Shall I fly, hover or crash?
Knowledge that I will never use, part ‘really big number”. I came across a short capsule on how to fiy a helicopter. No worries; unless things change for the better, I won’t even get to sit in the passenger seat. But, I’m better to know why the pilot needs both arms and feet. Collectively, no pun intended.
Years ago, I had learned that the big rotating thing on the roof (rotors?) actually work like a tilting plate. Tilt forward, go forward, etc. Also, a chopper (that’s slang for a really expensive machine, apparently) can go up and down, and for reasons that take root in physics, it will also spin around itself. In order to go from being a really expensive hole digger to something useful, the pilot can also control the tendency to spin left or right.
Do you follow so far? I can go up/down, forwards/backwards, leftish/rightish. Pretty cool. And since a pilot has oodles of spare time, he/she can talk on the radio, read gauges, try to avoid running out of fuel and pay attention to the compass/GPS. While talking to the passenger. Me, perhaps.
Now, a little knowledge can be dangerous, so I would never try to fly such a contraption after three minutes of training. Nor would I try to build one, using parts from my bicycle. I’m not Leonardo. But, the next time I see a helicopter, either in real life, or in a movie, my newfound knowledge will allow me to astound everyone else in the room. Because what are the odds of two of us having zero training and a desire to amaze friends and acquaintances.
