LH or RH Rotation?
 

Hi guys,

Asked this in the Beginners forum but had no luck...

Can someone kindly explain to me how can you tell if your heli is RH rotation or LH rotation with regards to the main rotor?

I can understand CW or CCW when viewed from above but I don't understand RH or LH rotation. I need to know this so I can order some SAB rotor blades for a Vario 500E kit (my first scale heli project).

Many thanks,

Z

RE: LH or RH Rotation?
 

hi mate,
i fly both helis with right and left rotation, not quite sure what info you really want answering regarding left or right rotation but im guessing you are asking is there some blades that will only fly either one direction and not the other,, if that is your question or related to your question then yes if your blades you want to buy are semi symmetrical then this means the flatter side or surface of the blade will only rotate with the leading edge at the front whilest keeping the flat surface facing down.

ofcause then this means if you put the same blades on the blade holders to rotate the other way then the flat surface would face up and ofcause you dont want that

if your blades are symmetrical (and not semi symmetrical) then ofcause it doesn't matter which rotation you use as both the top and bottom have the same profile..

i like sab blades and use them on most of my helis but just make sure if they are semi sim blades they are for the correct rotation

RE: LH or RH Rotation?
 

oh i just had another thoght to what you might be asking.

you can find out the direction of rotation by turning the clutchbell on the engine in the direction that the engine would ofcause turn the clutch.. then just watch which way it turns the mainshaft and that should tell you which way your helis blades rotate

RE: LH or RH Rotation?
 

Hi jez33,

Thanks so much for helping.

Basically what I'm asking is - If I want to buy semi-symmetrical blades, how do I know whether my heli needs LH blades or RH blades? In other words, how do I know if my heli is LH rotation or RH rotation?

I can understand if someone asks me if the main rotors turn CW or CCW when viewed from above but I don't understand LH or RH rotation.

Hope I've made my question a little clearer!!

Z

RE: LH or RH Rotation?
 

OH I think i see what you ask.

clockwize is right hand rotation and counter clockwize is the same as left hand rotation..

RE: LH or RH Rotation?
 

EXCELLENT!!

I finally understand!!!

Thanks so much jez33. I've been searching on an answer to this for hours. Can buy some SAB blades now!!!

Have a great Xmas and New Year.

RE: LH or RH Rotation?
 

:)

Picture sitting in a cockpit of a real helicopter and looking up at the rotor blades, if they move from the left to the right (clockwise) its a RH rotation.

Most helis, just due to the engine/gearing configuration we use are right hand (CW) rotating.

RE: LH or RH Rotation?
 

Thanks BarracudaHockey,

Thats a great way to look at it - easy to remember.

RE: LH or RH Rotation?
 

If you're interested in doing a scale project, the direction of rotation will be something you'll want to pay attention to. All us designed/manufactured helicopters rotate in the counter-clockwise rotation. Just about everyone else rotates in a clockwise fashion. There might be a few exceptions here and there, but as a general rule this is correct. On Tandem rotor helicopters, the forward head rotates in a counter-clockwise rotation while the aft head rotates clockwise.

RE: LH or RH Rotation?
 

Hi,

this of course leads to the question. Why are most model helis built with CW rotation when, as Hooker50 points out, the originals have CCW? I could understand this if the rotor shaft is screwed into the drive unit, but I've never owned a model with a screwed in shaft.

Karl.

RE: LH or RH Rotation?
 

yes it does sound a bit strange why some helis rotate one way and other manufactories choose the other way.

i read about this in a different forum some time ago..

you mostly find that european manufactories ( mostly in germany ) dont have a preference to construckt a heli to rotate either one way or the other.. it depends which way the engine n gears are designed which rotate the blades to the left ( ccw ) or right ( cw ) .
mostly its the varios and graupners that rotate this way but you can buy an adaptation to change it the other way if you want to.

neither rotation is better then the other but you get used to what you fly i think is the general rule..it feels strange ofcause to fly a rh rotating heli and then change to a lh rotation but its great how quickly you can adapt

RE: LH or RH Rotation?
 

I changed the rotation of my Logo 10 to match that of the full scale Cobra since I'm building (slowly) the Approach Engineering kit. With electric all I had to do was swap two wires to the motor, flip the gear over so the autorotation clutch was going the right way, flip the belt over, and turn the blades and paddles over. It was weird seeing it leaning to the left, I kept giving it right cyclic till my eyes and brain coordinated what was going on.

RE: LH or RH Rotation?
 

that sounds like its going to be a decent scale machine

yer i love the way my vario leans one side then fly my jr ventura which leans the other way..

mind you i sometimes forget that on fast decents or in windy comditions the rotor direction can determin which ailoron input you need to comensate for its leaning and thats been the setting for some wicked unintended areobatics ..lol