Experimental Helicopers

[thekite]

Channeling.... channeling .... Igor Sikorsky.... get back Charles Darwin; heard from your timorous chums before. Who is that.. Wright?... Orville was it?.. No,, Wilbur??? Harry Houdini?

This a thread for those adventurous aviators who believe that personal R&D in the helicopter world is still an option.

In the next few weeks I will test fly; yes in Darwin (NT Australia); a Mosquito XE helicopter. I built from a kit from Innovator Technologies of Calgary, Canada. It will be the first of kind in Australia, registered Experimental.

There are a few others of us out there even in Aus. Builders of Rotorway Execs, CH7 Angels. Those of us who say; "This would be a fine aircraft, if only it could carry a bigger payload"

OR "This would be a fine aircraft, if only we could carry a big enough cannon to punch through the German tank armour."

We Australians are a litle more mundane these days. We round up the cows, spray the crops and grapple with our never-ending wildfires.

We Australians: We love to project the larrikin image; Waltzing Matilda. (Which is about a criminal who commits suicide, our national song;) Ned Kelly (another criminal who rightly hung for his crimes;) Breaker Mourant (New Australian/Irishman executed for war crimes).

But in day to day life, we are the most orthodox of nationalities, cautious and
tentative of any step into the unknown.

In the end however, we are OK with accepting the acceptances of of our Brother British Nations. And of America.

So here is the Mosquito XE helicopter. Designed and built by John Uptigrove in Calgary Alberta Canada. Fibreglass airframe now built in Florida.

Single seat, about 140kg weight 15 ltrs per hour. Buy it for about A$40 000. What did your last Robbo cost?

If I was still a mustering pilot I would be rapt at the idea of having no space for the Fat Sweaty Bas**rd (oh sorry, Station Manager) and therefore no shotgun to discharge and blow my foot off.

This is all in the future, if then.

First, like many other experimenters out there, I have to make it work, and prove that it works.

thekite

[Heli-Ice]

Just out of curiousity, does anyone on here use, or know of someone who uses an experimental helicopter for mustering work?

[outofwhack]

Hi TheKite,

A friend of mine says he has just bought a turbine Mini 500.
He has no licence and will no doubt ask me to hover it and probably ferry it (not likely unless I can hover all the way by road!).


Whats the deal with licences for me as a CPLH will B47,R44,H300 ratings. Can I jump in and fly? Or is a type rating required? How is that done for a single place experimental?

Can he fly it all ? Can he do any time in it legally as a student?
e.g. say do some initial in a robbo under an aoc and then do some solo in experimental??

Confused,
OOW

[Dave_Jackson]

outofwhack

Dennis Fetters, the designer and builder of the Mini 500s, before turbine engines were being installed, posts quite frequently on another
rotary wing forum. In the unlikelihood that you are unable to get the answer here on PPRuNe you could post the question on that forum and Dennis or others will be able to help.


Dave

[rotorfan]

outofwhack

It seems to me that every question you ask would depend on the country where this would take place, which you don't mention. I'm in the USA and am not aware of type ratings here on small ships like this, so I'm guessing you are not USA-based, to phrase the question that way. I'm not qualified to answer for another country.

As the kit was offered with a Rotax 582 powerplant, this one is even more experimental than most. This might solve a problem experienced by some with the original, minimal power and engine-seizing during flight. I thought the one two-place prototype that Revolution built, called the Voyager 500, used the same tranny, as it was up to the torque demands of the heavier ship. An EAA friend of mine has a Mini500, and I thought he talked of a mast-support mod that he last did. I've never seen him fly his, as he's become lazy and fat, well above 300 lbs. That poor little 66-horsepower Rotax simply can't pick up his larda$$.:eek: But, I also think he's leery of it.

In the US, I would have to consider insurance. I would imagine that insurance couldn't be obtained for this operation without the ferry pilot having some sort of training or checkout for the type. (Well, pay enough money and perhaps someone would sell you insurance.)

Before you get involved with this machine, do your homework. I would suggest spending an evening reading various forums (including this one) to know the history of these helis and of those who have done aftermarket conversions and mods. Figure out where the turbine conversion came from on your friend's machine. Google Mini 500 with these names: Dennis Fetters, Richard (Rick) Stitts, Joe Rinke. There is much nastiness surrounding this type. That should keep you busy for a while.

[topendtorque]

does anyone on here use, or know of someone who uses an experimental helicopter for mustering work?


Not as far as I know, but, i guess many of the classical helicopters would be verging on the very experimental??? take that however you like.:(

There are plenty of despots who use ultralights or autogyros though for mustering.
I think that you will find that one cannot insure them for such commercial activity, seeing as how one cannot register them for aerial work, or charter, believe it or not.

Just goes to show, a quick buck in front of the hearth and home, and lovely kids.? turns some people on.

However I could stand to be corrected, I haf mit my very own eyes seen ultralights doing what looks very suspiciously as charter tourist work in Broome WA. a few years ago.
cheers tet

[bugdevheli]

Dear Kite, Just to let you know, there are others out here that have the same dreams. I am just starting tethered tests on my latest machine. A very good friend has not only designed and built his own machine, but also tought himself to fly it. To date i believe he has about forty hours on it. Good luck with your venture. Bug.

[outofwhack]

Ooops I thought I was sending a private email and the recipient would know I'm down-under.

[Gaseous]

Hi A.
A friend of mine says he has just bought a turbine Mini 500.

He is clearly certifiably mad. Its some time since I looked at a mini500 and it wasn't a turbine, but based on what I saw, and what I found on the net, I wouldn't fly one.

As a mate, I suggest you give it a miss. I would quite like to see you survive to come for a pint next time you're in the UK.

There are homebuilts I would be happy to fly but the mini 500 aint one of em.

Cheers.
Phil.

[hef]

Have a look at the accident reports for mini 500's on the NTSB website, I have never even seen one in real life but reading them has put me off for life.

I'll make it easy-

Mini-500 Crash Records (http://www.provide.net/~pratt1/ambuilt/helicopter.htm)