This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Tail rotor" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR(October 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
Traditional tail rotor of an Sikorsky S-61
The tail rotor is a smaller rotor mounted vertically or near-vertically at the tail of a traditional single-rotor helicopter, where it rotates to generate a propeller-like horizontal thrust in the same direction as the main rotor's rotation. The tail rotor's position and distance from the helicopter's center of mass allow it to develop enough thrust leverage to counter the reactional torque exerted on the fuselage by the spinning of the main rotor. Without the tail rotor or other anti-torque mechanisms (e.g. NOTAR), the helicopter would be constantly spinning in the opposite direction of the main rotor when flying.
Tail rotors are simpler than main rotors since they require only collective changes in pitch to vary thrust. The pitch of the tail rotor blades is adjustable by the pilot via the anti-torque pedals, which also provide directional control by allowing the pilot to rotate the helicopter around its vertical axis. Its drive system consists of a shaft powered from the main transmission and a gearbox mounted at the end of the tail boom. The drive shaft may consist of one long shaft or a series of shorter shafts connected at both ends with flexible couplings, that allow the drive shaft to flex with the tail boom. The gearbox at the end of the tail boom provides an angled drive for the tail rotor and may also include gearing to adjust the output to the optimum rotational speed for the tail rotor, measured in rotations per minute (RPM). On larger helicopters with a tail pylon, intermediate gearboxes are used to transition the tail rotor drive shaft from along the tailboom to the top of the pylon. The tail rotor pylon may also serve as a vertical stabilizing airfoil, to alleviate the power requirement for the tail rotor in forward flight. The tail rotor pylon may also serve to provide limited antitorque within certain airspeed ranges, in the event that the tail rotor or its flight controls fail. About 10% of the engine power goes to the tail rotor.[1]
^Dave Jackson. "Flight Dynamics - Definitions & Algorithms Archived 2016-11-01 at the Wayback Machine" UniCopter, 29 January 2013. Accessed: 19 November 2013.
The tailrotor is a smaller rotor mounted vertically or near-vertically at the tail of a traditional single-rotor helicopter, where it rotates to generate...
forward flight. Each main rotor is mounted on a vertical mast over the top of the helicopter, as opposed to a helicopter tailrotor, which connects through...
designs used more than one main rotor, the configuration of a single main rotor accompanied by a vertical anti-torque tailrotor (i.e. unicopter, not to be...
Applying the pedal in a given direction changes the tailrotor blade pitch, increasing or reducing tailrotor thrust and making the nose yaw in the direction...
NOTAR ("no tailrotor") is a helicopter system which avoids the use of a tailrotor. It was developed by McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (through...
update in the 2020s, an updated version with a 5-blade main rotor and fenestron (ducted tailrotor) entered production. The H145 is a twin-engine aircraft...
or more main rotors. Helicopters with a single shaft-driven main lift rotor require some sort of antitorque device such as a tailrotor, fantail, or NOTAR...
helicopter's tail-rotor was still above it, the metal lid on top of the mortar striking the tail-rotor, causing the rotor to fail and detach from the tail. The...
attributed the crash to a loss of yaw control owing to a failure of the tailrotor control linkage. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha frequently travelled to and...
semirigid, two-bladed main rotor and a two-bladed tailrotor. The main rotor has a teetering hinge and two coning hinges. The tailrotor has only a teetering...
as a fantail or a "fan-in-fin" arrangement) is an enclosed helicopter tailrotor that operates like a ducted fan. The term Fenestron is a trademark of...
helicopters is to safely land the aircraft in the event of an engine failure or tail-rotor failure. It is a common emergency procedure taught to helicopter pilots...
that have a tail boom, is that the main rotor and tail strike each other, which can cause the tail to be cut off and/or damage the main rotor blade. "Preventing...
into a less-radical Super Lynx. This featured BERP rotor blades, the Westland 30-derived tailrotor, Gem 42 engines, a new under-nose 360-degree radar...
adoption of a Fenestron anti-torque device in place of a conventional tailrotor. It was launched and produced by the Eurocopter Group, which would later...
outfitted with a more powerful engine, a T-tail, and a new five-blade main rotor; furthermore, a four-blade tailrotor could be optionally installed. The 500D...
Global Information
