Today's topic is the four aerodynamic forces that act on a helicopter in flight. They are divided into two pairs of opposing forces, generally vertical and horizontal:

Lift (up), opposed by Weight (down)
Thrust (forward) opposed by Drag (rearward)

In unaccelerated flight — for example, when straightandlevel, or in a constant airspeed climb or descent — lift is equal to weight, and thrust is equal to drag. The two axes are independent, so horizontal forces do NOT need to match the vertical forces in order to be in that equilibrium state.

There is a common misconception that weight must overcome lift when in a constant airspeed descent. While that is true at the start — that is, when the descent rate is initially increasing from zero to, say, 500 ft/min — lift and weight are once again in balance as soon as the vertical speed indicator locks in on its rate. The same is true for climbs.

Check out the video to learn a bit more about this fundamental topic of aviation, and how it all applies to helicopters specifically.

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Disclaimer: Although I am training to become an instructor, I have not yet been certified. The contents of this video are not intended to be used as a substitute for actual instruction.

#flightinstruction
#helicopter
#generalaviation