00:00Engine failure doesn't mean death, the last magic trick of a helicopter.
00:05Helicopters and other rotary-wing aircraft have a remarkable safety feature called auto-rotation,
00:11which allows them to land safely even if the engine completely shuts down.
00:16Under normal conditions, a helicopter's engine drives the main rotor, which pushes air downward
00:21to generate lift.
00:22But here's the thing.
00:23If the engine fails, the main rotor itself stores a tremendous amount of rotational kinetic
00:29energy.
00:30So while the helicopter loses its powered thrust, that stored energy keeps the rotor spinning,
00:35allowing the aircraft to descend in a controlled manner rather than simply falling out of the
00:40sky.
00:41And for the landing, the pilot pulls back on the controls, raising the nose at just the
00:46right moment, using that last burst of rotor energy to cushion the touchdown and bring
00:51the aircraft safely to the ground.
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