About the Book
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 116. Chapters: Autogyro, Kite, Hang gliding, Fixed-wing aircraft, Paragliding, Tiltrotor, Lifting body, Night fighter, Heavy fighter, Wide-body aircraft, Helicopter, Wing configuration, Jet pack, Wingtip device, Ornithopter, Ground effect vehicle, Waverider, Dihedral, Pusher configuration, Boeing X-53 Active Aeroelastic Wing, Human-powered aircraft, Monocopter, Gyrodyne, Hydrogen-powered aircraft, Contra-rotating propellers, Northrop Switchblade, Conventional landing gear, Oblique wing, V-tail, Backpack helicopter, Rocket-powered aircraft, Blended wing body, Trijet, Rotorcraft, Moored balloon, T-tail, Epcard, FanWing, Tricycle gear, Twinjet, Coleopter, Narrow-body aircraft, S-duct, Push-pull configuration, Twin tail, Stagger, Human-powered helicopter, Tail configuration, Twin boom, Tractor configuration, Tailsitter, Trapezoidal wing, Cruciform tail, Tiltwing, Captive helicopter, Variable-incidence wing, Trimotor, Canard Rotor/Wing, Proprotor, Captive plane, Tiltjet. Excerpt: A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine driven rotors. In contrast with fixed-wing aircraft, this allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally. These attributes allow helicopters to be used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aircraft would not be able to take off or land. The capability to efficiently hover for extended periods of time allows a helicopter to accomplish tasks that fixed-wing aircraft and other forms of vertical takeoff and landing aircraft cannot perform. The word 'helicopter' is adapted from the French, coined by Gustave de Ponton d'Amecourt in 1861, which originates from the Greek helix/helik- () = "twisted, curved" and pteron () = "wing." Helicopters were developed and built during the first half-century o...
