Which control primarily changes yaw in a conventional helicopter?

Which control primarily changes yaw in a conventional helicopter?

• A. Cyclic
• B. Collective
• C. Anti-torque pedals
• D. Throttle

Answer: (C)

Yaw is rotation about the vertical axis, and in a conventional helicopter the main rotor’s torque tends to spin the fuselage in the opposite direction. The anti-torque pedals adjust the thrust of the tail rotor, which provides the counter-torque that allows you to control that yaw motion. When you press the pedals, you change the tail rotor thrust in a way that makes the helicopter rotate left or right around its vertical axis. This is why the pedals are described as the primary yaw control. Cyclic tilts the main rotor disk to produce horizontal movement, including turning the nose during forward flight, but that tilting moves the aircraft rather than directly setting yaw. Collectives change rotor blade pitch to vary lift (and thus rotor torque and overall vertical motion), not the yaw directly. Throttle controls engine power and rotor speed; while changes in power can indirectly affect torque, they do not provide the direct, dedicated yaw control that pedals supply.

Yaw is rotation about the vertical axis, and in a conventional helicopter the main rotor’s torque tends to spin the fuselage in the opposite direction. The anti-torque pedals adjust the thrust of the tail rotor, which provides the counter-torque that allows you to control that yaw motion. When you press the pedals, you change the tail rotor thrust in a way that makes the helicopter rotate left or right around its vertical axis. This is why the pedals are described as the primary yaw control.

Cyclic tilts the main rotor disk to produce horizontal movement, including turning the nose during forward flight, but that tilting moves the aircraft rather than directly setting yaw. Collectives change rotor blade pitch to vary lift (and thus rotor torque and overall vertical motion), not the yaw directly. Throttle controls engine power and rotor speed; while changes in power can indirectly affect torque, they do not provide the direct, dedicated yaw control that pedals supply.