Patent ID: 7662013

Claim:
A helicopter comprising a body; a main rotor with blades which is driven by a rotor shaft and which is hinge mounted on this rotor shaft, such that the angle between the plane of rotation of the main rotor and the rotor shaft may vary; a control for moving the angle of incidence of at least one blade of the rotor relative to the angle of incidence of another blade of the rotor cyclically along at least part of a 360 degree rotation path around the rotor shaft, causing a variation in lift force of the blade along at least part of the rotation path and thereby cause the body to be urged in a relatively horizontal direction from a relative position of rest; and wherein the control includes an actuator for selectively contacting an assembly depending from the rotor, the contact of the actuator and assembly effecting a change in the angle of incidence of at least the one blade of the rotor, the actuator being selectively movable into and out of contact with the assembly, such that, in a first operative condition of the rotating rotor, there is contact between the actuator and assembly along part of the 360 degree rotation path around the rotor shaft, and in a second operative condition of the rotating rotor, there is no contact between the actuator and assembly along the 360 degree rotation path around the rotor shaft.