The Swashplate Assembly can tilt in which direction relative to pilot inputs?

• A. Any direction
• B. Forward only
• C. Lateral only
• D. Not at all

Answer: (A)

The swashplate responds directly to cyclic input by tilting in the direction you move the cyclic stick, and it can tilt on two axes. This lets it tilt toward any direction—forward, backward, sideways, or any diagonal. When the swashplate tilts, the pitch of each rotor blade is varied as it passes the column, creating a thrust vector in that direction and producing the desired motion. Since the pilot can input combinations of forward/back and left/right, the swashplate must be able to tilt in any direction to translate those inputs into the corresponding rotor blade pitch changes.