Pendular Action

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Since the fuselage of the helicopter, with a single main rotor, is suspended from a single point and has consider-able mass, it is free to oscillate either longitudinally or laterally in the same way as a pendulum. This pendular action can be exaggerated by over controlling; therefore, control movements should be smooth and not exagger-ated. [Figure 3-3]

Figure 3-3. Because the helicopter’s body has mass and is suspended from a single point (the rotor mast head), it tends to act much like a pendulum.