Which term refers to the imaginary plane traced by the rotor blade tips during rotation?

Which term refers to the imaginary plane traced by the rotor blade tips during rotation?

• A. Tip-Path Plane
• B. Rotor Plane
• C. Blade Path
• D. Path Plane

Answer: (A)

Tip-path plane describes the imaginary plane that contains the path traced by the tips of all rotor blades as they rotate. This plane reflects the actual motion of the blade tips, which can tilt relative to the aircraft due to flapping, coning, and the rotor system’s tilt from cyclic and collective input. When the rotor disk is level and there’s no flapping or mast tilt, the tips’ motion lies in the same plane as the rotor disc. In real flight, however, the tip-path plane is the plane along which the blade tips move, even as the rotor plane may be tilted. That specific term captures the concept of the tip motion itself, making it the correct choice. The rotor plane refers to the disk’s plane, blade path isn’t a standard term for this, and path plane isn’t used in this context.

Tip-path plane describes the imaginary plane that contains the path traced by the tips of all rotor blades as they rotate. This plane reflects the actual motion of the blade tips, which can tilt relative to the aircraft due to flapping, coning, and the rotor system’s tilt from cyclic and collective input. When the rotor disk is level and there’s no flapping or mast tilt, the tips’ motion lies in the same plane as the rotor disc. In real flight, however, the tip-path plane is the plane along which the blade tips move, even as the rotor plane may be tilted. That specific term captures the concept of the tip motion itself, making it the correct choice. The rotor plane refers to the disk’s plane, blade path isn’t a standard term for this, and path plane isn’t used in this context.