What is "helicopter"

Helicopter \Hel"i*cop`ter\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. "e`lix, "e`likos, a spiral + ptero`n a wing.] a heavier-than-air aircraft whose lift is provided by the aerodynamic forces on rotating blades rather than on fixed wings. Contrasted with fixed-wing aircraft.

Helicopter \Hel"i*cop`ter\, v. i. to travel in a helicopter.

Helicopter \Hel"i*cop`ter\, v. t. to transport in a helicopter.

1861, from French hélicoptère "device for enabling airplanes to rise perpendicularly," thus "flying machine propelled by screws." The idea was to gain lift from spiral aerofoils, and it didn't work. Used by Jules Verne and the Wright Brothers, the word transferred to helicopters in the modern sense when those were developed in the 1920s. From Greek helix (genitive helikos) "spiral" (see helix) + pteron "wing" (see pterodactyl). Nativized in Flemish as wentelwiek "with rotary vanes."

n. 1 An aircraft that is borne along by one or more sets of long rotating blades which allow it to hover, move in any direction including reverse, or land; and having a smaller set of blades on its tail that stabilize the aircraft. 2 a powered troweling machine with spinning blades used to spread concrete. 3 a winged fruit of certain trees, such as ash, elm, and maple vb. 1 (context transitive English) To transport by helicopter. 2 (context intransitive English) To travel by helicopter. 3 To rotate like a helicopter blade.

n. an aircraft without wings that obtains its lift from the rotation of overhead blades [syn: chopper, whirlybird, eggbeater]

A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors.

Helicopter may also refer to:

"Helicopter" is a song by English rock band Bloc Party that was originally released in the UK in 2004 on the Little Thoughts EP, and two years later as a single from their debut album, Silent Alarm in the US. The song was received with much acclaim, reaching number 26 on the UK Singles Chart on its first release, but failing to chart in the US. Various remixes have been recorded.

The song has also been featured on the video games Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Guitar Hero: On Tour, FIFA 06, Project Gotham Racing 3, Burnout Revenge, Colin McRae Dirt 2, and Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. The song was also featured in the films Yes Man, Charlie St. Cloud and Grandma's Boy and in the Malcolm in the Middle episode "Morp". A remix of the song was featured in the film Reverb.

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward, and laterally. These attributes allow helicopters to be used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aircraft and many forms of VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft cannot perform.

The English word helicopter is adapted from the French word , coined by Gustave Ponton d'Amécourt in 1861, which originates from the Greek helix "helix, spiral, whirl, convolution" and pteron "wing". English language nicknames for helicopter include "chopper", "copter", "helo", "heli", and "whirlybird".

Helicopters were developed and built during the first half-century of flight, with the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 being the first operational helicopter in 1936. Some helicopters reached limited production, but it was not until 1942 that a helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky reached full-scale production, with 131 aircraft built. Though most earlier designs used more than one main rotor, it is the single main rotor with anti-torque tail rotor configuration that has become the most common helicopter configuration. Tandem rotor helicopters are also in widespread use due to their greater payload capacity. Coaxial helicopters, tiltrotor aircraft, and compound helicopters are all flying today. Quadcopter helicopters pioneered as early as 1907 in France, and other types of multicopter have been developed for specialized applications such as unmanned drones.

"Helicopter" is a track by Dutch DJ and record producer Martin Garrix and Dutch music producing duo Firebeatz. It was released as a digital download on 17 February 2014 on Beatport and on 10 March 2014 on iTunes. The track has charted in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. The track was produced by Martin Garrix and Firebeatz.

Helicopter is the seventh studio album by the post-industrial electronic band Download. Much like Download's previous release, FiXeR, Helicopter features a guest appearance by former vocalist, Mark Spybey. It also puts a prominent focus on analogue equipment, using the oldest machines that Subconscious Studios had to offer.
Initially given a limited release as part of Subconscious Communications' Beyond The Vault series, Helicopter eventually sold out and, in 2011, was given a second pressing and a wider release through Metropolis Records. This re-release is retitled Helicopter + Wookie Wall, and features three additional tracks. According to Simon Paul, designer of the Helicopter's original album art, the art of this re-release will be an amalgamation of the album's original artwork and the artwork he submitted for the proposed Wookie Wall EP.
The song "Message From Gort" is a reference to the PlatEAU album Gort Spacebar, which was also a Key and Western project and released as part of the Beyond The Vault series.