BILLY'S HELICOPTER RIDE

[Music] wouldn't it be fun to find out more about helicopters let's watch billy and his father as they visit billy's uncle joe a close look at a helicopter the front part of the helicopter is made of plastic billy thinks it looks like a bubble and that's what it's called a bubble through the bubble billy can get a good view of the inside of the cabin the helicopter rests on a big runner called a skid uncle joe is explaining to billy how skids support the weight of a helicopter as it lands but what billy wants to know is how does a helicopter fly a helicopter doesn't have a wing does it yes it does says uncle joe look at that helicopter over there this is its wing it rotates so it's called a rotary wing or rotor the rotor moves through the air even when the helicopter is not moving forward to take off the pilot doesn't need a runway the rotor raises the helicopter straight up into the sky [Applause] on uncle joe's helicopter we can see another rotor at the tail it's called the tail rotor the tail rotor holds the helicopter steady in the air it also helps control the direction of flight now billy's going to get a chance to see how the rotors are controlled from inside the cabin the pilot must use his feet and hands to fly the helicopter at the same time he must watch the many instruments on the control panel of course the best way to learn about a helicopter is to go for a ride a ride now yes uncle joe planned it as a surprise for billy and billy's father said it was okay so let's get ready for takeoff first billy's safety belt must be fastened uncle joe uses a safety belt too now to start the engine engine makes the rotors turn they're ready to fly [Music] billy's flying [Music] this is a new experience for billy but he'll soon get used to the helicopter there are so many things to see down below there's a farm the helicopter is flying slowly so billy can get a good look at the countryside below but uncle joe can also make the helicopter fly very fast on the highway a car is going toward the city where billy lives on many from so high up in the air billy can get a clear view of almost the entire city yes to land on the roof it looks so small yes the helicopter is coming down on the landing place which is called a heliport it's easy to find a place to park in the city when you're riding in a helicopter now to turn off the engine let's have a look around billy's never been on the roof of a tall building before it would be fun to spend the whole day just looking but they have to get back to billy's father who's waiting they'll fly back a different way so there'll be other things to see flying in the helicopter above them up ahead we can see people swimming in the lake and down there are two people in a motorboat they're trying to race the helicopter [Music] there's some other people on the beach they see billy too now they're over the open countryside again soon they'll be back with billy's father but what's that all that smoke it looks like a forest fire uncle joe will report it to the forest rangers by radio the rangers will get to the fire quickly and put it out billy will have many things to tell his father when they land [Music] well it seems that billy's father is glad to have billy back he seems more excited than billy you'd be surprised to know that billy and uncle joe reported a forest fire you were billy how do you think you would tell about your first ride in a helicopter you