Common Helicopter Misconceptions

Don’t let being afraid to fly scare you away from a Las Vegas helicopter tour. There are too many beautiful things to see, and not nearly enough opportunities, for you to pass up a night flight over The Strip or a Grand Canyon tour based on a few misconceptions. So before you head out, forced to ride on the scary chopper, let us clear up some of the anxiety by addressing a few popular myths about helicopters.

First of all, regardless of the movies, it is very rare for a helicopter’s engine to just stop. And even more unlikely, it’s nearly impossible for one to spiral downward, out of control in the event that the engine does fail. And the reason this horror film helicopter image is unfeasible can be chalked up to physics.

The circular moving blades on the top of a chopper are auto-rotating, acting as either a windmill or a fan. When the engine is on, it turns the blades, creating a breeze and forcing a lift. When the engine stops, air flows past the blades, turning them slowly in the opposite direction, like a windmill.

The slower, rotating blades create a smooth descend and controlled landing. Worst case and the engine does stop, passengers have a much better chance of survival in helicopter than any other aircraft based on autorotation alone.

Next on the list of crazy myths is that helicopters need two engines to control both the top and tail sets of propellers. This is false. While most helicopters do have two engines, it is strictly for safety reasons. Only one engine is needed to control both sets of propellers. When a chopper has two engines, it just gives an additional safety option if the first engine fails. If there were only one engine and it failed, a helicopter could only rely on its natural option of autorotation (the windmill effect). When there are two engines, a helicopter will still make it to its original destination instead of having to land in the event its first engine fails. However, it’s safe to say that it is highly unlikely for any (let alone two) helicopter engines to fail during a trip for no reason.

Another silly rumor is that helicopters are too fragile to fly in high winds. They fly these overseas, for crying out loud. The truth is: wind does not have the same effect on aircrafts as it does to objects on the ground. Flight speed is measured in knots, similarly to ships, which is based on a latitude chart. On the ground, 40 knots would be pretty strong and 60 would likely knock you over if you weren’t fighting it. At 65 knots, a hurricane is eminent. But what it boils down to is helicopters don’t need forward movement to fly because the propellers create its own wind. Aircrafts, when flying, are one with the wind. And of all aircrafts, helicopters are made to fly in strong winds.

Some people assume helicopters flights are bumpier than airplane rides. It’s true that helicopters may vibrate more than a jet-powered aircraft; however, it is a myth that helicopters don’t handle turbulence as well. It’s actually proven that choppers are more stable in turbulence than most other aircrafts, especially large passenger airplanes.

Lastly, helicopter pilots are no different than normal people. Before any become a helicopter tour pilot, they’re a pilot-pilot first. The reason most pilots chose to fly helicopters instead of airplanes, if you’re wondering, is because they like a closer view of the ground — or simply, they’d rather fly at lower altitudes. And if you could feel any safer about taking a helicopter tour, just know that all pilots — even helicopter tour pilots — get regular medical checkups and are required to take a flight text and written exam every six months.