Differences in helicopter and airplane design and construction

The most obvious difference in the construction of a fixed-wing aircraft and a helicopter is of course the latter's use of a rotor instead of a wing. There are many other additions, however, including the use of a tail rotor to offset torque. (Some helicopters use a “no tail rotor” system, in which low-pressure air is circulated through a tail boom to control the torque of the spinning main rotor.) Less obvious are such additions as the transmission system, which is used to transfer power from the engine to the rotor, tail rotor, and other accessories; the clutch, used to engage the engine and transmission with the rotor; and the mechanics of the rotor system itself.

The first helicopters were quite primitive, with skids instead of wheeled landing gear, open cockpits, and unaired fuselage sections. Helicopters are now as fully equipped as airplanes, with retractable landing gear and full instrumentation and navigation equipment, and are provided with accoutrements may be necessary to accomplish the specific task at hand. For example, some helicopters are flying ambulances, especially equipped with a complete set of intensive-care accessories. Others function as electronic news gatherers, with appropriate sensors and telecommunications equipment.

The design and operation of helicopters have derived the same advances from computers and composites as have other aircraft, especially in the design and construction of the rotor blades. One of the more important improvements is in the simplification of flight-control systems, where a simple side stick controller, with the assistance of computers, performs the functions of the collective, cyclic, and throttle controls.

Helicopter designs have included a number of optional rotor configurations, such as rotors that stop to serve as a fixed wing for forward flight; rotors that fold and can be stowed within the fuselage contours, lift being provided by a stub wing; and X-shaped rotors that rotate for takeoff and landing but are fixed for lift in flight.

In sum, the additional forces imposed upon a helicopter by its very concept delayed its development, made it relatively more difficult to control than fixed-wing aircraft, and, in general, impeded its use. While generally considered more expensive to operate than conventional fixed-wing aircraft, a true comparison of costs cannot be made without assessing the additional advantages conferred by the vertical flight capability. The popularity of the helicopter indicates that users pay any additional costs to obtain that capability. In some applications—medical evacuation, supplying of oil drilling rigs, spreading of certain agricultural agents, to name but a few—it is irreplaceable.

Walter James Boyne

Essential vocabulary:

1. obvious – явный, очевидный
2. latter - последний
3. offset torque – смещенный вращающий момент
4. tail boom – подъем хвостовой части
5. spinning - вращение
6. clutch – сцепление, фиксатор
7. to engage – занимать, задействовать
8. skids - салазки
9. wheeled landing gear – колесное устройство для приземления (шасси)
10. cockpit - кабина
11. retractable - втягивающийся
12. accoutrement - снаряжение
13. to accomplish- выполнять
14. ambulance – скорая помощь, санитарный
15. intensive-care accessories – средства (оборудование) первой необходимости
16. gatherer - приемник
17. appropriate – подходящий, соответствующий, уместный
18. to derive - заимствовать
19. composite – сложная конструкция, устройство
20. improvement - улучшение
21. stick controller - штурвал
22. throttle - дроссель
23. to fold – сгибать, складывать, свертывать
24. to stow - укладываться
25. stub wing – короткое (обрубленное) крыло
26. to delay – задерживать, тормозить (развитие)
27. to impose – навязывать, налагать
28. to imped – сопротивляться, препятствовать
29. to assess - оценивать
30. to confer - присуждать
31. oil drilling rigs – оснащение для бурения нефтяных скважин
32. irreplaceable - незаменимый

I. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the main difference in the construction of an aircraft and a helicopter?
2. How did the first helicopters look like?
3. How are the modern helicopters equipped?
4. What is the modern usage of some helicopters?
5. What peculiarities in construction of a helicopter were derived from other composites?
6. What is the most important improvement in the operation of a helicopter?
7. What rotor configurations does a rotor design of a helicopter include?
8. Is a development of a helicopter design still going on or has just already stopped? Why?

II. Find the English equivalents of the following phrases in the text:

– явное различие в конструкции

– полностью оборудованный

– передавать энергию

– простота в системе контроля полета

– дополнительная сила (мощь)

– в целом

– взлет и посадка

– относительно трудный для управления (контроля)

– одно из наиболее важных усовершенствований

– оценка дополнительных преимуществ

– возможность вертикального полета

– оборудованный полным набором средств первой необходимости

– иксообразный винт

– популярность указывает

– дополнительная цена

– обыкновенный самолет (с крыльями)

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