

There are five major stresses to which all aircraft are subjected: Compression. Compression is the stress that resists a crushing force. The compressive strength of a material is also measured in psi. Compression is the stress that tends to shorten or squeeze aircraft parts.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Center Point

If you include military helicopters it is estimated that there are more than 45,000 operating worldwide. The first helicopter to achieve completely untethered flight was the Cornu in 1907 which managed to hover one foot above the ground for 20 seconds.

The Wright Brothers first acquired this land in 1910 in the hopes of opening a flying school. Their endeavor lasted only a few months, and Maxwell became a repair depot for planes in 1918. Although it was slated for closure in 1919, delays in doing so gave city leaders an opportunity to petition for new spending to be performed at the newly-named Maxwell field. As a result of the massive spending that took place, the War Department eventually decided to keep it open.

The FAA and Weather

Inclement weather, including thunderstorms, snowstorms, wind shear, icing and fog, creates potentially hazardous conditions in the nation’s airspace system. These conditions are, by far, the largest cause of flight delays. In an average year, inclement weather is the reason for nearly 70 percent of all delays. Delays translate into real costs for the airlines and the flying public. The cost to an airline for an hour of delay ranges from about $1,400 to $4,500, with the value of passenger time ranging from $35 to $63 per hour. This means that delays cost the airlines and their passengers billions of dollars each year. Each kind of inclement weather presents challenges to the FAA’s air traffic control operation, but perhaps the most disruptive are the convective storms that strike in the summer. Winter storms, while potentially dangerous, often form and move slowly. By contrast, summer storms typically form, grow and move swiftly, covering large swaths of airspace. Many start in the Ohio Valley and move east, impacting air travel in the Northeast, particularly New York. Approximately one-third of all flights in the U.S. “touch” New York, flying to or from John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty airports, connecting with those flights or transiting New York airspace, so severe weather impacting New York has a ripple down effect over the entire country.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Decatur

Military pilots are paid according to the basic military pay scale, meaning pilots of equivalent ranks are paid the same no matter what branch of the service they are in. However, while jet pilots in the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy must be commissioned officers, helicopter pilots in the Army are warrant officers, a rank between enlisted personnel and commissioned officers.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Decatur

Modern Day Military Pilot Training: Navy pilots must be 18 to 34 for enlisted officers and 19 to 35 for commissioned officers, Air Force pilots must be between 17 and 28 for enlisted officers and 17 and 35 for commissioned officers, and Marine pilots must be 17 to 29 for enlisted officers and 20 to 28 for commissioned officers. All pilots must be United States citizens and have clean criminal records.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Dothan

Become a commercial helicopter pilot: Enroll in a college and earn a degree. Air ambulance companies wont employ you as a pilot unless you have at least two years, and a four-year degree is preferable. Choose a major such as math, physics, aeronautical engineering or English.

FAA - A History of Aircraft Structures Factoid

There are five major stresses to which all aircraft are subjected: Tension. Tension is the stress that resists a force that tends to pull something apart. [Figure 1-14A] The engine pulls the aircraft forward, but air resistance tries to hold it back. The result is tension, which stretches the aircraft. The tensile strength of a material is measured in pounds per square inch (psi) and is calculated by dividing the load (in pounds) required to pull the material apart by its cross-sectional area (in square inches).

Helicopter Facts for Dothan

In order to fly, an object must have “lift”. Lift is what pushes something upwards. Lift is made by wings (rotors). Wings have a curved shape on top and are flatter on the bottom. This specific shape makes air flow over the top of the wing faster than under the bottom of the wing. The faster air on top of the wing makes suction on the top of the wing and the wing moves up. Airplanes get lift from their wings. A helicopter's rotor blades are spinning wings. A helicopter moves air over its rotor by spinning the blades. The rotor makes the lift that carries the helicopter up. One problem associated with helicopter rotor blades occurs because airflow along the length of each blade differs widely. This means that lift and drag fluctuate for each blade throughout the rotational cycle, thereby exerting an unsteadying influence upon the helicopter. The autogiro had a rotor that functioned something like a windmill. Once set in motion by taxiing on the ground, the rotor could generate supplemental lift; however, the autogiro was powered primarily by a conventional airplane engine.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Enterprise

Become a commercial helicopter pilot: Enroll in a college and earn a degree. Air ambulance companies wont employ you as a pilot unless you have at least two years, and a four-year degree is preferable. Choose a major such as math, physics, aeronautical engineering or English.

FAA - A History of Aircraft Structures Factoid

There are five major stresses to which all aircraft are subjected: Shear. Shear is the stress that resists the force tending to cause one layer of a material to slide over an adjacent layer. Two riveted plates in tension subject the rivets to a shearing force. Usually, the shearing strength of a material is either equal to or less than its tensile or compressive strength. Aircraft parts, especially screws, bolts, and rivets, are often subject to a shearing force.

More Fun Helicopter Facts for Enterprise

The first practically successful rotorcraft (the Autogiro) was built by the Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva, in the year 1923.

If he could design an aircraft in which lift and thrust (forward speed) were separate functions, Cierva speculated, he could circumvent this problem. The autogiro he subsequently invented incorporated features of both the helicopter and the airplane, although it resembled the latter more.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Florence

That if the engine stops the helicopter rotor continues to spin allowing the machine to slowly land generally without crashing to the ground.

Fixed-Wing Aircraft Factoid - Wing Configurations

Wings are airfoils that, when moved rapidly through the air, create lift. They are built in many shapes and sizes. Wing design can vary to provide certain desirable flightcharacteristics. Control at various operating speeds, the amount of lift generated, balance, and stability all change as the shape of the wing is altered.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Florence

The best way to become a U.S. military pilot is to prepare academically, physically and mentally before applying for aviation selection and training. Generally, U.S. military pilots need to possess at least a four-year college degree before commencement of aviator training.

FAA - A History of Aircraft Structures Factoid

There are five major stresses to which all aircraft are subjected: Torsion. Torsion is the stress that produces twisting. [Figure 1-14C] While moving the aircraft forward, the engine also tends to twist it to one side, but other aircraft components hold it on course. Thus, torsion is created. The torsion strength of a material is its resistance to twisting or torque.

Helicopter Fun Facts for Gadsden

As the helicopter approaches the ground, the pilot must then get rid of most of their forward motion and slow the decent using the stored up kinetic energy in the rotors. If done perfectly, the landing will be quite gentle. They accomplish this by executing a flare, pitching the nose up, at the right moment.

Helicopter Fun Facts for Gadsden

As the helicopter approaches the ground, the pilot must then get rid of most of their forward motion and slow the decent using the stored up kinetic energy in the rotors. If done perfectly, the landing will be quite gentle. They accomplish this by executing a flare, pitching the nose up, at the right moment.

In fact, you have a better chance at surviving in a helicopter when the engine fails than you do in an airplane. Helicopters are designed specifically to allow pilots to have a reasonable chance of landing them safely in the case where the engine stops working during flight, often with no damage at all.

Fun Helicopter Facts for Homewood

If you include military helicopters it is estimated that there are more than 45,000 operating worldwide.

That if the engine stops the helicopter rotor continues to spin allowing the machine to slowly land generally without crashing to the ground.

Fun Helicopter Facts for Homewood

Helicopters can be flown across oceans if additional fuel is made available or in-flight refueling is employed.

As the helicopter approaches the ground, the pilot must then get rid of most of their forward motion and slow the decent using the stored up kinetic energy in the rotors. If done perfectly, the landing will be quite gentle. They accomplish this by executing a flare, pitching the nose up, at the right moment.

In fact, you have a better chance at surviving in a helicopter when the engine fails than you do in an airplane. Helicopters are designed specifically to allow pilots to have a reasonable chance of landing them safely in the case where the engine stops working during flight, often with no damage at all.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Hoover

Once the engine fails or otherwise is shut off the pilot must immediately lower the pitch reducing lift and drag and the helicopter will begin to descend. If they dont do this quick enough allowing the RPM of the main rotor to drop too far theyll then lose control of the helicopter and will likely not get it back.

The AK1-3 was designed to comply with the Ukrainian AP-27 rules which are similar to the European Aviation Safety Agency CS-27 standard. The aircraft features a single main rotor with a tail rotor a two-seats-in side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit skid-type landing gear and a four cylinder air-cooled four-stroke 156 hp (116 kW)Subaru EJ25 automotive engine.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Hoover

Become a commercial helicopter pilot: Apply for a flight instructor job at a flight school. An air ambulance company may require its pilots to have a minimum of 1000 hours flight time. Teaching people how to fly is a legitimate way of building up your flight hours.

FAA - A History of Aircraft Structures Factoid

There are five major stresses to which all aircraft are subjected: Bending. Bending stress is a combination of compression and tension. The rod in Figure 1-14E has been shortened (compressed) on the inside of the bend and stretched on the outside of the bend. A single member of the structure may be subjected to a combination of stresses. In most cases, the structural members are designed to carry end loads rather than side loads. They are designed to be subjected to tension or compression rather than bending.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Huntsville

Cornu was constrained by the same problems that would continue to plague all early designers for several decades: no one had yet devised an engine that could generate enough vertical thrust to lift both the helicopter and any significant load (including passengers) off the ground.

Twenty nine Palms,California also known as MCAGCC (Combat Center) is run by the Marine Corps and located in the San Bernardino County. By the 2010 census, the base hosted 8413 individuals. The terrain consists of small, yet abrupt mountains, turning the place into a perfect training field for troops under severe conditions. Believe it or not, the unauthorized travel in the area is not forbidden because of the military objectives only, but also due to the dry lakes, ancient lava flows and abandoned mines and unexploded missiles.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Huntsville

Every U.S. military branch puts men and women applying for pilot training through its version of an initial flight training course. U.S. military pilot selection and initial flight training is typically designed to weed out unqualified applicants.

Fixed-Wing Aircraft Factoid

Truss-Type: A truss is a rigid framework made up of members, such as beams, struts, and bars to resist deformation by applied loads. The truss-framed fuselage is generally covered with fabric. The truss-type fuselage frame is usually constructed of steel. A truss-type fuselage. A Warren truss uses mostlydiagonal bracing.An airframe using monocoque construction. The most common airframe construction issemimonocoque tubing welded together in such a manner that all members of the truss can carry both tension and compression loads.In some aircraft, principally the light, single engine models, truss fuselage frames may be constructed of aluminum alloy and may be riveted or bolted into one piece, with cross-bracing achieved by using solid rods or tubes.

Fun Facts for Helicopter and Airplane Flight Training for Madison

The biggest helicopter was the Russian Mil Mi-12 Homer of 1968 which could lift 40, 204 kg up to 2255 m.

Igor Sikorsky a Russian engineer built his first helicopter in 1909. When neither this prototype nor its 1910 successor succeeded Sikorsky decided that he could not build a helicopter without more sophisticated materials and money so he transferred his attention to aircraft.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Madison

U.S. military primary flight training teaches the basics of flight and flying applicable to most aviation situations. Depending on the military branch, once primary flight training is completed the trainee requests intermediate training in an aircraft type, such as jets.

Fixed-Wing Aircraft Factoid - Wing Configurations

Both the leading edge and the trailing edge of the wing may be straight or curved, or one edge may be straight and the other curved. One or both edges may be tapered so that the wing is narrower at the tip than at the root where it joins the fuselage. The wing tip may be square, rounded, or even pointed. Figure 1-19 shows a number of typical wing leading and trailing edge shapes.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Mobile

During World War I Hungarian engineer Theodore von Karman constructed a helicopter that when tethered was able to hover for extended periods. Several years later Spaniard Juan de la Cierva developed a machine he called an autogiro in response to the tendency of conventional airplanes to lose engine power and crash while landing.

Fun Facts About Helicopters

While light-weight, general-purpose helicopters often have a two-bladed main rotor, heavier craft may use a four-blade design or two separate main rotors to accommodate heavy loads.

The first reference to a rotor system is credited to inventor Leonardo da Vinci, who designed an aerial screw in 1480. No full-scale variant was constructed during his lifetime.

During World War I, Hungarian engineer Theodore von Karman constructed a helicopter that, when tethered, was able to hover for extended periods. Several years later, Spaniard Juan de la Cierva developed a machine he called an autogiro in response to the tendency of conventional airplanes to lose engine power and crash while landing.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Montgomery

Lift is proportional to the change in the air's momentum (its mass times its velocity): the greater the momentum the greater the lift.

The first helicopter to achieve completely untethered flight was the Cornu in 1907 which managed to hover one foot above the ground for 20 seconds.

Fun Helicopter Facts for Montgomery

Two piston-engined prototypes were built followed by a single example of a turbine-engined variant designated A.104BT. No production resulted.

Helicopter Spotlight for Montgomery

Agusta A.104 Helicar was an Italian prototype light helicopter flown in December 1960. It was a slightly enlarged version of the A.103 and added a second seat beside the pilot's seat. The cockpit was enclosed by a perspex bubble with the engine at the rear and the tail rotor carried on an enclosed boom.

Owing to their versatility in flight, helicopters have a wide variety of applications. They are used for traffic surveillance, transportation, news gathering, aerial photography, crop-spraying, tourism, searching and rescuing etc.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Mountain Brook

Unlike airplanes, which are designed to minimize bulk and protuberances that would weigh the craft down and impede airflow around it, helicopters have unavoidably high drag. Thus, designers have not utilized the sort of retractable landing gear familiar to people who have watched planes taking off or landingthe aerodynamic gains of such a system would be proportionally insignificant for a helicopter. In general, helicopter landing gear is much simpler than that of airplanes.

Helicopter Structures

Airframe The airframe, or fundamental structure, of a helicopter can be made of either metal or wood composite materials, or some combination of the two. Typically, a composite component consists of many layers of fiber-impregnated resins, bonded to form a smooth panel. Tubular and sheet metal substructures are usually made of aluminum, though stainless steel or titanium are sometimes used in areas subject to higher stress or heat. Airframe design encompasses engineering, aerodynamics, materials technology, and manufacturing methods to achieve favorable balances of performance, reliability, and coSt

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Opelika

One problem associated with helicopter rotor blades occurs because airflow along the length of each blade differs widely. This means that lift and drag fluctuate for each blade throughout the rotational cycle, thereby exerting an unsteadying influence upon the helicopter.

Dream big and dare to fail. –Norman Vaughan

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Opelika

Helicopters were developed and built during the first half-century of flight, with the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 being the first operational helicopter in 1936. Some helicopters reached limited production, but it was not until 1942 that a helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky reached full-scale production, with 131 aircraft built.

Fun Facts for Helicopter and Airplane Flight Training for Phenix City

Typically, the means of compensating for these unpredictable variations in lift and drag is to manufacture flexible blades connected to the rotor by a hinge. This design allows each blade to shift up or down, adjusting to changes in lift and drag.

The first reference to a rotor system is credited to inventor Leonardo da Vinci, who designed an ‘aerial screw’ in 1480. No full-scale variant was constructed during his lifetime.

Helicopter Spotlight for Phenix City

The Bell AH-1Z Viper is a twin-engineattack helicopter based on the AH-1W SuperCobra, that was developed for theUnited States Marine Corps. The AH-1Z features a four-blade, bearingless, composite main rotor system, uprated transmission, and a new target sighting system. The AH-1Z is part of the H-1 upgrade program. It is also called \Zulu Cobra in reference to its variant letter.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Prattville

Sikorsky soon became a successful aircraft manufacturer in his adopted homeland. But his dream was vertical take-off, rotary wing flight. He experimented for more than twenty years and finally, in 1939, flew his first flight in a craft dubbed the VS 300.

The record for the fastest helicopter in the world is held by the Sikorsky X2 which, during a flyby over Florida, United States, clocked 258mph (416kph). But this was beaten recently. On June 7th 2013, the X3 blew through the previous air speed record for helicopters by cruising at 255 knots (293 MPH) during a 40-minute flight over Southern France near Istres.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Prattville

Helicopters were developed and built during the first half-century of flight, with the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 being the first operational helicopter in 1936. Some helicopters reached limited production, but it was not until 1942 that a helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky reached full-scale production, with 131 aircraft built.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Prichard

A helicopter is an engine-driven rotorcraft (a type of aircraft) which uses rotating blades for lift, propulsion, thrust and steering. The word 'Helicopter' comes from the French word 'hlicoptre' which is derived from the Greek words 'helix/helik' (which means 'twisted / curved') and 'pteron' (which means 'wing').

The biggest helicopter was the Russian Mil Mi-12 Homer of 1968 which could lift 40,204 kg up to 2255 m.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Prichard

The Ditching and Dunker trainer simulates a downed helicopter. Candidates undergo two-day training sessions that teach them how to escape from a helicopter that crashes and lands in water.

Modern Day Military Pilot Training: Army pilots start with flight school and move on to basic combat training. The Air Force's basic pilot training covers 12 weeks and Marine pilots undergo two phases of basic flight training. After basic training, pilots continue with helicopter-specific training. All branches also require the applicant to pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.

Fun Facts for Helicopter and Airplane Flight Training for Smiths

The forerunner of modern helicopters is the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300. It was designed by the Russian American Igor Sikorsky in the year 1939.

Helicopter Spotlight for Smiths

Aerokopter AK1-3- This is a Ukrainian helicopter, designed and produced by Aerokopter of Kharkiv. The aircraft is supplied as complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.Some sources refer to the AK1-3 as the Sanka or San'ka while others do notThe AK1-3 was designed to comply with the Ukrainian AP-27 rules, which are similar to the European Aviation Safety Agency CS-27 standard. The aircraft features a single main rotor with a tail rotor, a two-seats-in side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit, skid-type landing gear and a four cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke, 156 hp (116 kW) Subaru EJ25 automotive engine.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Tuscaloosa

In 1951, an American aeronautical engineer Charles Kaman modified his Kaman K-225 helicopter with the turboshaft engine. This modified Kaman K-225 became the world's first gas turbine-powered helicopter. The introduction of turboshaft engines to helicopters enabled the creation of faster, larger, reliable and efficient helicopters.

Fun Helicopter and Airplane Facts for Tuscaloosa

The Germans used helicopters for artillery spotting on the Russian front in WWII. The Germans also built and perfected a rotor-kite (helicopter with no engine) that was towed behind a U-Boat to increase the range at which targets could be spotted. (Since it had no power, there was no torque, and no need for a tailrotor.)

Helicopter Fun Facts for Vestavia Hills

Helicopters are classified as rotary wing aircraft, and their rotary wing is commonly referred to as the main rotor or simply the rotor.

Helicopters are classified as rotary wing aircraft, and their rotary wing is commonly referred to as the main rotor or simply the rotor.

Helicopter Spotlight for Vestavia Hills

The Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) AS332 Super Puma is a four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-size utility helicopter developed and marketed by Aérospatiale andEurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters). It is an enlarged and re-engined version of the original Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma. First flying in 1978, the Super Puma succeeded the SA 330 Puma as the main production model of the type in 1980; since 1990 Super Pumas in military service have been marketed under the AS532 Cougar designation. In civilian service a next generation successor to the AS 332 was introduced in 2004, the further-enlarged Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma.