HELICOPTERS HAVE THREE primary flight controls-the collective, cyclic, and anti-torque pedals. The collective (above right) raises and lowers the angle of attack of all the rotor blades at the same time. It is paired with a twist-grip throttle. The cyclic (top right) moves the helicopter forward, back, right, and left. Anti-torque pedals control the tail rotor and tell the nose which direction to point. HELICOPTER ANATOMY A look inside vertical lift Want to fly a helicopter? This is the quarter tour of the components and flight controls. CABIN DOORS: Most light helicopters are approved for flights without front doors. MAIN ROTOR: Provides lift to go up or down. The pilot pulls on the collective, and the blades raise together to increase the angle of attack. Turning the cyclic changes each blade idependently, to alter lift in a specific direction. VERTICAL STABILIZER: This helps with stability and keeps the nose straight in the event of a tail rotor failure. TAIL ROTOR: Necessary to counteract the torque of the main rotor. The pilot controls it with the pedals, which changes the angle of attack of the blades. SKID LANDING GEAR: Designed to take a huge amount of vertical force for safety. 30 / FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG JET ENGINE: Most helicopters use turbine engines. A transmission takes the power and in most cases, lowers the rpm before sending it to the main rotor.http://FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG