Helicopters generate both lift and thrust using rotor blades that spin around a central axis, rather than fixed wings. Pilots control the lift and direction of travel through the collective pitch and cyclic pitch controls, which respectively alter the angle of the rotor blades to increase lift or tilt the disc in the desired direction of thrust. The torque reaction from the spinning rotor is counteracted by a tail rotor that pushes the fuselage in the opposite direction to prevent it from spinning, and pilots can control yaw using the tail rotor pitch.