The single greatest challenge of all flight is overcoming gravity. There are only two ways for helicopters to do this: by increasing thrust or decreasing weight. We often don't think about weight when presented with beautifully polished upgrade metal parts and larger motors. However, we should keep it in mind and know the trade-off to performance we are making with our component choices. One method used to evaluate the effect of helicopter weight on performance is by calculating disk loading. These calculations provide values we can use to compare our performance (maneuvering acceleration, autorotative capability, and efficiency) before and after an upgrade, and to similarly configured helicopters.

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