Here’s a little trick that I use to tell the difference between a commercial helicopter and a military one. A commercial helicopter will have a logo on the side of it, and it’ll be flying around for some type of commercial purpose like taking people on tours, or filming something for the news. A military helicopter will have missiles on it.
For example, this is a picture of an Apache helicopter. Notice all the missiles and other lethal-looking stuff. This is how you know it’s a military helicopter and not just your neighbor taking his daughter to school.
Also notice all the cool stuff around the cockpit, like night vision goggles and illuminated dashboards. This is all pretty neat but none of it matters if you can’t tell the difference between a commercial and military helicopter because then those missiles will be pointed at you instead of someone who deserves it.
There are two main kinds of helicopters: the commercial and the military. The most important difference is that the military helicopter can transport soldiers and equipment, whereas the commercial helicopter is used for air tours and emergency services.
The military helicopter is generally larger and can carry more people than a civilian helicopter. It is usually painted green or brown to hide it in nature. It also has weapons attached to it. The military helicopter has large guns on the side, rockets below the body, and a machine gun attached to the front. The commercial helicopter is smaller, has no weapons, and is often bright yellow or red.
A common misconception is that all helicopters are noisy because of their blades. While it’s true that helicopters with blades make noise, there are other types of helicopters that use ducted fans instead of blades. These helicopters are quieter and safer than those with blades because they don’t have any exposed parts with which one could collide.
Now that you know these facts about helicopters, you will be able to identify them correctly when you see them flying overhead or when you use one for an air tour!
When you see a helicopter flying overhead, do you instinctively feel like it’s on a military mission? Or do you think it’s on a rescue mission? A news gathering mission?
Here’s how to tell:
If it has missiles and guns pointing out the side, it’s a military helicopter.
If there is a big red cross painted on the side, it’s probably a medical evacuation helicopter.
If it has the logo of your local TV station painted on the side, it’s probably a news-gathering helicopter.
A commercial helicopter is a whirlybird that carries passengers or cargo. A military helicopter is a whirlybird that kills people or breaks things. Helicopters are a lot more like airplanes than they are like other helicopters, and if you want to treat them as such in your head, you will probably be happier.
Helicopters are not really great for carrying things, because their shape means they can’t carry very much, but they can carry things faster and further than other helicopters. If you want to know whether a helicopter is likely to have passengers on board, look at how many windows it has. Most military helicopters have no windows at all, except for the windshield. Most commercial helicopters have lots of windows so the passengers can enjoy the view of where they’re going.
Helicopters are also not great for killing people and breaking things; you would generally prefer an airplane for that purpose. But their ability to hover means they can do a better job at some types of killing and breaking than planes can; and since planes are often used for killing people anyway, it’s not surprising that some of them get converted over to military use.
To the average person, a helicopter is a helicopter. They all look more or less the same. If you’re in the military, however, there’s a good chance you’ve used one of these things to fire a missile at someone. So what’s the difference between commercial and military helicopters?
Military helicopters are purpose-built machines designed specifically for combat. Their cockpits are full of high tech equipment that helps soldiers engage enemies with more precision and a lower risk of friendly fire. They also have advanced targeting systems to make sure pilots aren’t firing on civilians.
Commercial helicopters are designed with safety in mind first, and performance second. Although they may have some weapons, they lack the technology required to effectively engage enemies on the battlefield.
Take the Apache helicopter for example. It has two sets of rotors on top. The front set has two blades and the rear set has four. This is a military helicopter.
Commercial helicopters have only one set of rotors on top. It also has a tail rotor on the rear of the aircraft to compensate for the torque created by the main rotor that would otherwise cause it to spin in circles.
The Apache is a military helicopter, and the BK117 is a commercial helicopter.
Although the Apache and the BK117 are both helicopters, they are used for different purposes. An Apache helicopter is a military helicopter used to fight in war. A BK117 is a commercial helicopter used to transport people and cargo.
The Apache has weapons attached to it while the BK117 does not. The Apache has rockets, missiles and guns attached to it so that it can be used in combat.
The Apache is an attack helicopter while the BK117 is not. The Apache is designed to attack its enemies from above as opposed to engaging them on the ground.
The Apache has two propellers while the BK117 has one propeller.