Principles of Rotary Flight

Last week we learned that an airplane can fly when its lift force is balanced with gravity. This
week we will learn about another machine that can fly by producing lift balance gravity: the
helicopter.

The Main Rotor

The lifting force of a helicopter is produced by the rotors. As rotors spin they cut into the air and
produce lift, allowing the helicopter to rise up. Each blade produces an equal share of the lifting
force. Tilting the spinning rotor will cause flight in the direction of the tilt.

The Tail Rotor

The tail rotor is used to control the rotation of the helicopter. To explain this we need to
understand the word torque. Torque is the name of a force that is always generated by any
spinning object. When the helicopter rotors are spinning, torque makes the body of the helicopter
want to start spinning in the opposite direction that the rotors are spinning.
Obviously if this happens, the helicopter wouldn't be very controllable at all! By changing the
angle of the tail rotor blades, the tail rotor can be used to make the helicopter turn left or right,
like the rudder on a boat.

In our experiment we will make a paper helicopter that focuses mainly on the main rotor
function: lift. Unlike a real helicopter, the paper helicopter can only provide enough lift to delay
its fall, rather than actually enabling it to fly.
How to Build Paper Helicopters
Materials
 One piece of 8.5 x 11 inches piece of paper
 Scissors
 A ruler

Instructions

 Cut out a strip of paper about 90 X 15 mm.

 With some scissors make a cut down half way down the middle of the strip.

 Make two small cuts, one-third of the way across the strip about 10mm below
the end of the long cut.

 Fold the flaps of paper below the two small cuts over the middle section.
 Fold or twist a small point to the bottom of the helicopter.

 Stick a paper clip into this bottom section (this adds weight to the helicopter’s
body so that it will fly better).

 Fold the wings down at an angle to the body of the helicopter.

 Straighten the wings back out so that they angle upwards by 20 or 30 degrees.

The Challenge!
Experiment with the size of the helicopters. Change their wing sizes and body length. Come up
with the "best" helicopter - these can be tested by dropping them two at a time from a height...the
top of a flight of stairs or a step ladder. The longer one stays in the air, the better. The winner of
each heat can go on to the next round until finally... the champion helicopter is found.