Rotorcraft Lift

This animation shows a big reason why the tail rotor is so important. Without the tail rotor, the rotorcraft would spin around opposite the direction that the main rotor is spinning. But with the tail rotor spinning, the rotorcraft can fly straight and in control.

Flash-enabled browsers display an animation showing a rotorcraft with no tail rotor. The entire rotorcraft is spinning around opposite to the spin of the main rotor. Then we see the rotorcraft with its tail rotor spinning. The rotorcraft is no longer spinning around.

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