How fast do personal helicopters go

Different sources quote different numbers when it comes to helicopter speed but below are some choppers of different sizes that offer impressive speeds and other characteristics:. Helicopter speed is also affected by the type of chopper it is, which includes both civilian and military helicopters. These are truly some of the fastest helicopters in the world today but keep in mind that they do not include some of the helicopters used by the military, which often have the capability to go much faster.

There are many different ways to compare the average speeds of the helicopters being used today but suffice it to say that average two-seaters with smaller engines can fly at 90 to knots while a four-seater can usually go at around to knots. As of , the fastest helicopter on the planet is the X3 Eurocopter, which has a speed of miles per hour. Unfortunately, if you were on your roof waiting to be rescued, such an aircraft might not only fail to retrieve you, it could set your house on fire.

Aircraft engineers have also tried out jet engines with adjustable exhaust nozzles. The Hawker Siddeley Kestrel, which first flew in , could aim its thrust in different directions, making the aircraft quite agile in forward flight and able to take off and land vertically. But the exhaust was again too hot and fast for the helicopter to be suitable for rescue purposes. What we at Sikorsky settled on almost four decades ago was a design we called the Advancing Blade Concept.

It uses two counterrotating rigid rotors that spin around the same axis, which is why they are known as coaxial rotors. In forward flight, each rotor produces a surfeit of lift on its advancing side, freeing the retreating side from having to do any heavy lifting, all while maintaining good balance. Sikorsky patented the concept in , but considerable engineering was needed to actually get something like this in the air.

The first flight of a demonstrator vehicle using coaxial rotors took place in June The U. Army, which sponsored the flight tests, called it the XHA. On one of these early low-altitude flights, the helicopter suddenly pitched nose up. The pilot was forced to land the aircraft on its tail, damaging the landing gear in the process. The helicopter rolled about 45 degrees, hitting the tips of the rotor blades on the asphalt. Fortunately, nobody was hurt.

That accident raised some big questions. Sikorsky engineers launched a yearlong investigation into the incident. What we learned was that the very stiff coaxial rotors produced greater-than-expected nose-up forces when flying forward.

If the aircraft rolled slightly to the right, the computer commanded the flight-control servomechanisms to roll it back slightly to the left. This new aircraft took off for the first time on 18 September During the next five years, the XHA was tested both as a pure helicopter and with jet engines attached to the sides of the fuselage to provide extra propulsion. Because it was intended as an inexpensive proof of concept, the XHA had features, such as the strapped-on jets, that no production vehicle would likely have.

The heavy and fuel-hungry jets pushed the aircraft to high speed—with some significant problems. For example, the helicopter vibrated so much at these higher speeds that its pilots struggled to control it. And when hovering, the vehicle had an annoying tendency to oscillate rather than float smoothly in place. A few years ago, however, Sikorsky decided to review its portfolio of designs to see whether technological advances in avionics and control systems might be able to address the earlier problems.

Engineers at Sikorsky were particularly interested in seeing whether the company could rescue its Advancing Blade Concept. The first thing to tackle was the vibration problem. This technique involves a dozen or so vibration sensors distributed around the helicopter, a control computer, and several vibratory-force generators placed at select spots on the airframe. To make the revived helicopter fly more efficiently at high speeds, specialists in aerodynamics turned to computer-aided design tools to craft the airfoils, rotors, and fuselage.

The modeling software indicated that this rotor would have significantly less drag and more lift than what was used in the XHA. Then there was the problem of the jet engines.

Simply adding jet engines to the helicopter does speed it up, but they are noisy and fuel hungry. So the X2 design team decided to use a variable-pitch pusher propeller at the aft end of the fuselage to provide forward thrust when needed. That propeller is good not only for acceleration but also for rapid deceleration.

Another critical advance was in the controls. The XHA had used a mechanical flight control system that was both heavy and extremely complex. It commanded six hydraulic servoactuators to change the pitch of the rotors three actuators per rotor , operated the rudders, and controlled the two auxiliary jet engines.

The system contains three redundant flight-control computers just to be safe. If one of them fails, it instantly shuts down, allowing the aircraft to fly normally on the remaining two computers. The different sensors on which the flight-control system relies are also installed in triplicate.

The engine Sikorsky ended up choosing for the X2, an LHTEC T turboshaft, is a modern, state-of-the-art design that might well serve for a production vehicle. The rotors, propeller, and engine are coupled together with gearboxes and shafts. The X2 prototype made its first test hop on 27 August , in Elmira, N. Several more low-speed flight tests also went off without a hitch. To venture to higher speeds, Sikorsky sent the test team to its flight center in West Palm Beach, Fla.

On the day of that flight, in August of this year, the test team got started at the crack of dawn. To ensure that the pilots would be flying in smooth air, the crew had to be on site by a.

The crew rolled the aircraft out onto the runway, where a dozen safety officers in bright orange jumpsuits and noise-canceling headsets were on patrol. Two chase vehicles were there to observe the test flight—another helicopter and a fixed-wing turboprop.

The latter would be needed to keep up with the X2 as it accelerated to higher speeds. The test team was on high alert as it orchestrated flight activities to keep the three vehicles a safe distance apart. Cheers and applause broke out on the ground. The pilot slowed the X2, turned it around, and flew back to land on the runway. Everyone involved was jubilant, but most of all relieved—especially the pilot. The real X2 has only about 14 flight hours on it, but its engineers and pilots have spent hundreds of hours flying the simulator.

Assuming all goes well, Sikorsky engineers are planning to adopt some of the technologies used on the X2 for the new helicopters they have on the drawing board. So expect some dramatic shifts in the way helicopters are designed. Thomas Lawrence, a technical fellow at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. First he helped design an airship lifted by four conjoined helicopters.

Next came the XHA, a futile effort to break the helicopter speed record. He then focused on the X-Wing, an aircraft that could take off like a helicopter but switched midair to fly like a fixed-wing airplane. Their most efficient and quietest rotor blade ever developed. Due for initial customer delivery in early this helicopter is going to be raising the bar for years to come. This all-weather, long-range 8. This modern multi-role helicopter is now certified for Single-Pilot IFR making it a great personal or corporate helicopter when speed is of the essence.

Utilizing the latest materials, engines and avionics this sleek all-weather helicopter has some tough competition! Russian Helicopters KA Website. One of the most popular Twin-Engined helicopters in the world. With the latest aviation and weapons technologies this helicopter is seeing action with the Russian and Egyptian Armed Forces. This advanced attack helicopter has been designed to seek out an destroy enemy targets in all weather conditions.

Built with combat survivability in mind this helicopter is designed to take a beating while unleashing hell on its targets. Russian Helicopters MiN Website. The AW is the latest highly versatile helicopter from Leonardo. The E model is the latest generation of this formidable helicopter with upgraded engines, avionics and weapons systems this latest version is a true soldiers friend or foe!

In use in over 15 countries this fast, invisible attack platform is by far one of the most deadly helicopters in the world today. Boeing AHE Website. This fast, agile multi-engine, multi-role helicopter from Leonardo is a popular, cost effective helicopter. Its small footprint make it perfect for use aboard naval ships while also allowing it to provide discreet reconnaissance during land-borne operations. Leonardo AWM Website. With 7 cabin configurations available straight from the factory to support every kind of mission this is a true multi-role helicopter.

State-of-the-art avionics make this all weather helicopter a true pilots machine and able to carry 16 fully loaded troops over nm at kts is no mean feat either! One of the most globally recognized helicopters on the battlefield this latest generation Chinook from Boeing stretches the boundaries even more.

Whether it is carrying troops, slinging heavy equipment or being used as a MedEvac ship this beast is a true multi-role helicopter. For saying how big this helicopter is, the speed it can move at is phenomenal, hence why its a very popular troop MedEvac helicopter. Boeing CHF Website. The Blackhawk is one of the most widely used military helicopters in the world and partly due to its high cruise speed!

Sikorsky S70i Website. This helicopter leads the technological race as it was the first true Fly-By-Wire helicopter and boy is it fast! NH90 Website. Taking the top spot for both the fastest production civilian and military helicopters the AW is a fantastic aircraft. After seeing the success of the AW in the civilian sector the military version was released in as a versatile Intermediate Twin helicopter.