1. What rotor-powered bird rises straight up without flapping?
Answer: a helicopter

2. What machine hums like a giant insect and lifts people to the sky?
Answer: a chopper

3. What spins blades to make a wind that holds a cabin aloft?
Answer: rotor

4. What part pushes air downward so the helicopter can climb?
Answer: main rotor

5. What small wing at the tail keeps the helicopter from spinning?
Answer: tail rotor

6. What cockpit tool tells the pilot how fast they climb or descend?
Answer: vertical speed indicator

7. What lets a helicopter hover in one spot like a hummingbird?
Answer: translational lift

8. What maneuver lets a helicopter turn without moving forward?
Answer: yaw

9. What emergency move drops the rotor’s energy to slow descent?
Answer: autorotation

10. What pilot sits in front to guide a helicopter through clouds?
Answer: helicopter pilot

11. What device controls pitch, roll, and yaw with the pilot’s hands?
Answer: cyclic

12. What foot-operated control adjusts the tail rotor’s thrust?
Answer: pedals

13. What control raises or lowers the rotor blade angle all at once?
Answer: collective

14. What airport for helicopters might be found on a rooftop?
Answer: helipad

15. What rescue craft descends by cable to lift someone from danger?
Answer: rescue helicopter

16. What sound signals a helicopter’s approach on a clear day?
Answer: rotor chop

17. What term describes flying low over terrain for observation?
Answer: nap-of-the-earth

18. What helicopter job delivers vital organs in a rush?
Answer: air ambulance

19. What kind of mission fights fires by dropping water from above?
Answer: firefighting helicopter

20. What pilot instrument shows roll and pitch like a horizon?
Answer: attitude indicator

21. What part reduces vibration between blades and fuselage?
Answer: dampers

22. What word describes the helicopter’s body where passengers sit?
Answer: fuselage

23. What device keeps the aircraft’s nose steady during flight?
Answer: stabilizer

24. What helicopter role assists police with chases and searches?
Answer: police helicopter

25. What term names the helicopter’s landing gear designed for rough ground?
Answer: skids

26. What lightweight frame allows for fast, nimble helicopter flight?
Answer: airframe

27. What instrument tells how close you are to the ground?
Answer: altimeter

28. What flight mode uses both rotors and forward speed to fly fast?
Answer: compound helicopter

29. What bright light signals a helicopter’s position at night?
Answer: navigation lights

30. What maneuver makes a helicopter face any direction while hovering?
Answer: pirouette

31. What term means the helicopter’s ability to lift heavy loads below it?
Answer: sling load

32. What tool hangs below to carry cargo from the sky?
Answer: cargo hook

33. What training area simulates landings on small ship decks?
Answer: deck landing zone

34. What phrase describes a helicopter taking off vertically then flying forward?
Answer: transition to forward flight

35. What instrument warns the pilot of engine trouble with a light or tone?
Answer: warning annunciator

36. What friendly term do pilots use for a helicopter with wheels?
Answer: wheeled chopper

37. What capability lets helicopters land where airplanes cannot?
Answer: vertical landing

38. What searchlight helps pilots find people at night from above?
Answer: searchlight

39. What device records flight data for investigation after an accident?
Answer: flight data recorder

40. What term describes a helicopter’s top speed performance?
Answer: cruise speed

41. What part of the rotor system changes blade pitch during rotation?
Answer: swashplate

42. What action trims the helicopter so it flies hands-off?
Answer: trim

43. What word means the helicopter rotates on its vertical axis?
Answer: yawing

44. What role uses helicopters to lift oilfield equipment offshore?
Answer: offshore transport

45. What weather hazard can cause dangerous loss of lift mid-hover?
Answer: brownout

46. What term describes powerful gusts that buffet a low-flying helicopter?
Answer: wind shear

47. What instrument helps navigate when visibility is poor?
Answer: GPS

48. What machine mounts on some helicopters to resist gunfire?
Answer: armored cockpit

49. What phrase means pilots are ready to fly immediately?
Answer: on standby

50. What helicopter job captures aerial footage for movies and TV?
Answer: aerial cinematography

51. What technique lowers a pilot slowly using the rotor’s tilt?
Answer: controlled descent

52. What protective gear keeps a pilot’s head safe in rough landings?
Answer: helmet

53. What container stores extra fuel for long-range helicopter flights?
Answer: auxiliary fuel tank

54. What is the open area on a ship where helicopters land called?
Answer: flight deck

55. What is it called when a helicopter lands on moving water with floats?
Answer: water landing

56. What practice ensures pilots handle emergencies without panic?
Answer: simulator training

57. What term describes the sound of blades cutting the air rhythmically?
Answer: blade slap

58. What instrument shows heading in degrees like a compass?
Answer: heading indicator

59. What lightweight material helps build modern rotor blades?
Answer: composite

60. What airport facility houses helicopters and mechanics?
Answer: hangar

61. What maneuver lets a helicopter descend in place while slightly moving backward?
Answer: rearward hover

62. What kit includes ropes, harnesses, and hooks for rescues?
Answer: hoist kit

63. What part protects the engine and transmission from debris?
Answer: cowling

64. What flight rule lets pilots fly by instruments alone?
Answer: IFR (Instrument Flight Rules)

65. What landing technique uses precise control to touch down on tiny spots?
Answer: pinpoint landing

66. What device reduces the chance of engine failure by providing backup power?
Answer: dual engine

67. What phrase describes gentle, bump-free landings?
Answer: soft field landing

68. What tool helps ground crews guide helicopters to safe parking?
Answer: marshalling wands

69. What safety step secures a helicopter before refueling?
Answer: grounding

70. What training prepares pilots to fly at night with minimal lights?
Answer: night vision training

71. What system helps pilots avoid colliding with terrain or obstacles?
Answer: TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System)

72. What load must pilots always calculate before lift-off?
Answer: weight and balance

73. What part of a helicopter transfers torque from the engine to the rotor?
Answer: transmission

74. What mission carries reporters to breaking stories from above?
Answer: newsgathering flight

75. What term describes a helicopter that can land on ships and in deserts?
Answer: versatile aircraft

76. What device sprays foam or water to protect the helicopter during firefighting?
Answer: belly tank

77. What signal asks ground personnel to clear the landing zone?
Answer: radio call

78. What practice inspects blades and structure before flight?
Answer: pre-flight check

79. What emergency tool cuts the fuel quickly in case of fire?
Answer: fire extinguisher system

80. What term describes flying with minimal power to conserve fuel?
Answer: economy cruise

81. What device lets two-pilot crews share flight tasks easily?
Answer: dual controls

82. What phrase warns of approaching rotor blades on the ground?
Answer: clear of rotors

83. What technique helps maintain control in gusty crosswinds?
Answer: crab approach

84. What helicopter part often carries company logos and colors?
Answer: livery

85. What equipment lets medics treat patients while airborne?
Answer: onboard medical kit

86. What maneuver tests the helicopter’s ability to climb steeply?
Answer: zoom climb

87. What tool measures the RPM of the rotor blades?
Answer: tachometer

88. What phrase describes a helicopter flying low over a city for a parade?
Answer: flypast

89. What protective cover blocks sun and glare for pilots?
Answer: sun visor

90. What helicopter mission inspects power lines and pipelines from above?
Answer: aerial inspection

91. What simple shape do rotor blades describe as they spin?
Answer: circle

92. What training event tests pilot coordination in emergencies?
Answer: emergency procedures drill

93. What common cargo is flown to offshore platforms by helicopter?
Answer: crew transfer

94. What device cools the engine during long hovering operations?
Answer: oil cooler

95. What word names the space directly under a hovering helicopter?
Answer: downwash zone

96. What signal from the pilot starts the hoisting of a rescuer?
Answer: hoist command

97. What weather instrument warns pilots of icing conditions?
Answer: icing indicator

98. What chance do pilots calculate when deciding to fly into clouds?
Answer: risk assessment

99. What nickname do some people use for a small, nimble helicopter?
Answer: whirlybird

100. What machine turns lift into mission and brings people safely back to earth?
Answer: transport helicopter