moving star

moving star

The upper section of the swash plate of a helicopter pitch control device. The moving star can tilt in any direction and rotates at the same speed as the rotor, as do the rods and appendages above it. The lower section, or fixed star, can only tilt. The lower, or nonrotating, race is tilted by the cyclic control, and the upper, or rotating, race has arms that connect to the control horns on the rotor horns. The collective pitch control lever raises or lowers the entire swash plate assembly and changes the pitch of all the blades at the same time. On the other hand, movement of the cyclic pitch control is transmitted to the rotating blades through the swash plate.