Why do helicopters/choppers need to do circles in the air before landing?
In: Engineering
Even if helicopters are capable of hovering and translating backwards or side to side it is much easier for the pilot to move forward as this provides much better viability over where they are going. So it is much easier to do circles over the landing site as you do your final preparations then it is to stop and hover. These final preparations includes slowing down to landing speed as the helicopter still have quite a lot of momentum, checking for any obstacles in the landing area like tree branches, wires, fences, people or animals, checking the wind direction, speed and conditions as well as configuring the helicopter for landing. Once the helicopter is ready for the final landing it is also easier to do so while still moving forward. And to reduce the relative speed to the ground and prevent the wind from blowing them off the landing area they will try to land against the wind. So you might see a helicopter do a couple of circles above their landing site before landing, once to prepare for landing and observe the landing area and once to do final checks and get into position for landing.
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