Helicopters Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
Name: ………………………………Score: ……… / 20
- What is the main function of the small vertical rotor at the rear of a conventional helicopter?
- A. Cool the engine
- B. Counter the main rotor torque to prevent the fuselage from spinning
- C. Stabilize the aircraft during lightning
- D. Push the aircraft forward for more speed
- Which small NASA helicopter made history in April 2021 by performing the first powered and controlled flight on another planet?
- A. Dragonfly
- B. Curiosity
- C. Ingenuity
- D. Perseverance
- Which massive Soviet helicopter holds the title of the largest and heaviest helicopter ever produced in series?
- A. Mil Mi-12
- B. Mil Mi-6
- C. Kamov Ka-50
- D. Mil Mi-26
- Which Soviet attack helicopter, heavily armored and formidable, is famous for its appearance in the film 'Rambo III' and nicknamed the 'Flying Tank'?
- A. Sukhoi Su-25
- B. Kamov Ka-52 Alligator
- C. Mil Mi-24 Hind
- D. Mil Mi-28 Havoc
- Which dangerous aerodynamic phenomenon occurs when a helicopter descends too fast vertically into its own turbulence (the aircraft suddenly loses lift)?
- A. Ground resonance
- B. Vortex Ring State
- C. Thermal column
- D. Retreating blade stall
- Which destructive mechanical anomaly can occur on a wheeled helicopter on the ground when the landing gear resonates with rotor vibrations?
- A. Vibration syndrome
- B. Ground Resonance
- C. Divergent flutter
- D. Shimmy
- Which French engineer invented a four-rotor helicopter (quadrocopter) in the early 20th century, foreshadowing by a century the architecture of today's consumer drones?
- A. Étienne Œhmichen
- B. Henri Farman
- C. Clément Ader
- D. Louis Breguet
- Which twin-turbine military helicopter, jointly developed by France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany, is called the 'Caiman' in the French Army?
- A. NH90
- B. EC725 Caracal
- C. AW101 Merlin
- D. Cougar
- Which British transport helicopter has held the official world absolute speed record for a conventional helicopter since 1986 at 400.87 km/h?
- A. Gazelle
- B. Westland Lynx
- C. Sikorsky X2
- D. Eurocopter Dauphin
- What beneficial aerodynamic effect increases the lift of a helicopter hovering very close to the ground (within one rotor diameter of the surface)?
- A. Ground Effect (In Ground Effect - IGE)
- B. Coandă effect
- C. Rotor compression
- D. Thermal cushion
- What device allows a flight engineer to lower or raise a victim without the helicopter needing to land?
- A. A Jacob's ladder
- B. A releasable rappelling rope
- C. A hydraulic (or electric) winch
- D. A fixed sling
- Which American stealth military helicopter prototype, with angular lines reminiscent of the F-117 fighter jet, was developed at great expense in the 1990s before being cancelled just before production?
- A. Lockheed Cheyenne
- B. Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche
- C. Bell ARH-70
- D. Scorpion
- Which Russian heavy attack helicopter uniquely features an ejection seat system for its crew (using explosive bolts that destroy the rotor blades before ejection)?
- A. Kamov Ka-50 / Ka-52
- B. Mil Mi-28 Havoc
- C. Mil Mi-24
- D. Sukhoi Su-57
- Which small American military helicopter, nicknamed the 'Loach' or 'Flying Egg', is ultra-famous for its extreme agility in low-level flying in Vietnam and modern use by the elite 'Night Stalkers' unit?
- A. Bell OH-58 Kiowa
- B. Hughes OH-6 Cayuse (or MH-6 Little Bird)
- C. Robinson R22
- D. Sikorsky H-34
- Which giant US Navy helicopter, a specialized version of the CH-53, is fitted with towed hydrofoils and sonar arrays to perform mine-hunting missions at sea?
- A. SH-3 Sea King
- B. MH-53E Sea Dragon
- C. Kaman Seasprite
- D. UH-60 Seahawk
- Which very old Chinese toy, a stick topped with blades spun between the hands, is considered one of the ancestors of the helicopter?
- A. The kite
- B. The string top
- C. The pinwheel
- D. The bamboo-copter (bamboo dragonfly)
- Which gendarmerie unit carries out, with its helicopters, a large share of high-mountain rescues in France?
- A. The PGHM
- B. The GIGN
- C. The RAID
- D. The BRI
- Which French brothers lifted a 'gyroplane' off the ground in 1907, a few weeks before Paul Cornu, raising its pilot but steadied by men on the ground?
- A. The Wright brothers
- B. The Lumière brothers
- C. The Montgolfier brothers
- D. The Breguet brothers
- How many blades does the main rotor of the Mil Mi-26, the heaviest production helicopter, have?
- A. 4
- B. 5
- C. 12
- D. 8
- Where is the only heliport in Paris open to civil flights?
- A. On the roof of the Montparnasse Tower
- B. At the foot of the Eiffel Tower
- C. Next to the ring road, in the 15th arrondissement
- D. On the Île de la Cité
Answer key — Helicopters Quiz
- B. Counter the main rotor torque to prevent the fuselage from spinningBy Newton's third law, the engine spinning the main rotor pushes the fuselage in the opposite direction.
- C. IngenuityDeployed on Mars with the Perseverance rover, Ingenuity had to overcome an extraordinary challenge: flying in the ultra-thin Martian atmosphere (only 1% of Earth's density).
- D. Mil Mi-26The Mil Mi-26 (NATO code name: Halo) has an 8-blade main rotor and can carry up to 20 tonnes of cargo or 90 equipped soldiers.
- C. Mil Mi-24 HindThe Mi-24 Hind has a unique silhouette: a heavily armed attack helicopter that retains a troop cabin capable of carrying 8 soldiers.
- B. Vortex Ring StateAlso called 'Vortex', the helicopter descends into the air it just pushed downward.
- B. Ground ResonanceIf the rotor becomes slightly imbalanced and the oscillation frequency matches the landing gear suspension frequency, the helicopter begins to violently rock side to side on its wheels.
- A. Étienne ŒhmichenÉtienne Œhmichen designed the 'No. 2' in 1922, a quadrocopter with four main rotors and multiple small stabilization propellers.
- A. NH90The NH90 (NATO Helicopter for the 90s) is a multi-role aircraft in both land (TTH) and naval (NFH) versions.
- B. Westland LynxA specially modified Westland Lynx (fitted with experimental BERP-profiled rotor blades) broke through the mythical 400 km/h barrier.
- A. Ground Effect (In Ground Effect - IGE)When close to the ground, air pushed down by the rotor is compressed against the surface, creating a real 'air cushion' under the helicopter.
- C. A hydraulic (or electric) winchThe winch deploys a steel cable fitted with a harness or stretcher while the helicopter hovers perfectly above the rescue zone.
- B. Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 ComancheThe Comanche was a technological marvel designed to be radar-invisible, with internal missile bays and an angled Fenestron.
- A. Kamov Ka-50 / Ka-52Nicknamed 'Black Shark' or 'Alligator', the Ka-50/52 integrates the Zvezda K-37-800 system.
- B. Hughes OH-6 Cayuse (or MH-6 Little Bird)The MH-6 Little Bird is a small mechanical dragonfly capable of landing on narrow building rooftops or delivering commandos seated on external benches ('planks') directly into the heart of action.
- B. MH-53E Sea DragonThe Sea Dragon has enormous widened lateral fuel tanks. It flies low over the sea towing heavy magnetic and acoustic sleds through the water to detonate underwater mines at a safe distance from the fleet.
- D. The bamboo-copter (bamboo dragonfly)Known for over 2,000 years, it flies off when released after spinning.
- A. The PGHMThe high-mountain gendarmerie platoon, based notably in Chamonix, combines guides, rescuers and pilots.
- D. The Breguet brothersLouis and Jacques Breguet, with Professor Charles Richet, achieved a lift-off of about 60 cm.
- D. 8Its blades of over 15 metres let it lift around twenty tonnes, as much as a large transport plane.
- C. Next to the ring road, in the 15th arrondissementThe Paris–Issy-les-Moulineaux heliport handles business flights, medical evacuations and police helicopters.