In other words, if spinning blades super fast doesn’t give a helicopter the lift it needs, then what does?
In: Physics
The angle of the rotors is what changes.
When the pilot pulls back on the collective (the control stick on the left) it changes the angle of the rotor blades which causes them to generate more lift.
If the collective is down the rotor blades rotate to a position where they generate little if any lift.
The same process is true for a lot of propeller aircraft. The speed at which the propeller spins is constant but the angle of the blades changes. This is how they adjust how much thrust the engine generates and also allows the thrust to reverse if necessary like during landing. This is more efficient and faster reacting than the older method of speeding them up and slowing them down.
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