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Aviation glossary

Throttle

What is throttle?

FAA handbook figure illustrating throttle

The throttle is the engine control that regulates engine revolutions per minute (r.p.m.). In a helicopter, the pilot adjusts the throttle—often a twist grip on the collective—to maintain the desired r.p.m., though a correlator or governor system may handle much of this automatically. Think of it as the "how fast the engine spins" control: more throttle means more r.p.m. (and more power available).

Also known as: throttle control, twist grip

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