Army Aviation Information Test Flashcards
Describe the components of the helicopter structure.
- Fuselage
- Mast
- Engine
- Main rotor
- Second rotor
What is the fuselage?
Body of the craft
What is a mast?
Cylindrical metal shaft that protrudes upward out of the fuselage.
What does the engine of the craft do?
Drives power upward through the mast to the rotor blades, which are controlled by the pilot.
What is the main rotor used for?
To generate lift and thrust
How is thrust from the main rotor balanced?
By a second rotor. (Usually a tail rotor)
What is a tail rotor intended for?
To account for the effects of torque.
What direction is it conventional for rotors in the USA, UK, and Germany to turn?
Main rotor rotates counter clockwise.
What are some advantages of rotorcraft?
- Takeoff vertically
- Hover
- TOL in places planes can’t
- Perform tasks such as drop cargo/troops in challenging conditions.
What are the helicopter types?
- Single main rotor helicopters
- Tandem rotor helicopters
- Coaxial rotor helicopters
What is the most common design for a helicopter?
Single main rotor helicopters
Describe the single main rotor helicopter.
- Single main rotor generating power with a secondary rotor such as a tail rotor
- Tail rotor is used to offset the effects of torque
What’s one disadvantage of the single main rotor helicopter design?
Some power is used for countering torque, rather than being used solely for lift.
Describe the tandem rotor helicopter.
- Has a front and rear main rotating blade
- Each set of blades rotates counter to the other, meaning torque is automatically offset
- No need for a tail rotor to deal with torque
- Because of this, all of the power from the engine can be used for lift.
- These are some of the fastest and most powerful in existence
Describe the coaxial rotor helicopter.
- Two sets of blades above and beneath each other
- Mounted to the same mast
- Rotates in opposite directions to each other
- This has the advantage of reducing payload and allowing for greater cargo/passenger capacity.
What is thrust created by?
The engine(s)
How is thrust transferred into motion?
Via the mast and rotors
Define drag.
A force which acts against thrust.
What causes drag?
The shape and size of the aircraft disrupting the flow of air as it travels.
What are the types of drag that impact helicopters?
- Profile drag
- Form drag
- Skin friction drag - Induced drag
- Parasite drag
- Total drag
How is profile drag created?
Caused by the frictional resistance of helicopter blades passing through the air.
Describe the two components of profile drag.
Form: Increases as the speed of the helicopter increases.
Skin: Caused by microscopic roughness of the helicopter blades.
Any roughness on the surface causes air to become trapped and drag to increase.
How is induced drag created?
- Caused by airflow circulation around the blades creating vortices
- This type of drag increases when the helicopter is flying at lower speeds and decreases when it is flying at higher speeds.
- During low speed flight, induced drag is the main cause of drag.
How is parasite drag created?
- By the helicopter components that are external to the fuselage
- EX: Landing gear, cowlings, and doors can all create parasite drag.
- This drag slows down the speed of a helicopter by opposing thrust.
Define total drag.
The sum total of the profile, induced and parasite drag acting upon the helicopter at any given time.
What are some benefits of total drag being at its lowest?
- Maximum endurance
- Best rate of climb
- Minimum rate of descent in autorotation.
Define weight.
- Force which results from the combines mass of a helicopter being acted upon by gravity.
- It is a downward force which acts through the center of gravity of the helicopter.
Define lift.
The upward force created by the spinning of the helicopter blades allowing air to pass over them.
Define AOA (angle of attack).
A description of the angle at which the helicopter blade’s direction of movement is relative to the air.
What can impact the AOA?
- Sometimes manipulated by the pilot, by moving the cyclic and collective
- Also impacted by factors outside the control of the pilot, such as blade flapping and flexing and turbulent conditions.
Describe the angle of incidence.
- Is the intersection of the chord line with the plane of rotation.
- Also known as the blade pitch angle.
- This is a mechanical angle, rather than an aerodynamic angle.
What are the 3 scientific principles that apply to helicopters.
- Bernoulli’s principle
- Venturi flow
- Newton’s third law of motion
Define Bernoulli’s principle.
-When lower pressure occurs over a wing blade than under it, lift is achieved.
- This happens because the airflow is traveling faster above the blade than underneath it.
Describe what venturi flow means.
- States that the amount of energy within a closed system, a tube, does not change, but can change form.
- This applies to the top of the blades.
- The flow of air accelerates over the curved area of the blade.
- This creates a needed pressure differential. caused by an imbalance of static and dynamic pressure.
Describe Newton’s third law of motion.
- “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
- The downward deflection of air causing an equal opposing reaction, pushing the blade upward.
What are the 4 main flight controls?
- Cyclic
- Pedals
- Collective
- Throttle
What does a cyclic resemble?
A joystick.
What does moving the cyclic do?
Allows the pilot to alter the pitch angle of the main rotor blades, which causes thrust in a particular direction.
Where is the collective located and what does it do?
- Located to the left side of the pilot’s feet and serves the purpose of simultaneously moving the pitch angle of the main blades.
- This impacts upon the total level of lift or thrust.
- As a result, the collective is used to increase or decrease altitude or airspeed.
Where are anti-torque pedals located?
At the pilots feet.
What do the anti-torque pedals do?
- Adjust the pitch of the tail rotor, altering the amount of thrust produced.
- Changes the direction of the nose of the helicopter.
What does the throttle control usually resemble?
Motorcycle-style rotating grip.
What’s the difference in throttles for dual engine aircraft?
There is a separate throttle for each engine, usually taking form of a lever.
What are the 4 basic flight maneuvers?
- Straight and level
- Turns
- Climbs and descents
- Hovering
What is straight and level flight?
- When a helicopter moves at a steady altitude and heading.
How is straight and level flight achieved?
- Tilting the nose forward, increasing the speed at which the helicopter moves.
- The lower the nose, the more power required.
How are turns achieved?
- By pushing the cyclic in the desired turning direction.
- This causes the rotor to tilt.
- The anti-torque and throttle controls are used in conjunction to ensure the altitude is maintained during the turn and the process is smooth.
What is hovering?
When helicopter moves as minimally as possible at a constant heading and altitude over a reference point.
How are climbs and descents achieved?
- Through manipulation of the collective.
- Moving the collective manipulates the amount of lift, causing the helicopter to rise or fall as the pilot desires.
How is hovering achieved?
By the pilot subtly correcting variations in motion
What is the key to hovering?
Make very small corrective motions which are ceased before the helicopter begins to move.
What are the 3 types of helicopter taxi?
- Hover taxi
- Air taxi
- Ground taxi
How high does hover taxiing occur?
25 ft or less above ground level.
How high does air taxiing occur?
100 ft or less and requires the pilot to avoid flying over people, vehicles, and other aircraft.
What are the types of army aircraft?
- Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk
- Boeing CH-47 Chinook
- Boeing AH-64 Apache
- Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota
- Bell OH-58 Kiowa
Describe the Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk and its purpose.
- Four-bladed, single main rotor helicopter.
- Introduced in 1979.
- 4 crew (2 pilots 2 crew chiefs)
- Max load 2640 lbs (or 11 combat equipped troops)
- 150 knots/320 nm range
- Primary medium-lift utility transport and air assault aircraft
- Built for long range, high threat missions
- Used as a troop carrier in combat assault missions, MEDEVAC, cargo delivery, special ops support, & humanitarian assistance
- Has the capacity to carry combinations of guns and other weaponry, including M240 machine guns, M134 Minions, Hydra-70 rockets, and the VOLCANO mine field dispersal system.
Describe the Boeing CH-47 Chinook and its purpose.
- Twin engine, tandem rotor helicopter.
- Introduced in 1962.
- Speeds up to 170 knots ish
- Primarily used for heavy lifting purposes, such as transporting cargo or troops.
Describe the Boeing AH-64 Apache and its purpose.
- Twin turboshaft attack helicopter.
- Introduced in 1986.
- Equipped with a 1200 round M230 chain gun.
- Carries a combination of Hydra-70 air to ground rockets and AGM-114 hellfire missiles.