Definition
A rotary-wing aircraft, such as a helicopter, in which the main rotor and tail rotor are driven by one or more gas turbine engines rather than by a piston (reciprocating) engine.
Plain English
A helicopter (or similar rotor aircraft) powered by a jet-style turbine engine instead of a piston engine like the kind found in a small airplane or car.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft inspection requirements, especially when deciding which inspection program applies to a rotorcraft used in civil operations.
Derivation
Turbine comes from the Latin turbo, meaning a spinning thing or whirl. Rotorcraft simply means an aircraft that gets its lift from rotating blades. Put together, the term describes a rotor-lifted aircraft whose blades are spun by a turbine engine.
Why Pilots Care
Inspection requirements differ. A turbine powered rotorcraft can often be placed on an approved progressive or manufacturer-specific inspection program, which changes how and when the aircraft is signed off as airworthy.
Intuition Check
Turbine powered does not mean the aircraft is a jet airplane. Here it means the rotorcraft’s rotating blades are driven by a turbine engine.
Example Sentence 1
Because the helicopter was a turbine powered rotorcraft, the operator followed the manufacturer's progressive inspection program rather than a standard 100-hour inspection.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots operating a turbine powered rotorcraft must account for higher fuel flow rates during preflight planning.