FLIGHT CONTROLS

Four basic flight controls

1.
2.
3.
4.

Cyclic pitch control

The collective pitch control
The throttle
The antitorque pedals

. The collective and cyclic controls the

pitch of the main rotor blades

COLLECTIVE PITCH
CONTROL

 The collective pitch control, located

on the left side of the pilots seat,
changes the pitch angle of all
main rotor blades
Collective pitch control is raised
there is a simultaneous and equal
increase in pitch angle of all main
rotor blades
Done through a series of mechanical

 As the Pitch angle increases,

Angle of attack increases,

Drag increases, and
Rotor r.p.m. decreases

 In order to maintain a constant

rotor r.p.m a proportionate change
in power is required to compensate
for the change in drag.
Accomplished with the throttle
control

THROTTLE CONTROL

 The function of the throttle

To regulate engine r.p.m
If the correlator or governor system
are not installed, the throttle has to
be moved manually to maintain
r.p.m.

CORRELATOR
is a mechanical connection between
the collective lever and the engine
throttle
When the collective lever is raised,
power is
automatically increased
and vice versa.

GOVERNOR
is a sensing device
senses rotor and engine r.p.m.
makes the necessary adjustments in
order to keep rotor r.p.m. constant
are common on all turbine helicopters
and used on some piston powered
helicopters

 Some helicopters do not have

correlators or governors and require
coordination of all collective and
throttle movements

COLLECTIVE PITCH / THROTTLE

COORDINATION
When the collective pitch is raised, the
load on the engine is increased in
order to maintain desired r.p.m.
The load is measured by a manifold
pressure gauge in piston helicopters or
by a torque gauge in turbine
helicopters

 The collective pitch is the primary

control for manifold pressure, and
the throttle is the primary control for
r.p.m.

The collective pitch control also

influences r.p.m., and the throttle
also influences manifold pressure

CYCLIC PITCH CONTROL

tilts the main rotor disc by changing
the pitch angle of the rotor blades in
their cycle of rotation.
The rotor disc tilts in the direction
that pressure is applied to the cyclic
pitch control

 If the cyclic is moved forward, the

rotor disc tilts forward
the rotor disc acts like a gyro

ANTITORQUE PEDALS
located on the cabin floor by the
pilots feet
control the pitch, and
therefore the thrust, of the tail rotor
blades.

 The pedals are connected to the

pitch change mechanism on the tail
rotor gearbox
Allow the pitch angle on the tail rotor
blades to be increased or decreased
Antitorque pedals compensate for
changes in torque