Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Simi Valley, CA

The autogiro had a rotor that functioned something like a windmill. Once set in motion by taxiing on the ground, the rotor could generate supplemental lift; however, the autogiro was powered primarily by a conventional airplane engine.

The record for the fastest helicopter in the world is held by the Sikorsky X2 which, during a flyby over Florida, United States, clocked 258mph (416kph). But this was beaten recently. On June 7th 2013, the X3 blew through the previous air speed record for helicopters by cruising at 255 knots (293 MPH) during a 40-minute flight over Southern France near Istres.

Helicopter Spotlight for Simi Valley, CA

The Aérospatiale Gazelle is a five-seat helicopter, commonly used for light transport, scouting and light attack duties. It is powered by a single turbine engine and was the first helicopter to feature a fenestron tail instead of a conventional tail rotor. It was designed and manufactured in France by Sud Aviation, later Aérospatiale; the Gazelle has also been manufactured under licence by Westland Aircraft in the United Kingdom as the Westland Gazelle, by SOKO in Yugoslavia, and the Arab British Helicopter Company (ABHCO) in Egypt.Since being introduced to service in 1973, the Gazelle has been procured and operated by a number of export customers. It has also participated in numerous conflicts around the world, including by Syria during the 1982 Lebanon War, by Rwanda during the Rwandan Civil War in the 1990s, and by numerous participants on both sides of the 1991 Gulf War. In French service, the Gazelle has been supplemented as an attack helicopter by the larger Eurocopter Tiger, but remains in use primarily as a scout helicopter.