FYI

http://www.thaitechnics.com/helicopter/heli_intro.html

Flat Pitch

Ryan
If you look at both of those photos carefully you will see that each really has the same pitch on them. Flat. The blades are built with "pre-twist" to them. There is much more pitch at the root than the "washed out" pitch at the tips. Even if the pitch is full down or "flat", if the pilot has moved the controls to any position except neutral, the blades will exhibit some differences in pitch to "fly" the blade where the pilot has the controls set for. Harder still in those photos is the different perspective of the camera.

HTH
Steve

Thanks George and Steve.

With that info and looking harder at some other photo's I can see the twist in the blade, but using 2218 the left blade looks flat with a little twist, the right blade looks rotated with trailing edge of the blade X' from the deck and the leading edge X'+ from the deck. Like the pitch control rod is neutral on the left and pushing up on the right blade. If and a big if I got that right, what causes that, ie on a F-14 when shutting down one engine nozzle is open and one is closed. Are the blades inter-connected or can they be controlled individual. TIA.

Semper Fi,
Ryan

The difference is caused by the position of the collective that the pilot has selected.

Controls

Ryan

The rotor controls in a helicopter are slightly complicated. Sitting on the ground static, one can have the controls in any extreme position. The photo you posted I would assume that the controls were basically centered. The only true control/flight component depiction is the guy in flight. Too many variables with the guy on the deck. He could have "bled" his collective accumulator on prior shutdown and got the collective stuck "up". Not a problem as the first spin on the hydr. pump will get it lowered. I really think your getting hung up on an "in flight" vs "static" photo. The link to "how helicopters fly" posted by Curtis is a pretty good starting point.

HTH
Steve H.