Gas turbine (jet) engines used in helicopters do not produce thrust. Instead, the air exiting the engine passes over a wheel (normally called the power turbine) with specially designed blades that turn a shaft. The shaft is geared down and connected to the transmission that drives the main rotor system. This design is called a turboshaft engine and its power is measured in shaft horsepower (shp). As in typical turbine engines, some of a turboshaft’s power is used to drive the inlet compressor or gas producer section.

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The tail rotor on Eurocopter’s AS350 AStar helicopter uses weights to generate a Centrifugal force to help balance the forces that exist when changing the blades’ pitch angle. Known as boss weights, exactly how they work is sometimes misunderstood.