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On Sun, 11 Feb 2001 20:21:10 -0500, "Vetpilot"
wrote:

>Late last year I bought a set of plans for this "aircraft", mainly to look
>at the design features and satisfy my curiosity since I had built and flew a
>1970 design of Rotorways Scorpion One helicopter. The written material
>with the plans specifically warns that this ultralight helicopter is not a
>true helicopter because there is no collective to control the pitch of the
>main rotor blades. The pitch of the rotorblades are fixed, so for altitude
>control you must increase or decrease engine throttle. This obviously alters
>main rotor speed and consequently lift, whereas in a conventional helicopter
>rotor rpm is maintained in a tight range to keep it "in the green". This
>partially answers your question about "where are the controls". Now as far
>as directional control is concerned, it is done from an extremly tight
>Center of Gravity (CG) range. That is, if you want to move forward, you
>lean forward, or lean right to go right, etc. It is stated that this
>requires little movement (suggesting the aircraft is very sensitive to fly)
>and because you cannot initiate an autorotation during a power failure (by
>going negative pitch on the main blades) you have to fly in close proximity
>to the ground at all times. Basically no higher than you would prefer to
>jump to the ground without breaking anything. Presumably, if the engine
>were to quit, rotor rpm would diminish, settling the aircraft to the ground
>(assuming that you do not have a high forward speed) and you would merely
>guide the aircraft via the CG/weight shifting technique. Based on the
>blueprints that I have, it seems the aircraft is possible to build and fly
>and uses aircraft quality components.
>
>As far as the whereabouts of one of these aircraft, I seem to recall one for
>sale for about 2,500 and was photographed in front of a hanger in Florida I
>believe. I would have to dig around but I think it was advertised in Aero
>Trader/Chopper Shopper several months ago. Maybe I can pick up that 1,000
>finders fee!!
>
The fee was for finding a flying specimen or proof of one flying
like video tape or home movies.

Ray

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