What term describes a complete system of rotating airfoils creating lift for a helicopter?

What term describes a complete system of rotating airfoils creating lift for a helicopter?

• A. Rotor
• B. Propeller
• C. Airfoil Assembly
• D. Turbine

Answer: (A)

Lift for a helicopter comes from the rotor—the complete rotating airfoil system that includes the blades, hub, mast, and the drive mechanism that spins them. As the rotor turns, the airfoils (the blades) slice through the air and push air downward, creating an upward reaction force that sustains lift. This rotating assembly is designed specifically to generate lift, not forward thrust. A propeller, while also a rotating airfoil, is designed to produce thrust for forward motion, typical of airplanes (and sometimes used on helicopters for other purposes), but it’s not the system that primarily creates the lift in a helicopter. An airfoil assembly is not the standard term for the entire lift-producing rotating system, and a turbine is part of an engine, not the rotor that provides lift.

Lift for a helicopter comes from the rotor—the complete rotating airfoil system that includes the blades, hub, mast, and the drive mechanism that spins them. As the rotor turns, the airfoils (the blades) slice through the air and push air downward, creating an upward reaction force that sustains lift. This rotating assembly is designed specifically to generate lift, not forward thrust.

A propeller, while also a rotating airfoil, is designed to produce thrust for forward motion, typical of airplanes (and sometimes used on helicopters for other purposes), but it’s not the system that primarily creates the lift in a helicopter. An airfoil assembly is not the standard term for the entire lift-producing rotating system, and a turbine is part of an engine, not the rotor that provides lift.