It "stops holding itself up." If you unload the rotor, any air
disturbance can cause so much blade flapping movement that the blade
hits the stops. It could break and come off then. Without stops, the
blade would probably hit a part of the helicopter itself or touch the
ground when standing on the field.
So the rotor is not designed to push you down.

Best regards

D. Andrews wrote:
Hello all,

This is my first time posting here, but I figured maybe you all could
help me out with a question that has been nagging at me for quite a
while. Forgive me if this seems like a stupid question.

Here goes:

Does a helicopter, without lateral movement, have the ability to fly
down, or does it merely stop holding itself up?

I don't know if that makes sense, but I don't know of a better way to
word the question. I would be happy to clarify if necessary, but i
don't know what to add.