Mark, if you ever watch a helo make a tight break (turn) at high speed, you will hear a 'pop-pop-pop'.
That's the blade ends moving up and down and slapping the air below them as they return to the 'neutral' plane.
And yes, heavy lift birds have very flexible blades, that sag a lot when static, but will sure enough bowl their blades under power, especially when doing a full power & load test where the helo is tied down to the tarmac.
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/marquee-test-akiaisur2rgicbmpehea/8dIgeVHGT4aGOIFTM9Ge_Leading_Edge_Cover_Image.jpg)
They will also, under certain flight configurations on some helicopters, bend downward and have been known to chop parts of the forward upper fuselage off.
An officer in my squadron, was knocked out cold, when a mortar round exploded as it came thru the hangar roof. Freak occurrence, (jus dumb bad luck) but the pressure wave of the explosion forced the end of a CH53 blade violently down just as he was passing under it, and it smacked him right in the top of the head. He survived.