If the collective is lowered, what happens to the rate of descent?

• A. Decrease
• B. Remain constant
• C. Increase
• D. Stabilize

Answer: (C)

Collective pitch directly controls the amount of lift produced by the rotor. Lowering the collective reduces blade pitch, which decreases rotor lift. When lift becomes less than the helicopter’s weight, you start to descend, and the rate of descent increases as lift drops further. So the correct outcome of lowering the collective is an increased rate of descent. The other options don’t fit because keeping lift equal to weight would hold you in hover (no descent), decreasing the descent rate would require more lift, and stabilizing is not the outcome of a change in collective.