someone please make this make sense

i've never seen this video till today so if someone could explain to me what i'm looking at i'd be thankful
helicopter

If you get the frame rate of the camera to match the blade rate of the helicopter, that's what you'll see.

I don't think I've ever seen one stay that matched that long randomly, you can get the same effect by using a very high frame rate camera and picking frames to "synthesize" the frame rate.

You would do this to get a "still" look at the blades while the helicopter was maneuvering, to look at things like blade tip flutter, bowing, porpoising and the like.

It's similar to using a strobe light to inspect machinery.

Edit: I'm told late model high-end camcorders with variable frame rate controls can be made to do this easily without using fast frame rate motion capture cameras. Learn something new every day.

[edit on 24-7-2007 by Tom Bedlam]

ahh i thought it might be something like that but i wasnt sure. thanks dude

This video has been played on many video sites and the same question is always asked. The comments Ive seen on video sites are usually pretty childish and not worth the time to even bother looking over so if a true explanation has been given there I've never seen it.

But IMO the physics of it looks normal as the chopper has a jet engine on top which gives it the power of thrust so having the top rotor blades turned off isn't much of a big deal as long as the jet engine is engaged and the rear rotor is on giving it that ability to turn around. The down fall to this is that the chopper has no way of obtaining lift and/or declining since there is nothing to give it that "push" vertically. If the rear tail fins where able to be tilted like an airplane then that could possibly give it some sort of lift and lowering ability as it moves. Being the chopper has "wing like" panels on either side must help with its ability to keep from "rolling over" but with such a small wing span it can't "fly" as a normal jet can but instead is able to turn and slightly maneuver with in a small circumference with low engine thrust and tail rotor movement.

But I am no pilot and all said is just my theory. It is pretty cool how it can do that tho.
Bzzzzzzz

(edited to add quote and remark to it)

If you get the frame rate of the camera to match the blade rate of the helicopter, that's what you'll see. ...

AH, thanks Tom! The frame rate makes sense. Thats one way to fake out an enemy when they see this vid

[edit on 7/24/2007 by BuzzingOn]

What you are seeing here is an example of the strobescopic effect. It is the same principle used for automotive timing guns. In this case, the shutter speed of the camera was operating at a 'timed' speed relative to the blade speed of the rotorhead. This causes the rotating parts to appear frozen in one place on the video. This is usually done with a strobe light in controlled conditions, so the video is a bit of a freak. The person who took this was probably shocked when they veiwed it after the airshow.