Parts of a Helicopter – 15 to Label, Rotor to Tail

All 15 parts on the diagram

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Start here: 8 main parts 8

Main rotor blades The long blades that turn to lift the helicopter.
Transmission The main gearbox that drives the mast from the engine.
Engine Powers the rotors; most helicopters today use a turboshaft engine.
Cabin Holds the crew and passengers; most pilots sit on the right.
Fuselage The main body: it houses the cabin, engine and transmission.
Landing gear (skids) Skids on cross tubes: the helicopter lands and stands on them.
Tail boom Carries the tail rotor far behind the main rotor.
Tail rotor Pushes sideways against the main rotor's torque. That way the helicopter does not spin.

The main rotor 3

Rotor hub The fitting at the top of the mast that holds the blades.
Mast A hollow metal shaft driven by the transmission, turning the hub.
Swash plate Turns the pilot's control inputs into changes of blade pitch.

The tail 4

Tail rotor driveshaft Carries power from the main transmission back to the tail rotor.
Tail rotor gearbox Turns the drive through a right angle to the tail rotor.
Vertical fin The upright fin on the tail boom's end.
Horizontal stabilizer A small wing on the tail. It helps level the helicopter to cut drag.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. FAA Helicopter Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-21B), chapter 1 (https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/helicopter_flying_handbook/hfh_ch01.pdf) and chapter 4 (https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/helicopter_flying_handbook/hfh_ch04.pdf); Wikipedia: Helicopter, Helicopter rotor, Tail rotor, Swashplate (aeronautics), Landing gear, Fuselage, Tailplane. Every ringed part is named in two of these. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a helicopter on one light single-rotor helicopter, with the panel behind the cabin open. Start with the 8 main parts, then the rotor, the body and the tail.

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The main rotor

The engine drives the transmission, which turns the mast. The hub on top of the mast holds the blades. The swash plate round the mast passes the pilot's controls up to the blades.

The tail

A driveshaft runs along the tail boom to the tail rotor gearbox, which turns the drive through a right angle. The tail rotor pushes against the main rotor's torque, so the body does not spin.

No tail rotor? Tandem and coaxial helicopters use two main rotors turning opposite ways instead.

Questions and answers

What are the main parts of a helicopter?

The FAA lists the airframe, fuselage, landing gear, powerplant, transmission, main rotor system and tail rotor system. The fuselage houses the cabin, the engine and the transmission.

What does the tail rotor do?

It pushes sideways to counter the twisting force of the main rotor, which would otherwise spin the body the other way.

What is the swash plate on a helicopter?

A pair of plates round the mast, one fixed and one turning, that pass the pilot's control inputs to the spinning blades.