Autorotation is when a helicopter loses power to its engines and the rotors begin to spin due to air resistance. Pilots can then safely land the helicopter because of this
But I just don’t understand how it works. Surely if the helicopter is falling then the air will push the rotors in the opposite direction to how they normally spin and that won’t create lift? Can someone explain?
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I’m a helicopter pilot. Autorotation has to do with the relationship between lift and drag. During normal flight, the lift generated by the rotor blades will also create some drag on the blades. This is called induced drag, and it’s due to the downward motion of the air through the blades. When you are in an auto, the air is moving up through the blades, reversing the direction of the induced drag so that it drives the blades forward, maintaining rotor RPM. Then, at the bottom of the auto, you trade that RPM for lift to cushion your landing.
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