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10 Facts You Didn't Know About Helicopters

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There's no doubt choppers garner serious attention. Check out 10 unusual facts about helicopters.

When we talk about the aviation industry, planes seem to hog much of the spotlight. But helicopters have played a huge rule in our lives as well. Here are 10 uncommon facts about them:

Number 10 -- There's a little piece that holds the main rotor to the shaft. The name is the Jesus nut. That title was given to the nut because a pilot once verbally pondered "Oh Jesus, if that nut comes off...".

Number 9 -- Helicopters have incredible towing capabilities. Don't believe me? Check out this image of a CH-47 Chinook lifting an F-15A Eagle to transport it to another military base about 45 minutes away.

Number 8 -- The president has his very own fleet of helicopters, called Marine Helicopter Squadron One, or HMX-1, under the United States Marine Corps. Reportedly, the helicopter carrying the President is always surrounded by other helicopters as decoys and they continuously shift positions as a security measure.

Number 7 -- Helicopters are incredibly versatile. In one incident from 2013, a helicopter landed on a highway guardrail during a rescue, allowing doctors onboard to jump out and run to an accident victim.That type of abrupt landing proves choppers are ideal during life saving efforts.

Number 6 -- In 1907, the first completely un-tethered helicopter was able lift off. It hovered about a foot in the air for 20 seconds. Clearly they have come a long way since then.

Number 5 -- The Mil V-12 or Mi-12 as it would have been known had it gone into production, was built in the former Soviet Union in 1968 and is considered to be the biggest chopper ever built.

Number 4 - Leonardo da Vinci drew up the first aerial screw in 1480. His sketches noted "the said screw will make its spiral in the air and it will rise high". Hundreds of years later, the concept of chopper flying was born, featuring the nearly identical "Helical Air Screw".

Number 3 -- If in an emergency a helicopter's engine stops, the rotors are able to continue spinning. That means it can slowly land, in most cases without crashing.

Number 2 -- The Eurocopter X3 is the current record holder for the fastest chopper. Hitting a speed of 293 miles per hour in flight, it beat out the last record breaker, the Sikorksy X2.

Number 1 -- The dream of everyone having their own personal helicopter still lives. A new concept vehicle called the Zero Helicopter is a streamlined chopper with a solo seat. Imagine if that replaced road vehicles in the future.
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Tech News
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