How Fast Is Helicopter (cruise)?

Most helicopters cruise at 270 km/h. The Westland Lynx set the helicopter speed record at 400 km/h in 1986, and the Sikorsky X2 recently hit 480 km/h. Beyond that the rotor itself begins to encounter sound-barrier issues, fundamentally limiting top speed.

The first stable helicopter flight was Igor Sikorsky's VS-300 in 1939. He flew his own designs for years before the technology became commercially viable.

• Faster than airliner landing
• Speed record from 1986: 400 km/h