The vibration characteristics of a rotating cantilever beam undergoing impulsive force are investigated using wavelet transformation. The transient response induced by the impulsive force and the rigid body motion of the beam are calculated using hybrid deformation variable modeling along with the Rayleigh-Ritz assumed mode methods. The vibration characteristics of the beam can be analyzed in time-frequency domain with the wavelet transform method. Therefore, the effects of the impulsive force on the transient vibration characteristics of the beam can be investigated more effectively.