Q: Why does the helicopter orbit as opposed to hovering when on scene?
This is done as a safety precaution in the event of an engine failure. Power can be stored in only three areas; rotor RPM, altitude and airspeed. The FADEC computer maintains rotor RPM at 100%, however, you have usually sacrificed some altitude and thus maintaining forward airspeed stores energy. Should the engine fail, this stored energy can be utilized to safely terminate an auto-rotation.
