How do you fly helicopters?

Answer 1

With a cyclic stick, collective stick, throttle, and tail pedals. These are the basics.

The collective stick is positioned like an emergency brake in a car. By pulling up on the stick increases the angle of attack (pitch) of all the blades on the main rotor and causes lift. This allows strictly up and down movement. In order to move forward for example, the pilot pushes forward on the cyclic stick (between his legs) which increases the pitch of the main rotor blades but only as they travel through the rear arc of rotor path. This causes more lift at the rear of the helicopter which now directs the air down and rearward. This will cause a drop in lift due the the re-directed air which is compensated by adding more collective. The tail rotor is controlled by the foot pedals. To rotate or bank left, press down on the left pedal and the opposite for right. When flying forward while banking left or right requires a delicate balance of all 3 main controls. Collective, cyclic and tail rotor. The throttle is usually set during flight and unlike a plane, the throttle isn't manipulated to cause the helicopter to climb or speed up. This is achieved by manipulating the pitch of both the main and tail rotors.