Identify the force that causes the fuselage to rotate in the opposite direction of the main rotor rotation?

Identify the force that causes the fuselage to rotate in the opposite direction of the main rotor rotation?

• A. Drag
• B. Torque
• C. Lift
• D. Thrust

Answer: (B)

Torque is the twisting force generated by the engine turning the main rotor. Because of Newton’s third law, the rotor must exert an equal and opposite twist on the fuselage, causing it to tend to rotate opposite the rotor’s direction. This reaction torque is what anti-torque systems (like a tail rotor) counter to keep the aircraft stable. Drag, lift, and thrust are real forces involved in rotor and air interactions, but they don’t describe the opposite-rotation torque that the engine imparts to the fuselage.

Torque is the twisting force generated by the engine turning the main rotor. Because of Newton’s third law, the rotor must exert an equal and opposite twist on the fuselage, causing it to tend to rotate opposite the rotor’s direction. This reaction torque is what anti-torque systems (like a tail rotor) counter to keep the aircraft stable. Drag, lift, and thrust are real forces involved in rotor and air interactions, but they don’t describe the opposite-rotation torque that the engine imparts to the fuselage.