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Helicopters, airplanes, and rockets are all affected by the same four forces of flight. A helicopter uses a rotor, which is like a large propeller, to generate vertical thrust to get off the ground. Some airplanes use propellers to generate thrust to get off the ground. Both rotors and propellers are like a wing with a twist: they create a pressure difference by making the air on one side move faster than the air on the other side. This pressure difference pushes the helicopter up or the airplane forward. Other airplanes use jet engines for thrust. Jet and rocket engines generate thrust in much the same way. They mix fuel and air (or oxidizer in the case of rockets) to create the pressure difference needed to generate thrust.