Fact-Check: Animated Video of 'Rotor Challenge' Viral as Real Helicopter Stunt

This is an animated video and not a real stunt.

A video showing a man sitting on helicopter's rotor and spinning with it and then getting launched in the air is going viral on the internet to claim that this is real incident.

• The users sharing this claim are terming it as a 'rotor challenge'.

• At the end of the clip, the rotor can be seen detaching from the helicopter and launching high in the sky.

(Archives of similar claims can be seen here and here.)

Is the video not real?: This is an animated video created using Computer-generated imagery (CGI).

How did we find out the truth? We noticed a logo and a watermark that read 'MBG Core' on the video.

• Taking a cue, we performed a relevant keyword search that led us to an old video on Instagram.

• This video was uploaded by 'MBG CORE' on 24 October 2021.

• The account carried 'CGI and 3D Generalist' in the bio. A 3D Generalist is an expert in 3D computer graphics.

• We also found another video uploaded by the same account on 22 November 2021, showing the breakdown of making the original video.

• The caption stated that this was created using CGI and VFX softwares like Cinema4D, Redshift and Marvelous designer.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MBG CORE (@mbg_core)

We reached out to the creator: The admin of 'MBG CORE' page confirmed to The Quint that this is an animated video and not a real incident as it is being claimed.

Conclusion: A video created using CGI showing a man spinning on the rotor of a helicopter is going viral as real.

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