Homemade Helicopter: For the People.

[mugaliens]

These types of small helicopters have been around for well over ten years.

Counting thehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bensen_Aircraft" , make that 58 years!

 

[Cyrus]

Counting thehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bensen_Aircraft" , make that 58 years!

Note the inventor: Dr Igor Bensen

 

[mugaliens]

Note the inventor: Dr Igor Bensen

Ok, noted. I'm curious as to why, for the "Bensen autogyro" has gone by that name, without the academic accolade, since it's inception. Even his company, Bensen Aircraft, exists sans the doctorate, similar to Freeman's "Dyson sphere." It's not the Dr. Dyson sphere, and having met the man while visiting a good friend from high school who attended Princeton, I'll say "wow" as in "extremely mentally adept," but I'm thankful he never lorded his credentials.

I never met Dr. Bensen.

Plans for homebuilders of his Bensen B-8 remain available to this day. Remarkably capable aircraft! I've flown two helos, a Hughes 500C (369HE), used as a sherrif's helo, and a UH-1N. The Huey was solid as a rock, although it tended to slowly beat you like a washing machine, while the 500 was a bit squirrely!

 

[Cyrus]

The note was for the people thinking they should build one in their garage with no expertise.

The fact that its still in use says a lot because there are many home builds that fell by the waist side due to unsafe designs.

 

[mugaliens]

The note was for the people thinking they should build one in their garage with no expertise.

The fact that its still in use says a lot because there are many home builds that fell by the waist side due to unsafe designs.

It's true: Amature-built aicraft experience experience approximately 3.5 times the accident rate of FAA-certified general aviation aircraft.

However, I'm not so sure that's a function of design or poor quality workmanship as it is the psyche of your typical amateur bilder! Most of them accept more risk than your average pilot, as evidenced by the fact they enter the home-build arena at all.

Having said that, I'm a very meticulous garage mechanic (i.e. I work on my own cars), builder of R/C models (though not since high school), and an aero engineer.

If I ever decided to enter the home-built market, I would rework all calcs, as I'm not about to sit my butt in an airplane that may contain hidden defects! But that's just me...