Introduction Chapter 1 Introduction to the Helicopter A helicopter is an aircraft that is lifted and propelled by one  or more horizontal rotors, each rotor consisting of two or  more rotor blades. Helicopters are classified as rotorcraft  or rotary-wing aircraft to distinguish them from fixed-wing  aircraft, because the helicopter derives its source of lift from  the rotor blades rotating around a mast. The word “helicopter”  is adapted from the French hélicoptère, coined by Gustave de  Ponton d’Amécourt in 1861. It is linked to the Greek words  helix/helikos (“spiral” or “turning”) and pteron (“wing”). 