What is the definining line between a helicopter and a drone a person can ride in?












9












$begingroup$


When I say drone in this context I don't mean an unmanned aircraft. I'm not sure what the terminology of a drone that has been adapted to carry a person? Is this picture below considered a helicopter or what? What if it ran on petroleum?
enter image description here



If not, then how is the separation between a VTOL aircraft and helicopter defined?



Would a Chinook that can fly itself be a drone?










share|improve this question









New contributor




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$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Can that thing autogyro?
    $endgroup$
    – Mazura
    4 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    If it can fly itself it is an AAV, drones are dumb by definition.
    $endgroup$
    – mckenzm
    28 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    I think the word you're looking for is "quadcopter". The aircraft in the picture you posted is a quadcopter. That aircraft has nothing to do with drones whatsoever, aside from the fact that it's a quadcopter, and many drones are quadcopters.
    $endgroup$
    – Tanner Swett
    13 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    I'm assuming, by the way, that the aircraft in your picture is controlled by a pilot sitting inside and cannot be controlled remotely or autonomously.
    $endgroup$
    – Tanner Swett
    10 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    @TannerSwett some models could fly remotely and have a return to home feature.
    $endgroup$
    – Muze
    12 secs ago
















9












$begingroup$


When I say drone in this context I don't mean an unmanned aircraft. I'm not sure what the terminology of a drone that has been adapted to carry a person? Is this picture below considered a helicopter or what? What if it ran on petroleum?
enter image description here



If not, then how is the separation between a VTOL aircraft and helicopter defined?



Would a Chinook that can fly itself be a drone?










share|improve this question









New contributor




Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.







$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Can that thing autogyro?
    $endgroup$
    – Mazura
    4 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    If it can fly itself it is an AAV, drones are dumb by definition.
    $endgroup$
    – mckenzm
    28 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    I think the word you're looking for is "quadcopter". The aircraft in the picture you posted is a quadcopter. That aircraft has nothing to do with drones whatsoever, aside from the fact that it's a quadcopter, and many drones are quadcopters.
    $endgroup$
    – Tanner Swett
    13 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    I'm assuming, by the way, that the aircraft in your picture is controlled by a pilot sitting inside and cannot be controlled remotely or autonomously.
    $endgroup$
    – Tanner Swett
    10 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    @TannerSwett some models could fly remotely and have a return to home feature.
    $endgroup$
    – Muze
    12 secs ago














9












9








9





$begingroup$


When I say drone in this context I don't mean an unmanned aircraft. I'm not sure what the terminology of a drone that has been adapted to carry a person? Is this picture below considered a helicopter or what? What if it ran on petroleum?
enter image description here



If not, then how is the separation between a VTOL aircraft and helicopter defined?



Would a Chinook that can fly itself be a drone?










share|improve this question









New contributor




Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.







$endgroup$




When I say drone in this context I don't mean an unmanned aircraft. I'm not sure what the terminology of a drone that has been adapted to carry a person? Is this picture below considered a helicopter or what? What if it ran on petroleum?
enter image description here



If not, then how is the separation between a VTOL aircraft and helicopter defined?



Would a Chinook that can fly itself be a drone?







helicopter aircraft-identification






share|improve this question









New contributor




Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









New contributor




Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 3 hours ago







Muze













New contributor




Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









asked 7 hours ago









MuzeMuze

21418




21418




New contributor




Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






Muze is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.












  • $begingroup$
    Can that thing autogyro?
    $endgroup$
    – Mazura
    4 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    If it can fly itself it is an AAV, drones are dumb by definition.
    $endgroup$
    – mckenzm
    28 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    I think the word you're looking for is "quadcopter". The aircraft in the picture you posted is a quadcopter. That aircraft has nothing to do with drones whatsoever, aside from the fact that it's a quadcopter, and many drones are quadcopters.
    $endgroup$
    – Tanner Swett
    13 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    I'm assuming, by the way, that the aircraft in your picture is controlled by a pilot sitting inside and cannot be controlled remotely or autonomously.
    $endgroup$
    – Tanner Swett
    10 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    @TannerSwett some models could fly remotely and have a return to home feature.
    $endgroup$
    – Muze
    12 secs ago


















  • $begingroup$
    Can that thing autogyro?
    $endgroup$
    – Mazura
    4 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    If it can fly itself it is an AAV, drones are dumb by definition.
    $endgroup$
    – mckenzm
    28 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    I think the word you're looking for is "quadcopter". The aircraft in the picture you posted is a quadcopter. That aircraft has nothing to do with drones whatsoever, aside from the fact that it's a quadcopter, and many drones are quadcopters.
    $endgroup$
    – Tanner Swett
    13 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    I'm assuming, by the way, that the aircraft in your picture is controlled by a pilot sitting inside and cannot be controlled remotely or autonomously.
    $endgroup$
    – Tanner Swett
    10 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    @TannerSwett some models could fly remotely and have a return to home feature.
    $endgroup$
    – Muze
    12 secs ago
















$begingroup$
Can that thing autogyro?
$endgroup$
– Mazura
4 hours ago




$begingroup$
Can that thing autogyro?
$endgroup$
– Mazura
4 hours ago




1




1




$begingroup$
If it can fly itself it is an AAV, drones are dumb by definition.
$endgroup$
– mckenzm
28 mins ago




$begingroup$
If it can fly itself it is an AAV, drones are dumb by definition.
$endgroup$
– mckenzm
28 mins ago












$begingroup$
I think the word you're looking for is "quadcopter". The aircraft in the picture you posted is a quadcopter. That aircraft has nothing to do with drones whatsoever, aside from the fact that it's a quadcopter, and many drones are quadcopters.
$endgroup$
– Tanner Swett
13 mins ago




$begingroup$
I think the word you're looking for is "quadcopter". The aircraft in the picture you posted is a quadcopter. That aircraft has nothing to do with drones whatsoever, aside from the fact that it's a quadcopter, and many drones are quadcopters.
$endgroup$
– Tanner Swett
13 mins ago












$begingroup$
I'm assuming, by the way, that the aircraft in your picture is controlled by a pilot sitting inside and cannot be controlled remotely or autonomously.
$endgroup$
– Tanner Swett
10 mins ago




$begingroup$
I'm assuming, by the way, that the aircraft in your picture is controlled by a pilot sitting inside and cannot be controlled remotely or autonomously.
$endgroup$
– Tanner Swett
10 mins ago












$begingroup$
@TannerSwett some models could fly remotely and have a return to home feature.
$endgroup$
– Muze
12 secs ago




$begingroup$
@TannerSwett some models could fly remotely and have a return to home feature.
$endgroup$
– Muze
12 secs ago










3 Answers
3






active

oldest

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11












$begingroup$

A helicopter is an aircraft in which thrust and lift are provided by rotors.



A drone is an unmanned, self-piloted or remotely-controlled aircraft, which can use rotors to provide thrust and lift, but can also use other means such as propellers or turbines.



To put it in simpler terms, a helicopter can only be a helicopter, regardless of whether it has a human inside or not. A drone can be any kind of aircraft.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$









  • 3




    $begingroup$
    I know some people like to clarify it even further and insist that a "drone" is a self-piloting unmanned craft, rather than one remote-controlled by a human on the ground. There are people (mostly military) who get really offended when you refer to a human-controlled unmanned craft as a "drone". (Much like the infamous boat vs. ship debate - do NOT get that wrong in front of Navy people...)
    $endgroup$
    – Darrel Hoffman
    6 hours ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    A drone with a ground operator pretty much flies itself. The operator is there mostly to command changes to mission profile and make the kinds of life and death decisions the computer can't make (and even that will eventually be done away with with the use of machine learning). If I am not mistaken, all the autonomous and ground-operated drones have the capability to fly home on their own, either when commanded or if they lose contact with home base.
    $endgroup$
    – Juan Jimenez
    6 hours ago








  • 6




    $begingroup$
    "do NOT get that wrong in front of Navy people..." It depends on the Navy people you are in front of. I was a Naval Aviator and we called everything that floated a boat! :) Surface types don't share the same sense of humor though.
    $endgroup$
    – Michael Hall
    6 hours ago








  • 3




    $begingroup$
    A drone is generally useless unless it flies some sort of payload. Just because the payload is a sack of water and meat doesn't mean it's not a drone. :)
    $endgroup$
    – Juan Jimenez
    6 hours ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    @MichaelHall I'm surprised you didn't just lump them all into 'targets' to really annoy the surface sailors.
    $endgroup$
    – Dan Neely
    4 hours ago



















4












$begingroup$

I would just call it a VTOL aircraft. Those kind of multi-rotor VTOLs do kind of blur the line between VTOL and helicopter, but a practical way to define them could be to separate them by a key capability; the ability to glide.



A helicopter has a rotary wing that is driven forward by a power source like an airplane, but can also change pitch and glide downhill, like an airplane. A rotor is just two fuselage-less airplanes joined at the wingtips being driven in a circle by a twisting force applied at the wing tip instead of a propeller out at mid span.



A multi-rotor VTOL with small fixed pitch rotors can't glide, which is why you won't get me in one unless it has multiple levels of redundancy with NO single-points-of-failure or double-points-of-failure modes for that matter (like say being able to take damage to both rotors on one corner for example, and still maintain control).






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    "A rotor is just two fuselage-less airplanes" It can be more than two.
    $endgroup$
    – Acccumulation
    5 hours ago



















1












$begingroup$

There is no automatic separation between the two, it is possible for an aircraft to be both a drone and a helicopter. Drone only refers to how the vehicle is piloted, and helicopter only refers to how it flies. (Battery vs petroleum vs any other power source is a third, separate modifier, too.)



The vehicle in your picture is an unmanned aircraft, a drone, a helicopter, a quadcoptor, and a VTOL vehicle all at once.



(Note: Unmanned means not having any crew on board. You can still have passengers, they don't count.)






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$














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    3 Answers
    3






    active

    oldest

    votes








    3 Answers
    3






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    11












    $begingroup$

    A helicopter is an aircraft in which thrust and lift are provided by rotors.



    A drone is an unmanned, self-piloted or remotely-controlled aircraft, which can use rotors to provide thrust and lift, but can also use other means such as propellers or turbines.



    To put it in simpler terms, a helicopter can only be a helicopter, regardless of whether it has a human inside or not. A drone can be any kind of aircraft.






    share|improve this answer











    $endgroup$









    • 3




      $begingroup$
      I know some people like to clarify it even further and insist that a "drone" is a self-piloting unmanned craft, rather than one remote-controlled by a human on the ground. There are people (mostly military) who get really offended when you refer to a human-controlled unmanned craft as a "drone". (Much like the infamous boat vs. ship debate - do NOT get that wrong in front of Navy people...)
      $endgroup$
      – Darrel Hoffman
      6 hours ago






    • 2




      $begingroup$
      A drone with a ground operator pretty much flies itself. The operator is there mostly to command changes to mission profile and make the kinds of life and death decisions the computer can't make (and even that will eventually be done away with with the use of machine learning). If I am not mistaken, all the autonomous and ground-operated drones have the capability to fly home on their own, either when commanded or if they lose contact with home base.
      $endgroup$
      – Juan Jimenez
      6 hours ago








    • 6




      $begingroup$
      "do NOT get that wrong in front of Navy people..." It depends on the Navy people you are in front of. I was a Naval Aviator and we called everything that floated a boat! :) Surface types don't share the same sense of humor though.
      $endgroup$
      – Michael Hall
      6 hours ago








    • 3




      $begingroup$
      A drone is generally useless unless it flies some sort of payload. Just because the payload is a sack of water and meat doesn't mean it's not a drone. :)
      $endgroup$
      – Juan Jimenez
      6 hours ago






    • 2




      $begingroup$
      @MichaelHall I'm surprised you didn't just lump them all into 'targets' to really annoy the surface sailors.
      $endgroup$
      – Dan Neely
      4 hours ago
















    11












    $begingroup$

    A helicopter is an aircraft in which thrust and lift are provided by rotors.



    A drone is an unmanned, self-piloted or remotely-controlled aircraft, which can use rotors to provide thrust and lift, but can also use other means such as propellers or turbines.



    To put it in simpler terms, a helicopter can only be a helicopter, regardless of whether it has a human inside or not. A drone can be any kind of aircraft.






    share|improve this answer











    $endgroup$









    • 3




      $begingroup$
      I know some people like to clarify it even further and insist that a "drone" is a self-piloting unmanned craft, rather than one remote-controlled by a human on the ground. There are people (mostly military) who get really offended when you refer to a human-controlled unmanned craft as a "drone". (Much like the infamous boat vs. ship debate - do NOT get that wrong in front of Navy people...)
      $endgroup$
      – Darrel Hoffman
      6 hours ago






    • 2




      $begingroup$
      A drone with a ground operator pretty much flies itself. The operator is there mostly to command changes to mission profile and make the kinds of life and death decisions the computer can't make (and even that will eventually be done away with with the use of machine learning). If I am not mistaken, all the autonomous and ground-operated drones have the capability to fly home on their own, either when commanded or if they lose contact with home base.
      $endgroup$
      – Juan Jimenez
      6 hours ago








    • 6




      $begingroup$
      "do NOT get that wrong in front of Navy people..." It depends on the Navy people you are in front of. I was a Naval Aviator and we called everything that floated a boat! :) Surface types don't share the same sense of humor though.
      $endgroup$
      – Michael Hall
      6 hours ago








    • 3




      $begingroup$
      A drone is generally useless unless it flies some sort of payload. Just because the payload is a sack of water and meat doesn't mean it's not a drone. :)
      $endgroup$
      – Juan Jimenez
      6 hours ago






    • 2




      $begingroup$
      @MichaelHall I'm surprised you didn't just lump them all into 'targets' to really annoy the surface sailors.
      $endgroup$
      – Dan Neely
      4 hours ago














    11












    11








    11





    $begingroup$

    A helicopter is an aircraft in which thrust and lift are provided by rotors.



    A drone is an unmanned, self-piloted or remotely-controlled aircraft, which can use rotors to provide thrust and lift, but can also use other means such as propellers or turbines.



    To put it in simpler terms, a helicopter can only be a helicopter, regardless of whether it has a human inside or not. A drone can be any kind of aircraft.






    share|improve this answer











    $endgroup$



    A helicopter is an aircraft in which thrust and lift are provided by rotors.



    A drone is an unmanned, self-piloted or remotely-controlled aircraft, which can use rotors to provide thrust and lift, but can also use other means such as propellers or turbines.



    To put it in simpler terms, a helicopter can only be a helicopter, regardless of whether it has a human inside or not. A drone can be any kind of aircraft.







    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited 5 hours ago

























    answered 6 hours ago









    Juan JimenezJuan Jimenez

    3,435528




    3,435528








    • 3




      $begingroup$
      I know some people like to clarify it even further and insist that a "drone" is a self-piloting unmanned craft, rather than one remote-controlled by a human on the ground. There are people (mostly military) who get really offended when you refer to a human-controlled unmanned craft as a "drone". (Much like the infamous boat vs. ship debate - do NOT get that wrong in front of Navy people...)
      $endgroup$
      – Darrel Hoffman
      6 hours ago






    • 2




      $begingroup$
      A drone with a ground operator pretty much flies itself. The operator is there mostly to command changes to mission profile and make the kinds of life and death decisions the computer can't make (and even that will eventually be done away with with the use of machine learning). If I am not mistaken, all the autonomous and ground-operated drones have the capability to fly home on their own, either when commanded or if they lose contact with home base.
      $endgroup$
      – Juan Jimenez
      6 hours ago








    • 6




      $begingroup$
      "do NOT get that wrong in front of Navy people..." It depends on the Navy people you are in front of. I was a Naval Aviator and we called everything that floated a boat! :) Surface types don't share the same sense of humor though.
      $endgroup$
      – Michael Hall
      6 hours ago








    • 3




      $begingroup$
      A drone is generally useless unless it flies some sort of payload. Just because the payload is a sack of water and meat doesn't mean it's not a drone. :)
      $endgroup$
      – Juan Jimenez
      6 hours ago






    • 2




      $begingroup$
      @MichaelHall I'm surprised you didn't just lump them all into 'targets' to really annoy the surface sailors.
      $endgroup$
      – Dan Neely
      4 hours ago














    • 3




      $begingroup$
      I know some people like to clarify it even further and insist that a "drone" is a self-piloting unmanned craft, rather than one remote-controlled by a human on the ground. There are people (mostly military) who get really offended when you refer to a human-controlled unmanned craft as a "drone". (Much like the infamous boat vs. ship debate - do NOT get that wrong in front of Navy people...)
      $endgroup$
      – Darrel Hoffman
      6 hours ago






    • 2




      $begingroup$
      A drone with a ground operator pretty much flies itself. The operator is there mostly to command changes to mission profile and make the kinds of life and death decisions the computer can't make (and even that will eventually be done away with with the use of machine learning). If I am not mistaken, all the autonomous and ground-operated drones have the capability to fly home on their own, either when commanded or if they lose contact with home base.
      $endgroup$
      – Juan Jimenez
      6 hours ago








    • 6




      $begingroup$
      "do NOT get that wrong in front of Navy people..." It depends on the Navy people you are in front of. I was a Naval Aviator and we called everything that floated a boat! :) Surface types don't share the same sense of humor though.
      $endgroup$
      – Michael Hall
      6 hours ago








    • 3




      $begingroup$
      A drone is generally useless unless it flies some sort of payload. Just because the payload is a sack of water and meat doesn't mean it's not a drone. :)
      $endgroup$
      – Juan Jimenez
      6 hours ago






    • 2




      $begingroup$
      @MichaelHall I'm surprised you didn't just lump them all into 'targets' to really annoy the surface sailors.
      $endgroup$
      – Dan Neely
      4 hours ago








    3




    3




    $begingroup$
    I know some people like to clarify it even further and insist that a "drone" is a self-piloting unmanned craft, rather than one remote-controlled by a human on the ground. There are people (mostly military) who get really offended when you refer to a human-controlled unmanned craft as a "drone". (Much like the infamous boat vs. ship debate - do NOT get that wrong in front of Navy people...)
    $endgroup$
    – Darrel Hoffman
    6 hours ago




    $begingroup$
    I know some people like to clarify it even further and insist that a "drone" is a self-piloting unmanned craft, rather than one remote-controlled by a human on the ground. There are people (mostly military) who get really offended when you refer to a human-controlled unmanned craft as a "drone". (Much like the infamous boat vs. ship debate - do NOT get that wrong in front of Navy people...)
    $endgroup$
    – Darrel Hoffman
    6 hours ago




    2




    2




    $begingroup$
    A drone with a ground operator pretty much flies itself. The operator is there mostly to command changes to mission profile and make the kinds of life and death decisions the computer can't make (and even that will eventually be done away with with the use of machine learning). If I am not mistaken, all the autonomous and ground-operated drones have the capability to fly home on their own, either when commanded or if they lose contact with home base.
    $endgroup$
    – Juan Jimenez
    6 hours ago






    $begingroup$
    A drone with a ground operator pretty much flies itself. The operator is there mostly to command changes to mission profile and make the kinds of life and death decisions the computer can't make (and even that will eventually be done away with with the use of machine learning). If I am not mistaken, all the autonomous and ground-operated drones have the capability to fly home on their own, either when commanded or if they lose contact with home base.
    $endgroup$
    – Juan Jimenez
    6 hours ago






    6




    6




    $begingroup$
    "do NOT get that wrong in front of Navy people..." It depends on the Navy people you are in front of. I was a Naval Aviator and we called everything that floated a boat! :) Surface types don't share the same sense of humor though.
    $endgroup$
    – Michael Hall
    6 hours ago






    $begingroup$
    "do NOT get that wrong in front of Navy people..." It depends on the Navy people you are in front of. I was a Naval Aviator and we called everything that floated a boat! :) Surface types don't share the same sense of humor though.
    $endgroup$
    – Michael Hall
    6 hours ago






    3




    3




    $begingroup$
    A drone is generally useless unless it flies some sort of payload. Just because the payload is a sack of water and meat doesn't mean it's not a drone. :)
    $endgroup$
    – Juan Jimenez
    6 hours ago




    $begingroup$
    A drone is generally useless unless it flies some sort of payload. Just because the payload is a sack of water and meat doesn't mean it's not a drone. :)
    $endgroup$
    – Juan Jimenez
    6 hours ago




    2




    2




    $begingroup$
    @MichaelHall I'm surprised you didn't just lump them all into 'targets' to really annoy the surface sailors.
    $endgroup$
    – Dan Neely
    4 hours ago




    $begingroup$
    @MichaelHall I'm surprised you didn't just lump them all into 'targets' to really annoy the surface sailors.
    $endgroup$
    – Dan Neely
    4 hours ago











    4












    $begingroup$

    I would just call it a VTOL aircraft. Those kind of multi-rotor VTOLs do kind of blur the line between VTOL and helicopter, but a practical way to define them could be to separate them by a key capability; the ability to glide.



    A helicopter has a rotary wing that is driven forward by a power source like an airplane, but can also change pitch and glide downhill, like an airplane. A rotor is just two fuselage-less airplanes joined at the wingtips being driven in a circle by a twisting force applied at the wing tip instead of a propeller out at mid span.



    A multi-rotor VTOL with small fixed pitch rotors can't glide, which is why you won't get me in one unless it has multiple levels of redundancy with NO single-points-of-failure or double-points-of-failure modes for that matter (like say being able to take damage to both rotors on one corner for example, and still maintain control).






    share|improve this answer









    $endgroup$













    • $begingroup$
      "A rotor is just two fuselage-less airplanes" It can be more than two.
      $endgroup$
      – Acccumulation
      5 hours ago
















    4












    $begingroup$

    I would just call it a VTOL aircraft. Those kind of multi-rotor VTOLs do kind of blur the line between VTOL and helicopter, but a practical way to define them could be to separate them by a key capability; the ability to glide.



    A helicopter has a rotary wing that is driven forward by a power source like an airplane, but can also change pitch and glide downhill, like an airplane. A rotor is just two fuselage-less airplanes joined at the wingtips being driven in a circle by a twisting force applied at the wing tip instead of a propeller out at mid span.



    A multi-rotor VTOL with small fixed pitch rotors can't glide, which is why you won't get me in one unless it has multiple levels of redundancy with NO single-points-of-failure or double-points-of-failure modes for that matter (like say being able to take damage to both rotors on one corner for example, and still maintain control).






    share|improve this answer









    $endgroup$













    • $begingroup$
      "A rotor is just two fuselage-less airplanes" It can be more than two.
      $endgroup$
      – Acccumulation
      5 hours ago














    4












    4








    4





    $begingroup$

    I would just call it a VTOL aircraft. Those kind of multi-rotor VTOLs do kind of blur the line between VTOL and helicopter, but a practical way to define them could be to separate them by a key capability; the ability to glide.



    A helicopter has a rotary wing that is driven forward by a power source like an airplane, but can also change pitch and glide downhill, like an airplane. A rotor is just two fuselage-less airplanes joined at the wingtips being driven in a circle by a twisting force applied at the wing tip instead of a propeller out at mid span.



    A multi-rotor VTOL with small fixed pitch rotors can't glide, which is why you won't get me in one unless it has multiple levels of redundancy with NO single-points-of-failure or double-points-of-failure modes for that matter (like say being able to take damage to both rotors on one corner for example, and still maintain control).






    share|improve this answer









    $endgroup$



    I would just call it a VTOL aircraft. Those kind of multi-rotor VTOLs do kind of blur the line between VTOL and helicopter, but a practical way to define them could be to separate them by a key capability; the ability to glide.



    A helicopter has a rotary wing that is driven forward by a power source like an airplane, but can also change pitch and glide downhill, like an airplane. A rotor is just two fuselage-less airplanes joined at the wingtips being driven in a circle by a twisting force applied at the wing tip instead of a propeller out at mid span.



    A multi-rotor VTOL with small fixed pitch rotors can't glide, which is why you won't get me in one unless it has multiple levels of redundancy with NO single-points-of-failure or double-points-of-failure modes for that matter (like say being able to take damage to both rotors on one corner for example, and still maintain control).







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered 6 hours ago









    John KJohn K

    26.2k13981




    26.2k13981












    • $begingroup$
      "A rotor is just two fuselage-less airplanes" It can be more than two.
      $endgroup$
      – Acccumulation
      5 hours ago


















    • $begingroup$
      "A rotor is just two fuselage-less airplanes" It can be more than two.
      $endgroup$
      – Acccumulation
      5 hours ago
















    $begingroup$
    "A rotor is just two fuselage-less airplanes" It can be more than two.
    $endgroup$
    – Acccumulation
    5 hours ago




    $begingroup$
    "A rotor is just two fuselage-less airplanes" It can be more than two.
    $endgroup$
    – Acccumulation
    5 hours ago











    1












    $begingroup$

    There is no automatic separation between the two, it is possible for an aircraft to be both a drone and a helicopter. Drone only refers to how the vehicle is piloted, and helicopter only refers to how it flies. (Battery vs petroleum vs any other power source is a third, separate modifier, too.)



    The vehicle in your picture is an unmanned aircraft, a drone, a helicopter, a quadcoptor, and a VTOL vehicle all at once.



    (Note: Unmanned means not having any crew on board. You can still have passengers, they don't count.)






    share|improve this answer









    $endgroup$


















      1












      $begingroup$

      There is no automatic separation between the two, it is possible for an aircraft to be both a drone and a helicopter. Drone only refers to how the vehicle is piloted, and helicopter only refers to how it flies. (Battery vs petroleum vs any other power source is a third, separate modifier, too.)



      The vehicle in your picture is an unmanned aircraft, a drone, a helicopter, a quadcoptor, and a VTOL vehicle all at once.



      (Note: Unmanned means not having any crew on board. You can still have passengers, they don't count.)






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$
















        1












        1








        1





        $begingroup$

        There is no automatic separation between the two, it is possible for an aircraft to be both a drone and a helicopter. Drone only refers to how the vehicle is piloted, and helicopter only refers to how it flies. (Battery vs petroleum vs any other power source is a third, separate modifier, too.)



        The vehicle in your picture is an unmanned aircraft, a drone, a helicopter, a quadcoptor, and a VTOL vehicle all at once.



        (Note: Unmanned means not having any crew on board. You can still have passengers, they don't count.)






        share|improve this answer









        $endgroup$



        There is no automatic separation between the two, it is possible for an aircraft to be both a drone and a helicopter. Drone only refers to how the vehicle is piloted, and helicopter only refers to how it flies. (Battery vs petroleum vs any other power source is a third, separate modifier, too.)



        The vehicle in your picture is an unmanned aircraft, a drone, a helicopter, a quadcoptor, and a VTOL vehicle all at once.



        (Note: Unmanned means not having any crew on board. You can still have passengers, they don't count.)







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered 4 hours ago









        user3067860user3067860

        1412




        1412






















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