Only the main rotor is used to move the helicopter up and down and to make the helicopter tilt forward backward left or right. The net thrust vector has to point mostly up in order to keep it in the air and to move it forward it must point slightly forward.

Helicopter Aerodynamics Of Flight Aircraft Systems

The movement of any helicopter consists of and is controlled by two primary factors.

How helicopter moves forward. The rotor still generates lift but it also. Most helicopters have a main rotor on top of the aircraft and a small rotor on the back of the aircraft. In order to control the helicopter pilots can tilt the angle of each blade on both rotors which is called changing the pitch of the blades.

If the lift created is greater than the weight of the helicopter it is said to be climbing. This kind of directional flight is achieved by tilting the swash plate assembly with the cyclic which alters the pitch of each blade as it rotates. Rotor disc as as whole can be thought of as a gyroscope.

Helicopters can move forward by creating a forward thrust vector. How do helicopters move forward. As a result every blade produces maximum lift at a particular point.

In addition to moving up and down helicopters can fly forward backward and sideways. As the blades of the main rotor begin to spin the blades begin generating lift which makes the aircraft rise.