Helicopters are really amazing flying vehicles! You might think they’re pretty similar to a plane, but they can do a few special things that a plane cannot. A plane can move forward and turn left and right, but it can’t back up! A helicopter can. A helicopter can also hover (stay still while flying.) A plane needs to be moving or else it would fall! A helicopter can also take off and land without a runway. That means it’s much more useful in small spaces. It can land on the roofs of buildings, and it can easily get to places, like mountains, to rescue people where a plane wouldn’t be able to land.

The secret to the helicopter’s flight is the rotor, which is the pair or group spinning blades on top of the helicopter. They are angled, like the blades of a ceiling fan. As they spin and cut through the air, they push the air downward, which causes the opposite reaction in the helicopter. It goes up!

A helicopter also has a rotor in the back that can face different directions, which then pushes the vehicle in different directions. These rotors, combined with a very powerful engine, help lift and move the helicopter and its passengers