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Glossary

What is a pre-rotator?

The mechanism that spins the rotor up before takeoff. Most designs use a mechanical belt drive off the engine with a clutch the pilot engages and disengages by hand. Electric motor-driven pre-rotators are a newer alternative appearing on some designs. Either way it only works on the ground, since the drive disengages before flight.

Also called Prerotator drive

That is the whole entry for now. The longer version, with the mechanics and worked examples, is still to be written. See autorotation for how those read once they exist.

All glossary terms