ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Rotor wing

Okay kiddo, do you know what helicopters are? They are those cool flying machines that you see in the air with big blades on the top. The big blades that spin around on top are called rotors, and that's why we call them rotor wings.

Now, imagine you are sitting in a chair and someone is spinning you around really fast, like a giant merry-go-round. When you spin around, you might feel a force pushing you outwards. This is called centrifugal force. It's the same thing that happens when you swing a bucket of water around your head really fast and the water doesn't fall out.

In a helicopter, the rotors spin really fast and create a lot of centrifugal force. This force pushes the air downwards, which creates lift and makes the helicopter go up in the air. The engine in the helicopter creates power that spins the rotor blades, and there's a special mechanism called a swashplate that allows the pilot to control the direction and speed of the rotors.

So, basically, rotor wings work by spinning really fast and creating lift that allows a helicopter to fly. And that's how those cool flying machines up in the sky get around!
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