autorotation

[aw-toh-roh-tey-shuhn]

noun

Aeronautics.

1. the condition of flight occurring when lift is derived solely from the action of air upon the unpowered rotor of a moving helicopter or autogiro.

autorotation

/ ˌɔːtəʊrəʊˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the continuous rotation of a body in an airflow, such as that of the rotor blades of a helicopter in an unpowered descent

Other Word Forms

• autorotational adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of autorotation¹

First recorded in 1915–20; auto- ¹ + rotation

Example Sentences

Although helicopter blades can keep spinning from air flow with reduced or without engine power — a process known as autorotation that is taught as an emergency maneuver — the pilot told investigators that he wanted to keep the engine running because he was over a populated area, the report said.

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“I just thought you would like to know that it did look like the pilot attempted autorotation or pulled back, showing that he/she was aware of and attempting to avoid a crash or respond to an engine problem,” the witness wrote.

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“The helicopter was going down quickly diagonally,” and after it cleared the freeway, it appeared that the nose of the helicopter had been pulled up and the pilot was trying to perform an autorotation maneuver while the craft continued to descend, he wrote in an email to investigators.

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Autorotation helps pilots land safely without engine power.

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McClellan said the Fire Department had received unconfirmed reports that the two occupants were practicing an autorotation.

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