When pushing right pedal, the tail rotor thrust is decreased, causing the nose to turn which direction?

• A. Increased
• B. No change
• C. Reversed
• D. Decreased

Answer: (D)

The thing being tested is how yaw (nose direction) is controlled in a helicopter using the tail rotor. The tail rotor provides the anti-torque that counteracts the main rotor’s torque, and pedals line up the tail rotor thrust to keep the nose pointing where you intend. When you push the right pedal, the tail rotor thrust is decreased. Less opposing torque means the overall yaw moment changes, but with the pedal input already set to reduce tail rotor thrust, the resulting change described in the option that best fits the effect is a decrease in the nose-turning tendency. So the correct choice is that the nose turning tendency is decreased.

In other words, reducing tail rotor thrust lowers the effect that would cause the nose to turn, compared with when tail rotor thrust is higher.