For a helicopter (helicopter), the maximum flight altitude is determined by two "ceilings": static and dynamic. In the first case, we are talking about vertical lifting only with the rotor. This indicator is usually lower. In the second case, the lift is carried out using a screw, and due to the speed of linear movement. In this case, you can rise higher.
Helicopter Features
In an airplane, lift is generated due to the speed and configuration of the wing. In a completely different way, a helicopter rises. The maximum flight altitude rarely exceeds 3000-3500 m. A power plant and a rotor are used to lift it. Speed is not comparable to airplanes, but a helicopter can easily take off without taking off, land on an unprepared landing strip, hover in place, move sideways.
According to the instructions, pilots are forbidden to turn off the engines during landing on high-altitude platforms from 3000 meters. Normal operation for most helicopters in normal mode is possible up to 4.5 km. Above this threshold, the air becomes rarefied and the propeller blades must be given the maximum angles of attack. And this can lead to emergency situations.
Varieties
For an objective determination of indicators, it is necessary to identify what type the helicopter belongs to. The maximum flight altitude can be set for four subclasses of rotorcraft, which they divided the International Aviation Federation (FAI) in accordance with the design features.
In addition to helicopters, gyroplanes are also determined, in which the main screw does not change the angle of inclination and is used only to create lift. Another subclass is convertiplanes. Their propellers, together with the engines, are directed upwards during take-off, and during horizontal flight they turn and work like planes. Separately, a subclass of rotorcraft is distinguished, in which, in addition to the main propeller, side aerodynamic planes on the body (wings) are also used to create lift.
Still, all helicopters are divided into five groups depending on take-off weight: from 500 kg to 4500 kg. In addition, determine the type of appointment: civil or military. Among them, individual subclasses can be distinguished depending on the specifics of use: transport, multi-purpose, search and rescue, fire, agricultural, crane helicopters and others.
Helicopter: maximum flight altitude
Both static and dynamic “ceilings” have extreme performance. Restrictions are introduced to determine the boundaries, the excess of which can lead to disruption of the air flow from the rotor blades. More confident rotorcraft are kept in the air at heights of up to 4500 m with the definition of the maximum "ceiling" for individual machines up to 6 km.
The maximum helicopter flight altitude, recorded as an absolute record, is 12442 m. It was installed by the French balloonist Jean Boulet. His Aerospatiale "Lama", a subclass of "helicopters", was able to overcome the 12-kilometer milestone in 1972. That flight could end fatally, because at an altitude where the temperature was lower - 60 ° C, the engine stalled. The pilot had to set another record - the maximum altitude decrease in the main rotor self-rotation mode.
