If both tail rotor cables break, how do pilots control yaw?

• A. Airspeed dependent on the aircraft gross weight
• B. Rudder authority handles yaw
• C. They cannot yaw the helicopter
• D. Autopilot yaw hold engages

Answer: (A)

When the tail rotor cables break, you lose direct anti-torque control. The helicopter’s ability to yaw then relies on aerodynamic forces on the airframe and any rudder effect provided by forward flight. The amount of yaw you experience (and how much control you have) comes from how fast you’re moving through the air, because the vertical stabilizer/rudder’s effectiveness increases with forward airspeed. At the same time, heavier gross weight means the main rotor must produce more torque to hold that weight, which increases the yaw tendency for a given speed. So, without tail-rotor control, yaw becomes essentially a function of forward airspeed, and the speed you need to manage yaw changes with the aircraft’s gross weight.