What decides if a helicopter gets 2/4/6 blades?

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As the title says, why do Hueys have 2 blades, while most others have 4, or the Sea Stallion has 6? And if you put 6 on a 4, does that mean more lift and better performance?

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Lift is generated by an object like a helicopter blade slicing through the air, and creating a larger pressure on the bottom than on the top. The more blades, the more lift. In order to go up or down, you actually change the angle of the blade, not make it go faster or slower.

The heavier the helicopter the more blades. The Chinook has 8 (2 sets of 4). Some small helicopters have 4 like the little bird, because they need the performance boost. Most have 4, some medium-heavy helicopters have 6.

There’s also the aspect of gyroscopic precession which is more advanced. More blades makes this more complicated.

It’s a balance of cost (mainly maintenance, the initial cost of another blade isn’t much compared to everything else, weight, and performance).

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