Did you know?
- That helicopters are fundamentally safer than airplanes. - That if the engine stops, the helicopter rotor continues to spin allowing the machine to slowly land, generally with out crashing to the ground. - Modern day helicopters are no more difficult to fly than many types of fixed wing airplanes. - Helicopters are safest to fly in bad weather because they can slow down, stop and/or fly backwards or sideways. - Over 3 million lives have been saved by helicopters in both peacetime and wartime operations since the first person was rescued from the sea in 1944. - U.S. police and emergency rescue helicopters transport about 15,000 patients annually. - This ability to move sick and/or injured people to the hospital saves thousands of lives. - There are more than 11,000 civil helicopters operating in the U.S. - There are more than 15,000 civil helicopters operating in more than 157 other countries around the world. - If you include military helicopters it is estimated that there are more than 45,000 operating worldwide. - Helicopters can be flown across oceans if additional fuel is made available or in-flight refueling is employed. - If you want to travel 300 to 400 miles the helicopter is often the quickest means of transportation. - Tilting the main rotors enables the helicopter to lift, go forward, backwards or sideways. The power provided by the engine is principally used to turn the rotors.