Is this an optical illusion with this helicopter flying?

[Dupont666]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQOB9d09x6A

seems to fly even though the main blades look like they are not turning?

Can someone explain the effect please?

[LeoSayer]

A video is a series of pictures, and each one of those pictures was taken whilst the blades were in the same/similar place.

[N10k]

i like this comment on the page

"Your the stupid one".

It's "you're," not "your." But OK. I'm stupid. Still, I'm not the one claiming a helicopter flies without rotors like a magic carpet. As the late great George Carlin would say, holy fking stballs, we got some stupid motherfkers.

Do the world a favor: don't breed. Ever. Please.

[Simpo Two]

Simple - the shutter speed of the camera is synchronised with the blades - think 'strobe'.

[hornetrider]

Erm, not sure what the name of the effect is. But it's where the frequency of rotation of the blades is almost identical to that of the number of frames per second in the video camera.

Kind of like when you watch a wheel accelerating and it rotates one way, then stops, then appears to go the opposite way.

[Silent1]

It's a strobe effect, the camera is taking x frames per second, and the blades are rotating so that they're in time with the camers.

[Dupont666]

ah... should have thought of that one.... doh!!

[Munter]

That wasn't done with the camera. I'll bet it was done afterwards. Thats why the video is choppy. They cut out all the frames where the blades were not in the correct position. The effect is the same though.

Simple enough to do if you could be bothered to spend the time.

[Neil_H]

Magic helicopter.

HTH.

[wildoliver]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Hind!

[sultanbrown]

It is clearly witchcraft.

[SkinnyBoy]

When I win the lotto I am going to get a Hind, outfit it with some firepower and live out my soviet Blue Thunder fantasies!

[BJG1]

You can tell the blades must be spinning because they bend upwards slightly.

[oakdale]

They didn't need the fan on because it wasn't hot?

[Nic Jones]

BJG1 said:

You can tell the blades must be spinning because the helicopter is flying.

Edited for accuracy.

[Hedders]

oakdale said:

They didn't need the fan on because it wasn't hot?

This makes much more sense than all this frame rate malarkey

[HundredthIdiot]

The helicopter is suspended by a crane. If you look really carefully you can see the wire.

This is called a "crane fly" in military circles.

[Apache]

BJG1 said:

You can tell the blades must be spinning because they bend upwards slightly.

jeez, the ignorance on this thread is breathtaking, the blades are being bent upwards by the magnetic pull from the sun, is it sunny in the pictures? I rest my case

[cottonfoo]

idiot said:

apparently the Mi-24 can use its turbines to hover without usng the main rotor. (similar to the harrier jump jet)

sane person said:

Oh... my... God. You did not just say that it hovers without a rotor like the a Jumpjet. Please tell me you did not just make a total ass of yourself... holy st, are there stoopid people on this earth.

[cottonfoo]

HundredthIdiot said:

This is called a "crane fly" in military circles.

I think you mean "Crane Technique".