How helicopter controls work
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- Have you ever wondered how the controls in a helicopter work? In this video I explain the three main controls used to fly a helicopter and how to operate them when hovering. The helicopter I'm flying is a 1978 Enstrom 280c.
For the record, it would be utterly insane to fly a helicopter without guidance from a fully qualified flight instructor, which I am not. If you're interested in flying I'm happy to recommend a proper flight school. - Авто та транспорт
I'm 55, and have always been fascinated with these machines. When I was 16 my stepdad told me he would pay for me to learn to fly one, I was not really interested back then, I was more interested in riding my motorcycles. I wish now that I would have taken him up on his offer. 4 years later he passed away from Cancer, I still miss him everyday.
I would have jumped on that offer immediately if not sooner! I want to leaner
I was sorry to hear that
Sounds so much better than mystepfather
I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for making these videos. I've flown a few single engine planes before but have always been extremely fascinated with helicopters. Your videos are definitely giving me the itch to get some lessons and flight time in again. Please keep it up!
Cody Bonds Dude. That’s super kind of you to say. If you need encouragement to get flying I’m happy to supply it!
Lesson 1 : ignore air traffic control ☑️
It's just garble balls anyway!
Crashes and burns: blames atc
@@Felipe-kx4pe He’s hovering 10 feet above the ground. Calm down.
@@armelburgess8651 ever heard about ground control?
@@Felipe-kx4pe Yeah thats not what ground control does lol.
(As a frustrated non-pilot) I have always found helicopter piloting fascinating. Thanks for this video Micah, much respect!
I've been fascinated by helicopters since I was about 5, I'm 66 now. It all started with the TV series "Whirlybirds". "Everything effects everything else", and explaining that helicopters are inherently unstable, requiring constant minute adjustment has profoundly increased my understanding. I realized that I didn't know enough to understand "how to" being explained to me!
Multiple “unstables” and “complications,” I feel so much better about riding a helicopter.
hisownfool1 😂 I promise it’s more fun than I made it sound.
wow.. finally someone who thinks like me..😎
Hi... would you like to go for a ride in my “inherently unstable” machine?
How can anyone turn down an offer like that?
Thank you, that was the clearest introduction I've seen. I've often said I no how airplanes work pretty well, but helicopters are a big mystery.
Who wouldn't want to fly an aircraft that is inherently unstable?
Best video ever!! Love helicopter and airplanes! Just now I was most interested in how to rudder pedals work. Work much differently than I expected.
sweet explanation. My buddy just finished his Licensing so super interesting to me as he has been explaining this to me as well. Good stuff!!
1st time viewer.
New subscriber.
Great style.
❤️ it!
I have a dream of flying a helicopter....money is a. Challange for school....but some day....love your vids.
Awesome. Even it sounds complicated, it does give me the ideas of how to fly this machine. Thanks for sharing the info.
Awesome video, thank you. Can’t wait for you to post the next video in this series. Flying a helicopter seems like skillfully controlled chaos. haha
Excellent video brother. Thank you.
I think I would totally enjoy this
Awesome explanation of the 4 controls. Always wanted to know this although ive been a passenger many times. Chinook 46, 53 heweys
Awesome video. Thank you for sharing.
Nah, I watched this video and I'm totally ready to just fly a helicopter. Thank you.
Great video, Micah!
Keith Inouye Cheers!
I went to school to be an AMT, but learned along the way I REALLY want to become a Heli Pilot!!!
I'm just now coming to your channel from one of your newer videos. I just watched your video on how to start your helicopter, and this video on how the controls work. I'd really like to see more content like this as your explanations and instruction is extremely clear and understandable. (You're a CFI, right? If not, why not?) I'd LOVE to learn how to fly a helicopter with you as my instructor.
Welcome to the channel, Gregg! Thanks for the kind words. I'm actually not a CFI. I've got my commercial rating but I doubt I could fit instructing into my schedule. So, no instructing now but who knows what the future might hold.
Mad respect. Here I thought you just got to review cars every week.
Thanks, man!
Great instruction, Thanks,
Great stuff!
My dad was a Charlie Gun ship pilot(basically a Hewey with weapons. in Vietnam but I never wanted to ask this question out of respect.: How the hell could a person fly a helicopter and aim guns or rockets? I understand they had gunners, but the pilots still had weapons.
My first view that was real fun well done
That's exactly why I was looking for this video. What if I have to fly an helicopter with nothing to lose? Good to know the basics
Thanks for sharing your video!
Thanks for showing me bro👍 I'm ready to fly one... 2019... What...👍✌
This was an amazing video, makes me want to learn to fly one.
I’d like to see you guys explain the radio communication in more detail.
Damn, I wish I could own my own helicopter XD you're killing it dude.
Awesome mate. It would also be nice if you'd give a round of the instruments/gauges
Very nice video keep it up :D
Perfect explanation
How involved is making these adjustments? Similar to how you're constantly making small adjustments to your steering and gas in a car to go down the road in a straight line at a constant speed?
WAY CLOSER to a unicycle. VERY COMPLEX
Great video. So if I want to rotate the helicopter left, I pull left on the stick and add left torque pedal ?
amazing video bud
Great video!
I’m a certified fixed wing pilot and I gotta tell you, man…I don’t know who decided that helicopters were possible to fly. How many crashes and ridiculous incidents must’ve happened before someone got one of these things under control? Tiny little hops here, a little spin move there…the first guy to take one of these for a spin in the pattern had some serious balls…
As a certified helicopter pilot, I 100% agree with your assessment! Every time I fly it boggles the mind.
Funny you mentioned “zombie apocalypse and making your getaway….” I often pretend while playing Microsoft Sim 2020 that it’s the end of the world and I get in a cold and dark jet or other aircraft I might come across at an Air Force base or navy base and try to see if I’d be able to start it up and get in the air without any instructions or using a checklist! Haha
Took my first trial lesson today. Youre not kidding🙄 That cyclic is some strange being and unpredictable. Foot pedals were anbreeze.
Thank U for the video!
A medivac was transporting me to hospital and when we arrived he started banking right at a pretty sharp angel the cockpit started beeping, I took that as a warning signal , I think the pilot was just bored and wanted to push the limits what to you think ?
I love this. Is it easier to hover higher up? I ask because that's how my RC heli feels. Easy to hover up high. More difficult low to the ground.
Please make more videos. One question. Can you give a rough estimate on how much it cost to operate the Enstrom. I know everyone is different based on flying hours but looking for ball park please. Might want to buy one. Thank you
Kevin Roche Maybe I’ll do a proper breakdown of expenses in another video. But in general terms, it costs about $100/hour in fuel to fly my bird using the nearly $6.00/gallon fuel at my FBO.
Digging deeper, the other major cost is component times. If my heli was new I could estimate hourly expenses based on Enstrom’s fantastical direct operating cost sheet but my bird is used. That leaves a messier calculation involving flight hours, purchase price, parts, and labor.
Truthfully, I haven’t run those hard numbers. My goal is to keep fly and nailing the hourly figure is mostly academic at this point. My ownership experience has been marked by semi-frequent large expenses as we address long-deferred maintenance issues, unplanned airworthiness directives, and make smart improvements.
Google “Enstrom 280FX / F28F Direct Operating Cost” and there’s an hourly estimate of $163.70. I’m guessing mine is higher than that but your results may vary.
Thanks for that explanation. I had fixed wing lessons in North UK back in my 20s then I moved to London & prices were so much higher there, so I gave up. I've flown in a chopper once or twice but never had the chance to "feel" the controls. I get the impression from your video that its a bit like patting the top of your head, rubbing your tummy and balancing a ball on your foot all at the same time!
Choppers need a lot of maintenance, do U do your own or employ a mechanic?
Nigel Hunt There’s a parallel between riding a bike and flying a helicopter. It seems utterly impossible until...click...your brain engages the mental circuitry needed to fly.
As for maintenance, I pay a mechanic. It would be much cheaper to do it myself but to do so legally in the USA I’d need an Airframe and Powerplant certificate. And getting that would require time I sadly don’t have. So, I’m stuck throwing money at the problem.
Had to pause Black Hawk Down (~500th viewing) and finally figure out how the hell these birds work. Many thanks.
Hey, great video, great explanation for people that don’t know this stuff and to inspire them, I’ve been flying helis for 30 years and I still watched your video, I actually think I have a problem I still run outside when I here a heli coming 🤪 most of the time telling everyone what it is before I even see it #geek.
keep up the good work
P.s zombie apocalypse, definitely heading to the nearest airfield !
Do the adjustments over time become natural response or is it constant critical focus? I can't imagine the combat helicopter pilots abilities.
It’s like riding a bicycle. The control inputs eventually click for your brain. After that the movements do become a natural response.
Awesome!! Thanks!!
You would think in this day in age that operating a helicopter would get easier and would require less constant adjustments. Like and automatic car vs a standard transmission. Too operate a helicopter with two hands and two feet is just a bit much i think
HOVERING is similar to a unicycle. Cruizing point to point like a scooter
Nice
What are the further effects of controls in forward flight and why this happens ( like raising collective causes yaw to left and pitch up, for rotors moving clockwise)
An excellent video. ♡ T.E.N.
It sounds very complicated and... it is 😃
Micah, Great video!! Do modern Heli's with a headspeed governor not have a gyro to keep tabs on the yaw of the tail as more or less positive collective pitch is applied?
Are the collective and the throttle control spring-loaded and self-return to their "low" position or do they tend to stay the way you left them when you take your hand off?
When properly set up, they will stay where you leave them.
FRICTIONAL lox
How much pressure you apply to the cyclic in pound
Question. About at what wind speeds (crosswinds) does it require more work to fly and what wind speed is it just untenable to fly? I think I can assume you can't fly during a tropical storm or would I be wrong. Or could you if it was a tailwind?
R L Great question! Thanks to a vertical stabilizer at the tail, helicopters naturally want to face into the wind when hovering. So, in a crosswind one big limiting factor is the tail rotor’s ability to overcome that tendency.
My heli has an unblocked tail rotor, meaning there’s no vertical tail surface to interfere with airflow through the rotor. As a result, it has excellent tail rotor authority to counteract a crosswind. My understanding is the old Bell 206 is the exact opposite and can exhaust the limits of its tail rotor thrust very easily.
Depending on the heli and the pilot’s experience a 10-15 knot crosswind should be manageable. Above that it becomes increasingly tricky to maintain a stable hover. It also depends on which direction the crosswind is coming from, which opens a whole can of worms about airflow and turbulence through the tail rotor that might justify a separate video.
Strong winds can be interesting in small helicopters, or copters in general. Wind during a hover can affect a copter in a variety of ways. Wind blowing over the spinning rotor system generates additional lift, so the copter may tend to balloon up, even at a set collective setting, so that has to be compensated for. Depending on the direction of the wind, tail rotor authority can be affected, even to the point where the tail rotor stops being effective (the tailrotor blades can actually stall). As Micah said, the tendency is for the copter to weathervane towards the direction of the wind, and the tailrotor blades have to try to compensate for that. In forward flight, wind has a similar effect as it would have on a small stick-and-rudder airplane. Gusty winds are another story, and when flying a copter with a semi-rigid or tetering style rotor system, like those on a Robinson or Jet Ranger, gusts can create low gravity situations, and those are hazardous for those types of helicopters, but that topic's specifics would require a whole lot more explanation.
Does the rotor disk actually titlt or are the blades always flat?
DashCamDave It does tilt. You can see the rotor disk move in relation to the cockpit when moving the cyclic on the ground.
I understand there is a green zone for RPM. But how far can you leave that zone? Is it going to cause any problems aside from being less efficient?
ast5515 Under powered flight, engine speed is a limiting factor on the high end of the green zone. Most helicopters also have a higher rotor speed redline that’s limited by the structural strength of the spinning parts during autorotation.
On the low end there are two dangers. 1: Increased likelihood of blade stall. 2: If the blades spin slow enough there won’t be enough centrifugal force to hold the blades in the horizontal plane. In that situation the upward rush of air would cause the blades to fold up. Bad stuff.
I'll add to Micah's comment. There are green "arcs" for the engine RPMs and the rotor RPMs. Like Micah said, exceeding the engine RPM (in a non-governor equipped helicopter) can cause similar problems as any overrevved engine. Exceeding rotor RPM limits in an autorotation can cause blades to be damaged, or worse, separate from the copter, and you can image what happens next. Low engine RPM will also cause a subsequent degradation of rotor RPM, and below 70 percent (in most copters) the blades stop producing lift, and the helicopter simply falls out of the sky. I typically fly Robinson R44's, and they use a correlator and engine governor so the engine and rotor RPM's stay matched in the green arc, greatly simplifying the flight experience.
Hi, could you control YAW without tilting the rotors/swashplates in a bicopter?
Looking forward to your replies
I suppose asymmetrically altering the speed of the rotors could induce a yaw effect. But I can't think of any dual-rotor helicopters that do so.
Sounds like lots of muscle memory. Know when flying drone it is always adjusting like you say. Helicopter looks to be a bit more work.
Is it the angle of the collective that makes the torque or is it the increased engine power necessary with increased collective? If you were auto rotating would you get the same torque?
auto rotation meanz. NO POWER⚠️ the air iz going UP thru now ... when u r near the ground u PULL collective HARD to bite the air. Hopefully stopping safely. Yer most welcome
It changes the pitch of the bayblades?
Are helicopter in ACRO mode or Horizon mode? When I let go of the pitch stick, will it automatically level out?
your awesome, "zombie apocalypse" I was literally just telling my daughter If there was a zombie apocalypse I could drive one. Not to sound cocktail, I am lol, but nether the less I'm an expert Motorcycle and machine operator. So I'd definitely give it a go lol. wish you were in OZ wish I could afford it.
Micah, since your helicopter has no Governor, I would like to nominate Jay. All in Favor say “I”....
Will it float and if so will you demonstrate. I get helicopters and submarines confused.
I am confused on torque controls....does left peddle swing tail to left...or is it complete opposite? Also does gaining altitude just pulling up the collective....from being on the ground to raising in up to 1000 ft is it a constant raising of it?
So all that being said....how do you generate forward movement?
Matthew King Pressing forward on the cyclic control tilts the main rotor down at the nose and up at the tail. As the rotor tilts forward it pulls the helicopter forward as well.
Oh ok i see. Thank you
Did I miss something? Which is the throttle? You pointed to collective, cyclic, and the pettles.
Josh Pinchuk Sorry. That was a bit unclear. It’s the grip part of the collective I’m holding with my hand. It rotates to add or reduce throttle.
Thanks, so NOW I am ready for the zombie apocalypse.
The cyclic control looks pretty hard.
ヘリコさん Yup. That’s the tricky one.
How fast will that system loose control. Like if I hit right instead of left but just for a second. I guess how much room for failure do you have?
J MAC It all depends. There are a few things you can do in certain situations that can cause bad things to happen quickly. But generally speaking if you make too small or too large an input a trained pilot can make appropriate corrections without issue.
@@MicahMuzio cool man thanks for the response that's awesome! Stay safe brother I like the content you have put out a lot.
What schools do you recommend for California?
I’ve done all my recent instruction at Antelion at Long Beach airport. Their instructor are top notch and friendly. I’d recommend them with zero hesitation.
But how’s the lumbar support in the helicopter??? @kbb
Joshua Padilla 😂 No joke, it sucks. On long flights I use my trusty inflatable lumbar pillow.
You have to have at least 4 brains to fly one of those things. Props to heli pilots, looks complicated
Does anyone have any book suggestions for aviation?
Martones Outdoors I highly recommend Chickenhawk by Robert Mason. It’s my favorite helicopter book bar none.
Huey: The Story of an Assault Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam by Jay & David Groen
I just cannot imagine how flying one of these things could ever be considered fun.
Lol found the perfect video for me to start learning
Cool
It seems complicated but I drove motorcycles for 38 years using both of my hands and feet at the same time so maybe with training I would be proficient at it. It is cool though.
A motorcycle background doesn't hurt. But as a helicopter pilot and motorcyclist I can verify, the helicopter is much harder to operate. That said, there are no natural born helicopter pilots. Everyone needs training. I'm sure with proper training and seat time you'd get the hang of it.
How to move forward and increase forward speed?
Buddy helicopter pilot let me try his. I'm a fixed wing pilot. I had no problem just going forward. He gave me the controls in an established hover and it started rock and rolling. He said it took him 9 or ten hours before he could pretty much fly it without much thought.
Is there anything you don’t do or own?
Dancing shoes. I'm a TERRIBLE dancer.
How long did it take until you became a fully licensed helicopter pilot?
LeGrandFromage Took about a year but I was limited by budget and time constraints. With unlimited cash I definitely could’ve done it quicker.
Like Micah, it took me about 11 months to get my helicopter license, but many other factors play a roll. The more frequently you can fly, the more of the training is learned and retained. If you take weeks or more between flights, you'll lose a lot of what you've gained, and subsequent flights will be refreshers on your last flight rather than learning new stuff. The longer it takes, the more it costs. I was what they call a "40 hour miracle" meaning I got my license in the FAA minimum 40 hours of flight time, so my license was way cheaper than one would be for a student who required much more training. The average pilot gets it done in 50 to 75 hours, so plan on spending more than the quoted amount, unless you pick it up really quickly. Flying a helicopter is like nothing else, and I highly recommend pursuing a license, even if it's just for recreational flying, like mine is.
Jason Coleman Thanks for the added detail. Spot on!
I started in July 91, got my private in Oct 91, but I flew probably 5 days a week (had a night job). Don't believe the 40 hours they tell you to get a license, that pie in the sky. Or maybe it's possible, you just wouldn't be very safe if something went wrong. Even with years of fixed wing experience I was close to 50 hours when I took my check ride.
Another year of piddling around to get my commercial and another intense couple of months for CFI.
Having watched this i can see why u have 10 seconds to live if u lose visual refrence with theground
That's probably how Kobe died right
How can you know pedal position B4 lift off, avoid spinning? I want to hover!
Before lifting off you get the helicopter light on its skids and see which way the nose turns. You then adjust the pedals accordingly.
I like it 😘🥰
Great video, but you talk very quickly. But the benefit is I can replay it as many times as I like on UA-cam.
Is it harder to hover when you’re higher in the air.
Don't think so as you're not dealing with the turbulences the main rotor creates off the ground.
Freakin' AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seems like everything is mechanical and nothing is automated. I was surprised you have to manually adjust torque when increasing the spin of the main rotor. Seems like that could be done automatically, but I'm guessing there is a good reason it's not.
How is everything connectedbto swah plate
Damn heli pilots are different breed!
Does the mic lack an anti peh/pop/puh filter?
Sleepy The little foamy bit is clearly not up to the task. Clearly I need more foam!
I would say there are (4) controls: Cyclic, collective, anti-torque pedals and the throttle. You seem to have downgraded the throttle almost as if it wasn't that important. It is.
Nice video though.
You think theyd have onboard computers that handle stability controls by now
What if you have to go to the bathroom when flying?