Helicopter Rotor and Tricycle Do You Know?

# There are lots of things all around us

# Exciting things that surround us

-#

-But how does it work?

-Do you know?

-#

-How is it made?

-Do you know?

# Things that go up Things that go down

# Things that go pop Things that go round

# With special cameras to show you inside

# It's going to be a big surprise

-#

-But how does it work?

-Do you know?

-#

-How is it made?

-Do you know?

-# Do you know?

-Let's find out!

-#

Hello, I'm Maddie and today I've come to see a very exciting vehicle.

See if you can guess what it is.

It carries people in it, it doesn't have wings and it

has a big piece of metal on top that spins round and round.

Can you guess what it is?

OK, I'll give you one more clue. It sounds like this.

ROTOR BLADES WHIR

That's right, it's a helicopter.

Noisy, isn't it?

Helicopters are amazing to watch.

Have you ever seen one flying in the sky?

You often hear them before you see them.

This bit of the helicopter is called a landing skid,

and there are two of them.

They're the helicopter's feet.

This bit at the front is where the pilot sits to fly the helicopter.

It's called the cockpit.

And then this long part at the back of the helicopter is called

the tail boom and at the end of it is the tail rotor.

This spins round and round when the helicopter flies,

just like the big rotor at the top.

This big rotor is really important

because it helps make the helicopter fly.

But do you know how a helicopter rotor works?

Let's find out.

To get a closer look at the rotor at the top of the helicopter,

I'm going to use my special camera. So here we go,

let's move it right to the top.

This part in the middle,

that is called the rotor disc, and then these two long metal things

coming out of the sides are called the rotor blades.

Let's move along.

They are so long, aren't they?

But can you see that one edge of the rotor blade

is slightly thinner than the other?

I think it looks a bit like a fish, don't you?

But let's move back to the middle now to look at the rotor disc.

Oh, the rotor disc has lots of metal parts, doesn't it?

So to understand how it really works

we need to look in more detail.

On top of the helicopter is the rotor.

The long blades meet in the centre and are attached to

a metal pole called the rotor mast.

When the helicopter engine starts, the rotor mast starts to spin

round and round, making the blades spin too.

Another circle of metal called the swash plate also spins round.

It's attached to the blades by two metal poles called control rods.

These rods are connected to controls inside the helicopter cockpit.

To make the helicopter take off, the pilot moves a lever upwards.

This moves the control rods in the rotor, which makes the blades move.

When the blades are in the right position, they push the

air downwards, and this allows the helicopter to lift up into the air.

The pilot pushes another lever to make the rotor tilt

up at the back, and this makes the helicopter go forwards.

To go backwards, the pilot pulls the lever back,

which tips the rotor up at the front,

so the helicopter goes backwards.

Clever, isn't it?

Shall we see the rotor working on this helicopter?

But, before we fly, the pilot and I need to put our headsets on.

And I'm going to be talking through this.

It's called a microphone, and it might make my voice sound funny.

I think we're ready to go.

ENGINE REVS UP

Watch the blades start to turn.

Slowly at first

and then very, very fast.

We're just warming the engine up now but

when we're ready, Tom's going to pull the lever,

which will move the blades into the right position,

and when we're catching the air, we'll take off.

RADIO CHATTERS

Here we go.

Wow!

You can see Tom the pilot now is using the cyclic lever

to tilt the rotor up at the back,

and this makes the helicopter go forwards.

Wow, we're so high!

The view is beautiful from up here.

Now we're heading to a town. The houses look tiny.

They look like doll's houses.

We're coming in to land now.

And there we go, we're back at base.

What was your favourite bit about finding out

how helicopter rotors work?

Do you remember the name of the long pieces of metal that turn

to make the helicopter fly?

That's right, they're called the rotor blades.

Did you hear the sound the helicopter made

when I was standing near it?

ROTOR BLADES WHIR Noisy, isn't it?

And did you see the way the helicopter travelled forwards

when the pilot moved the lever inside the cockpit?

So, now you know how the rotor on top of a helicopter works

and how it makes a helicopter fly.

Helicopters are exciting vehicles, aren't they?

They're fun to watch in the air,

but not many people travel around in helicopters.

But there are lots of other vehicles, aren't there?

And you might have had a go on some of them.

You might have been on a bicycle

or a scooter, or maybe a tricycle.

Have you ever ridden a tricycle?

Tricycles are great fun.

They're a bit like bicycles,

except they have three wheels instead of two,

and that helps you to balance.

Off I go.

But do you know how a tricycle is made?

Let's find out.

To see how a tricycle is made, I've come here.

Inside that workshop they make lots of tricycles,

some for grown-ups and some for children.

Let's go see how one's made.

To make a tricycle, first the mechanics open up this box,

and can you believe that all the parts needed

to build one tricycle fit inside?

Over to you, Scott.

There are 25 parts to this tricycle

and they're all different shapes and sizes.

Can you guess what some of them are going to be?

This is one of the pedals,

the part you push with your feet to turn the wheels.

And what about this?

Well, these are the handlebars, the bit you hold with your hands.

And what about this one?

This is called the saddle, and it's the bit you sit on.

Now all the pieces are out of the box,

Scott can start making the tricycle.

First he puts two big red pieces of metal on to a stand.

The metal pieces are called the frame,

and he attaches them together.

Scott hangs them up on the stand because it makes it easier

to attach all the other pieces.

It's like it's floating in mid-air.

On goes the saddle.

Next, Scott is going to put the chain on.

The chain is a big loop of metal links that help the pedals

turn the wheels, but this can be fiddly,

so I'm going to put a special camera on Scott's head.

OK.

By attaching the camera to Scott's head, we're going to be able

to see what he sees when he's putting the bike chain on.

-Does that feel comfortable?

-Yep, it's fine.

-OK, on you go.

Now we're getting a really clear view of everything Scott is seeing.

First, he's picked up the chain and looped it around

that metal circle. It's called the cog.

Scott joins the chain together using a chain tool.

He adjusts the frame of the bike using a spanner

to make sure the chain is tight.

Then he tests it to make sure the chain fits perfectly

and won't fall off.

Now the chain is fixed in place,

the next part of the tricycle to go on are these - they're pedals.

You push the pedals with your feet to turn the chain,

which moves the tricycle.

There are still quite a few pieces left, aren't there?

Well, now we need the front mudguard.

A back mudguard.

The other back mudguard.

Back basket.

And the front basket.

Now it's time for the front wheel,

and it's attached to the frame with these big bolts.

TING TING! Nyoooooom!

Well, you can't have a tricycle without handlebars,

and these ones are great because they've got a bell on them.

Listen to this sound. TING TING!

Let's hear it again. TING TING!

Isn't that fun?

Here you go, Scott.

To attach the handlebars, Scott is using a special tool.

It's called an Allen key,

and you might have seen a grown-up using one at home.

It has a shape at the end of it.

Do you know what this is?

This shape is a hexagon and it has six sides.

This fits into a bolt at the top of the handlebars and,

as Scott twists it, it makes sure they're on really tight.

Next, Scott attaches the brakes and cables.

Brakes are really important because we need them to stop the tricycle.

This bit here is called the brake lever,

and when we squeeze it this cable pulls these bits of rubber

on to the wheel, which slows it down and brings it to a stop, like this.

Having started with all those pieces, we've got just two left,

the back wheels.

The back wheels are attached to the tricycle and it's ready to go.

Ha, and here is the finished tricycle.

What do you think?

It looks fantastic, doesn't it?

But sometimes the mechanics here add a few extra bits

so that children with disabilities can use the tricycles too.

BELLS RING

These pedals have extra straps to help keep your feet in the

right place, and this saddle has a comfy backrest and a seatbelt.

This is great for someone who needs a bit of extra help sitting up.

And this is a handle so that a grown-up

can help push somebody along.

What was your favourite bit about seeing how a tricycle was made?

Do you remember what you call the special tool Scott used

to tighten the bolts on the handlebars?

That's right, it's an Allen key.

Did you hear the sound the bell made when I pressed it?

TING TING! Isn't that fun?

And did you see all the different parts of the tricycle

when they were unpacked from the big box?

So the next time you see a tricycle, or get to ride on one yourself,

you know just how it's made.

And now you know how a helicopter rotor works,

just like on this one here.

I'll see you next time.

BYE!

# There are lots of things All around us

# Exciting things that surround us

-#

-But how does it work?

-Do you know?

-#

-How is it made?

-Do you know?

-# Do you know?

-Let's find out!

-#