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Helicopters
Helicopters have a range of purposes and abilities which make them useful for a variety of tasks that cannot be performed by an aeroplane. They use rotor blades which rotate around a central mast, creating lift whilst at the same time retaining a specific position. This means that they can achieve vertical take off without the helicopter moving forwards and as a result operate in areas where there is no room for a runway (i.e., isolated areas or in built up areas such as hospitals). This also means that they can hover in a certain area, making them highly manoeuvrable.
The history of the helicopter is a long one with routes as far back as 400BC. In the 1480s there was also a design by Leonardo da Vinci known as the “aerial screw”, which itself was not constructed, but it shows how far back the concepts of the helicopter goes. The design as we know it today dates back to 1942 when the first full scale production line of helicopters was made. This design included a tail rotor which added to its overall effectiveness and became associated with the look until the modern day.