Why don't people fall from helicopters?

SFC_Ollie

Gee i rode in a lot of hueys (UH-1) never did get to go up in a black hawk, But I remember that everyone was straped in, sorta like seatbelts, Though a remember some steep banks that I knew i was hanging in mid air.

Would love to go up again sometime, absolutely loved it.

celtic_irish_man

Balance and some are strapped in.

Jessie

seat belts

tom l

Tough to fall out when you have a harness on.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2370/1908420077_9d5cd08f81.jpg?v=0
Those are so crew members can work when in flight. Passengers get a regular seat belt.

Ben

The same reason cars or bikes on a tilted race track don't fall. Their momentum presses them onto the track, on in this case the helicopter.

army of one

From my experience its mandatory for everyone to be strapped in while in flight on any type of aircraft. This is to include doorgunners, medics, and even the crew. Truthfully if you are in flight with an open door and not strapped in your proubly a little nuts. Depending on the mission it does not take much to send you flying out of your seat. Ask anyone who has flown manuvers in a blackhawk doing nap of the earth. In all truth the pilots will try to keep the bird level and steady so as not to throw anyone out. Good balance also helps, as with knowing the equipment and your job.

John S

Centrifical force and momentum hold you into the webbing seats, plus everyone wears a seat belt. That and most of the time, your packed in with gear and people. It's the side to side "jink's" that can throw you out, most are done at slower speed, such as when landing.

Smoker06

Even without the seat belts, centrifugal force will keep the occupants in when making a turn.

tallerfella

They are strapped in............

DUH

stratostix

Strapped in. Hanging on.

wsulliva

If the bird is 'in trim', the only way to get out is to jump. In a banked turn, the pilot will keep the bird in trim. The resulting centripetal force will keep the contents of the aircraft pressed toward the decking. (Centripetal force? Look it up in Wikipedia, I would get lost trying to explain it in a few words.)

Today's Blackhawks fly with doors and seats, the results of years, (decades) of peacetime safety regs being piled on.

The Vietnam-era Hueys got rid of every bit of excess weight they could, especially when working in the mountains. Seats, belts, and cargo doors got left behind. Troops sat on the deck while in-flight. It was rare to lose somebody, and usually, something odd happened.

More on what was lost due to peacetime flying:

The Hueys had skids, not wheels. The Bell semi-rigid rotor systems allowed for far more low-end manueverability than the Blackhawk's clumsy flap-rotor system can achieve. (Note: This admittedly biased view is mine, and limited to low-speed, near-hovering manuevers. At in-flight speeds, the Blackhawk's system is more than adequate.)

On approach, the troops would slide out and put their feet on the skid tubes. When the skids made contact with the ground, they would spread a bit. On feeling that spread, experienced troops would simultaneously leave the aircraft. The resulting loss of weight put the aircraft back into the air. All the pilot had to do was nose over and go.

wsulliva, aka "Gaucho" of the Flying Circus.
http://wwww.flying-circus.org