Introduction to Ultralight Airplanes

Building An Ultralight Helicopter - Preparation

This article is Part One of a series about Building an Ultralight Helicopter

People have always dreamed to fly. After the ultralight aircraft appeared many of the aviation enthusiasts have the possibility to experience regularly the enjoyment of flying on an ultralight helicopter. If you have felt the fun to fly on a helicopter and you would like to do it frequently, the ultralight version is the reasonable choice, which will not empty your wallet.


Photo by pmilg at flickr


What Is Ultralight Helicopter?


It is actually a skeleton of a traditional helicopter without the protection of the normal shell. It has two propellers: one on the top, which has a diameter from 3.5m to 7.5m, depending on the model, and one on the tail, with a diameter between 0.6m and 1.2m. The average weight of an empty ultralight heli is between 65 and 85 kg. The weight of the pilot can be up to 125 kg. However, you will hardly find two ultralight helicopters that are similar as a construction and main characteristics.




How To Get An ultralight Helicopter?


There are two main possibilities: to purchase a ready-made one or to build your own. Maybe you will be interested in the second option. There are quite a good number of models, which you can buy in a kit form. This means that you have to fit the pieces of your aircraft together before the first fly. However, it is necessary to know that besides the enthusiasm this is not a simple project.

Where To Start?


First answer the questions: What have you built till now? How big is your experience in reading construction plans and assembling pieces? What about the engines: do you have any idea about them?

If your experience is close to zero, the ultralight helicopter should probably be your second building project and you would start with something easier. But if you can rely on the help of someone experienced and your enthusiasm is so big

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