Why Rotorcraft are Useful and Why NASA Performs Research on Them

December 12,1997

In terms of dollar value, rotorcraft represents only a very small fraction of the total overall aerospace industry. Nonetheless, rotorcraft (helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft) perform all sorts of useful and important functions within our society. Many of these functions can only be performed by rotorcraft. Alternatively, even when other aircraft or equipment can perform a given job, oftentimes there are clear advantages for using rotorcraft. The ability to hover and perform low-speed maneuvers is an extremely valuable capability. The functions that rotorcraft can perform can be broken into three general categories: military, civilian, and public service.

Rotorcraft are an essential part of U.S. national defense. Rotorcraft perform anti-armor, special operations, scout/surveillance, utility/transport, and search and rescue (SAR) military functions. Rotorcraft are used by all four U.S. military services -- although the principal users are the Marines and the Army. Among the current military rotorcraft used by the U.S. are the UH-60 Blackhawk (made by Sikorsky Aircraft), the CH-47 Chinook (made by Boeing Helicopter), the AH-64 Apache (made by McDonnell Douglas Helicopter and now owned by Boeing ), the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior and the AH-1 Cobra (made by Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.), and the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft (Made by Bell-Boeing).

For civilian purposes, rotorcraft have many applications: news service information gathering, cinematography, oil-rig and other remote site utility and transport support, corporate personnel transport, remote site logging, tourism/site-seeing, heavy-lift applications for installation/retrieval of equipment from tall building sites, and many others.

In the public service sector, helicopters perform exceptional service. Helicopters in public service roles include: Coast Guard search and rescue/drug-interdiction, police support, fire-fighting, emergency medical response, disaster relief. Many inspiring stories can be told about the use of helicopters for humanitarian purposes. Every year a "Heroism" award is awarded to a rotorcraft flight crew/operator that performs the most exemplary "heroic." This is often reported in industry publications such as "Rotor & Wing." Every day helicopter flight crews are out flying somewhere saving lives. Whether it is a Coast Guard crew pulling stranded seamen out of stormy waters or National Guardsmen rescuing flood, earthquake, or hurricane victims, or an emergency medical service helicopter taking a car crash victim to a distant hospital -- lives are being saved through the use of rotorcraft.

It is because rotorcraft provide so much value to the public service and the U.S. national defense that NASA performs rotorcraft research. Even small incremental improvements in aircraft performance can sometimes have a tremendous impact on the overall mission capability. Also, NASA researchers hope that the next generation of rotorcraft such as tiltrotor aircraft can find their way into the public transportation mainstream. One day tiltrotor aircraft may become an essential part of the aviation transport network -- just as jet/turbo-fan and turbo-prop aircraft currently are. NASA technology will hopefully help make that possible.

For more information readers can contact the American Helicopter Society, Alexandria, VA.