A thought i have.Why do American made helos rotor heads rotate counter clockwise and every one else’s helo rotor heads rotate clockwise,just curious?
Because the US is in the northern hemisphere and this side of the Intl. Date Line. It’s the same reason that water circles down the drain a certain way . . . Just joking, I’ve got no clue.
I’m reading this and I’m like "what?..oh, lol
BK
Useless response: No one knows! But there are some ideas… See Helicopter Rotation Conventions. Another web page on the same site responds in about the same way to the question of why helicopter pilots sit on the right rather than on the right as in real aircraft!
Bob
Don’t some countries have aircraft engines that turn in opposite direction than US?
Same here. [:D]
That was a funny post, Deep Sea
Its pretty much only the French and Russians who have clockwise rotating rotors. No advantage to or reason for either one really, it just changes which pedal you push to compensate for increasing/decreasing main rotor torque.
The rotor craft from the UK also turn clockwise, I doubt there is any particular scientific logic involved, any more than why UK cars have steering wheels on the right side.
Some US helicopters have the pilots controls on the right side, like Bell, but the Hughes 500 series have pilot controls on the left side. Just a particular design feature, I guess.
Which UK helicopters have clockwise rotation? Just curious.
I don’t know all of the UK manufactured helicopters, but I think most of them rotate clockwise. The Lynx comes to mind and the old Sycamore, I think the UK was equipped with helicopters from various manufacturers outside the country.
Maybe Bish or someone with more knowledge than me will drop in, I’m curious now too. Perhaps a Google search for “British helicopters?”
“Veddddddddyyyyyyyy Intaresting, but slightly peculiar”.[;)]
Jim [cptn]
Stay Safe.
The only UK helicopter that I know of that has clockwise rotation of the main rotor is the Westland-Aerospatiale Puma HC.1. But, technically, its more French than it is British. The Lynx is counter-clockwise. [H]
Why did the Wildcats France ordered have throttle quadrants that opened backwards?
Made for interesting times when they were diverted to England.
Actually, they all rotate in both directions- it all depends on your point of view. Are you looking down from the top, or up from the bottom?
[blns]
You know what, i have never given it any thought. But i do know that which direction the rotors spin determines which side the tail rotor is on. And all the British helicopters i have seen, flown on or worked with have the tail rotor on the right apart from the Puma, Gazelle and Chinook.
Looking at pics of the Gazelle and judging by the leading edge, it looks as though it rotates the same as other French helicopters, clockwise from above.
On the Chinook, the rear rotor turns clockwise, front rotor turns counter-clockwise. Tail rotors can be on either side, regardless of which way the main rotor turns.
Cadet Chuck, you need to think more scientifically! The only helicopters in the solar system whose rotors rotate in both directions are those operated by on the planet Uranus by UHL (Uranus Helicopters Ltd.), formerly known as HAU (Helicopters Are Us). The reason is simple: The axis of Uranus is tilted so far that it essentially orbits the sun on its side, with the axis of its spin nearly pointing at the sun. When UHL choppers fly over their “north” or “south” pole, they must reverse the rotation of their rotors, or risk crashing into Uranus. Besides which, Uranus is so far from the sun that it’s always nighttime there and the pilots can’t even see their rotors, or so I’ve heard. Which reminds me…
A few years ago my wife and I were taking a walk on the Seawall Promenade around Coal Harbour, where float planes bound to and from Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast are constantly landing and taking off. We were watching a Twin Otter as it landed. As usual, as soon as its floats hit the water, the pilot reversed the propellers and “stepped on the gas,” which dramatically slowed the aircraft. A young couple was standing nearby. This conversation ensued:
Young man: Wow! How did they slow down so suddenly!s?
Me: The pilot reversed the propellers.
Young man: Really? I didn’t even see them stop!
boB [;)]