Fun Helicopter Facts for Lancaster, CA:

Early efforts of the trial and error of helicopters began with the imitation of maple pods which produced the whirligig a children's toy popular in China as well as in medieval Europe. During the fifteenth century Leonardo da Vinci the renowned Italian painter sculptor architect and engineer sketched a flying machine that may have been based on the whirligig.

Lift is a force that acts on an object moving through the air. If you propel anything through the air fast enough through the air and lift will be created. Lift is created by the air moving past an object. As the air moves over the object the velocity of the air increases and the air pressure above the object decreases.

Helicopter Spotlight for Lancaster, CA

The Atlas Oryx (named after the Oryx antelope) is a medium-sized utility helicopter manufactured by the Atlas Aircraft Corporation (now Denel Aviation) of South Africa. Outside France, the SAAF was the largest user of Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma. The Oryx can trace its origins back to the Bush War. Despite the efforts of the gunship Alouette, the need for a dedicated gunship was recognized. Atlas Aircraft Corporation produced an experimental attack helicopter, the Alpha XH-1. This helicopter was used for feasibility studies and could not serve any practical purpose - this led to the more powerful XTP-1 in April 1987. Two XTP-1s were converted, and based on a Puma J airframe. Various weapons and other systems were tested on XTP-1 and paved the way for Project: Denel Rooivalk. However, the dynamic flight components of the XTP-1 made Atlas realise what advantages an upgraded Puma could have.