HELICOPTER

Banks, Albert L.                 Martin L. King High School
                                 1-312-536-8685
                           

Objectives

1. Students will be able to demonstrate the effects of aerodynamics on a wide board. 
2. Students will be able to name parts of the helicopter.
3. Students will know the the meaning of the terms: lift, thrust, drag. and weight. 
4. Students will learn how to construct a paper device, that can fly and be 
   controlled by manipulating its parts. 
5. Students will gain an appreciation of the aerodynamics involved in flying a 
   helicopter. 

Apparatus and Materials

1. Model helicopter
2. Card board (1"X 3')
3. Paper (11"X 14")
4. Paper strip (1"X 7")
5. Scissors
6. Cellophane tape
7. Ruler

Recommended  Strategy

Perform the following activities:

Background

A. Discuss the development of the helicopter through the ages: 
   1. State Leonardo da Vinci's artistic contribution. (1500) 
   2. Discuss the first manned helicopter, developed by Paul Cornu and later Louis 
      Bre'guet (1907) 
   3. Discuss the first practical helicopter designed by Henry Focke and later Igor 
      Sikorsky (1939) 

Activities

A. Rotor design
     The helicopter's main rotor and tail rotor do the same jobs as the wings, 
propeller, and rudder of an airplane. To understand how a rotor works, experiment 
with a model rotor blade made of a piece of stiff cardboard about 3 inches wide and 3 
feet long. Hold one end of the blade with both hands,  and turn around in a circle. 
As you are turning, adjust the angle at which the blade meets the air. This angle is 
called the pitch of the blade. Vary the angle of the blade as you turn and you will 
notice that it tilts. The greater the pitch you give the blade, the higher the blade 
tilts because of its increased lifting power. 


B. Paper Airplane

     (See paper airplane instructions: any science book) 
   
C. Helirotor
     Cut a 3 inch slit in a (1 inch X 7 inch) piece of paper; now make a 1/3 inch 
slit on each side of the paper just below the three inch slit. You now have two 
prongs on the top half of your strip of paper. Curl each prong in a direction 
opposite to each other with your finger nail. Fold the bottom half of each side of 
the sheet inward until they overlap. Try launching your helicopter from as high as 
possible. Reverse the prongs. Discuss the aerodynamics involved.