My OpenLearn Profile
Personalise your OpenLearn profile, save your favourite content and get recognition for your learning
Want to learn to fly a helicopter? In this album Royal Berkshire Ambulance pilots show two complete beginners the ropes. Normally, Marie and Tracey dispatch air ambulances, now they find out how to fly one. The five video tracks offer a hands-on explanation of the science and engineering behind helicopter flight. They show how rotors help this tonne of metal take off, change direction and gain speed. They explain the difference between traditional and cutting edge military technology, and demonstrate what happens in an emergency landing. This material forms part of the course S207 The physical world.
Track 4: Modern rotor blades
Large, high speed military helicopters test the limits of aerodynamics. Their rotors use cutting edge blade technology and design.
- Read a transcript of this track - you'll need a PDF viewer, such as Adobe's free Adobe Reader
- Download this track from iTunes - you'll need Apple's free iTunes software
- Discover more from The Open University and iTunesU at open.edu/itunes
Tracks in this podcast:
| Track | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The physical world: helicopters | An introduction to this album Play now The physical world: helicopters |
| 2 | How helicopters fly | Marie and Tracey from the Royal Berkshire Ambulance Unit find out how helicopter rotors work. Play now How helicopters fly |
| 3 | Traditional rotor blades | How rotor blades are constructed to cut through the air and keep the helicopter off the ground. Play now Traditional rotor blades |
| 4 | Modern rotor blades | Large, high speed military helicopters test the limits of aerodynamics. Their rotors use cutting edge blade technology and design. Play now Modern rotor blades |
| 5 | Controlling a helicopter | The tail rotor keeps the helicopter from rotating. The cyclic stick is responsible for speed, direction and altitude control. Play now Controlling a helicopter |
| 6 | Emergency landing | If the engine cuts out, helicopters go into auto-rotation. Even if there is no engine power, the helicopter glides like a fixed wing aircraft. Play now Emergency landing |
Rate and Review
Rate this audio
Review this audio
Log into OpenLearn to leave reviews and join in the conversation.
Audio reviews