If a helicopter flies over a large hole, will it lose altitude and/or crash?

Answer 1

No it is the same as flying over mountains and any other uneven terrian. The chopper blades cut the air to hover and the relation to the ground it small. However if there is a updraft or downdraft from the hole the chopper will rise or fall. Air pressure will affect the position of the craft.

Answer 2

To best answer your question, we would have to know more about the size of the helicopters rotor, the size of the hole, and how fast the helicopter is moving over the ground. Here's the reason why...

When hovering close to the ground, helicopters experience an aerodynamic phenomenon called "ground effect". In simple terms it is like hovering on a cushion of air that builds up under the helicopter due to the down flow of air through the rotor system. But this cushion of air only exists if the helicopter is hovering (nearly standing still), and very near the ground. Aerodynamic principles suggest that if any helicopter hovers higher than a distance comparable to 1/2 its rotor diameter, the cushion of air dissipates, and the helicopter will begin to descend if power is not added. So, if the hole was deeper than 1/2 the diameter of the rotor disk, and the helicopter was hovering (nearly standing still), then yes, the helicopter would lose altitude if no power was added.

However, if the helicopter is moving (in any direction), above the speed necessary for translational lift (16-24 mph for most single rotor helicopters), then it would no longer be dependant on a cushion of air to support it. The main rotor at that point is fully supporting the helicopters weight, and flying over a hole while moving above that speed would not result in any appreciable loss of altitude. Once the helicopters speed exceeds 24 mph in level flight, it can fly over the Grand Canyon and experience no significant loss of altitude. Thanks for your question!

Answer 3

an entire length helicopter can not fly alongside the different way up, they can't loop the loop,(different than one and that i've got faith that has a fastened rotor.) the closest some can get is to have the skill to roll. you would be able to observe that some choppers pull up right into a partial loop , after which roll out. in spite of if a sort helicopter is a different kettle of fish, turn it the different way up, throw a swap and all controls (Servos) are actually reversed. The blades on a sort chopper are no longer the comparable as a genuine helicopter and have confidence in "perspective of attack" far greater beneficial than a genuine one. you are able to hold the information of a fashions rotor blades and %. it up ( no longer cautioned) you are able to not at all have the skill to try this with a genuine one.

Answer 4

No, but flying across an edge like that will give one the sense of losing altitude. Used to do that all the time, doing tours. Fly low across a ridgeline that I knew dropped off steep and long on the backside. A little bump on the collective would give the impression of a huge drop of the aircraft. People loved it. After they regained their composure.

Answer 5

It would definitely not crash. It might lose a little bit in altitude if there are a disturbance in the air pressure regardless if it flies over a hole or not.

Answer 6

Only if there is no air in the hole. Rotor blades develop lift same as a fixed wing, no air, no lift. I suspect at normal speeds the pilot would not be aware of flying over a hole if he didn't look down.

Answer 7

just a little addition to dme-arc's answer

in general (no soil effect) the helicopter won't fall
simply because, since local gravity (g=9.81 m/s2) won't change just because of the hole, the helicopter weight won't change all of a sudden... and air density stays the same, so no change in drag / thrust either!
and so there won't be any perturbation in the equilibrium of the forces acting on the aircraft...

remember: hovercraft are bound to "fly" thanks to "soil effect", not helicopters nor aircraft

by the way, if local gravity was impacted due to the hole, it would be diminished and the aircraft would ... lift up!

Answer 8

Of course not! Helos fly over the Grand Canyon all the time without incident, for example.

Answer 9

If you are hovering in ground effect and move out over the hole, yes you will loose lift. If you are flying at altitude...no effect.
The key word in your question is "flying"...the answer is....no

Answer 10

No, or they would not fly over canyons or volcanos. The props are exerting the same pressure below themselves at 50 ft up or at 150 ft up.