Which term describes the adjustment of blade pitch to redistribute lift during forward flight?

Which term describes the adjustment of blade pitch to redistribute lift during forward flight?

• A. Blade Flapping
• B. Collective Pitch
• C. Tail Rotor Thrust
• D. Cyclic Feathering

Answer: (D)

The adjustment that redistributes lift to tilt the rotor thrust for forward flight is done with cyclic pitch control. By varying the blade pitch as the rotor turns (more pitch on the advancing portion of the disk and less on the retreating portion), the lift is unevenly distributed around the disk. This creates a forward component of thrust, tilting the rotor plane and enabling forward motion. Blade flapping describes the up-and-down motion of blades in response to lift, which is a secondary dynamic, not the method used to steer thrust forward. Collective pitch changes the pitch of all blades equally to increase or decrease overall lift, not to shift where the lift acts around the disk. Tail rotor thrust is about counteracting torque to maintain yaw, not redistributing lift for forward flight. And the term cyclic feathering isn’t the standard way to describe this mechanism; the correct concept is cyclic (or cyclic pitch) control, which varies blade pitch with azimuth to tilt the rotor’s thrust.

The adjustment that redistributes lift to tilt the rotor thrust for forward flight is done with cyclic pitch control. By varying the blade pitch as the rotor turns (more pitch on the advancing portion of the disk and less on the retreating portion), the lift is unevenly distributed around the disk. This creates a forward component of thrust, tilting the rotor plane and enabling forward motion. Blade flapping describes the up-and-down motion of blades in response to lift, which is a secondary dynamic, not the method used to steer thrust forward. Collective pitch changes the pitch of all blades equally to increase or decrease overall lift, not to shift where the lift acts around the disk. Tail rotor thrust is about counteracting torque to maintain yaw, not redistributing lift for forward flight. And the term cyclic feathering isn’t the standard way to describe this mechanism; the correct concept is cyclic (or cyclic pitch) control, which varies blade pitch with azimuth to tilt the rotor’s thrust.