Ultralight helicopters

[ade]

Does anyone have experience or information
the above. What license is required. What sorts are available etc.
thanks

[harry]

check out the SAAA website.


but I would prefer you went fixed wing.


there are many fixed wing designs that are very capable of short takeoff and landing.
do you have chopper experience?

[ade]

Why would you prefer I went fixed wing

[BigBlackDog]

Do you mean gyro-copters? There some fancy pants ones out there now a days. They all look flimsy to me but to be fair, if they are REALLY well looked after they can be ok. Lots of moving parts. Yes, SAAA are the people I believe, CASA, as the aviation regulator, doesn't have the time or resources for these sorts of things so grants a permission to organisations like these to self administer. Be very picky about who you learn with, I have seen a LOT of bad ultralight operators

[p38arover]

I'd love to have a homebuilt chopper. I watched Mark Evans' TV series "A Chopper is Born" and even went as far as searching out one out.

See http://www.aulro.com/afvb/flight/122603-has-anyone-imported-aircraft.html

[Lotz-A-Landies]

A balloon is as ultralight VTOL aircraft as you can get! ;) :twisted:

[superquag]

A balloon is as ultralight VTOL aircraft as you can get! ;) :twisted:

- When did you last help pack up the 'envelope' ?:twisted:

Without PAX, a 6 person balloon will come in at around 400 to 500 kg all up. Plus a couple of tonnes of heated air...:eek:

[superquag]

Why would you prefer I went fixed wing

Blokey way of being nice, - saying he'd like you to live a bit longer !:eek:

[Greatsouthernland]

Does anyone have experience or information
the above. What license is required. What sorts are available etc.
thanks

Hi,

Just curious, what do you want to do with it?

That will help eliminate the option of fixed wing.

Is it to do with your avatar? ;)

[Greatsouthernland]

Blokey way of being nice, - saying he'd like you to live a bit longer !:eek:

Yep. Only one chance at a save by auto-rotation if engine fails in a chopper, and you need altitude on your side.

Fixed wing - you can extend the glide (a bit if battery power for flaps) or side slip to make changes in forced landing location.

Gyro copter would be awesome fun in my opinion :D

[101 Ron]

Gyrocopter is the safest thing flying with a engine out at any height and I should know I have been a glider pilot of a gyrocopter many times.
A full on mini chopper is a slightly different story.
You need much professional training in a full size chopper and then go into a single seat machine which you have just finished building, or purchased second hand and may not be balanced for your weight etc and become a test pilot in a much lighter, more responsive machine with a much different feel....the out come is usually not good.
You need 300ft min and very quick reflexes for auto rotation without air speed on.
The two stroke motor motors working very hard ensure you could get autorotation practice as the slightest thing not right will ensure a midair lock up.
Ultrasport choppers were imported a while ago locally to me a while ago, two stroke, single or two seaters............seemed to be a good machine.
could be registed as full GA or as sport.
Upper end of things is the Rotaway exsecutive series.......getting into GA end of things.
I know a single seat machine is being built near by with a micro gas turbine.........may be flying by now.
If you are getting on in years.......don't apply.......it will not work out well as does a lack of full time GA type training , which most people who buy the smaller type machines because of price cannot afford.

[BigBlackDog]

Yep. Only one chance at a save by auto-rotation if engine fails in a chopper, and you need altitude on your side.

Fixed wing - you can extend the glide (a bit if battery power for flaps) or side slip to make changes in forced landing location.

Gyro copter would be awesome fun in my opinion :D

Pretty sure you only get one chance at a forced landing in a plane too, and you are going a hell of a lot fast when you meet the ground. Unless you have a Cirrus :o

Having hung around choppers a bit now, I think engine failure is not even nearly the only thing you should be concerned about, at least the thing is still very controllable. There are so many moving bits, all going in 5 million different directions, many of them, if they fail, will render it uncontrollable.

There's a guy down here I know just flew a brand new gyro down from Newcastle. It's kinda cool looking, has an enclosed canopy, little twin tail thing out back. Has a little belt drive to get the blades started up, it taxis out with them stopped. He loves it. It's cool, not sure I would get in it though

[*RR*]

Last I heard (about 2008), they were considering adding some rotary wings to the rec reg/rec licence list, but I haven't heard anymore.

I, too are very keen to get one!

[Greatsouthernland]

Pretty sure you only get one chance at a forced landing in a plane too, and you are going a hell of a lot fast when you meet the ground. Unless you have a Cirrus :o

h

:confused:

Read my post again if you like as you've misinterpreted. Of course you only get one go :rolleyes: but with a light aeroplane (depending on a few inputs already made) you have a lot more flexibility with point of touch down than auto-rotating a plummeting chopper. Forced landings in a Cessna I have practiced, but only know the theory for the chopper.

Are you sure about which one's faster? I'm not...:angel:

(considering the corresponding vectors of each aircraft, during a forced landing, with a bit of open space, I'd choose the fixed wing)

[superquag]

Bloke I knew with an Auster got so much practice with 'unscheduled destinations' that he became comfortable with the Very High & Shrt Final style of landing... you just don't get that level of training these days.:p


Auster:- One of these...Auster J1B - YouTube

[BigBlackDog]

:confused:

Read my post again if you like as you've misinterpreted. Of course you only get one go :rolleyes: but with a light aeroplane (depending on a few inputs already made) you have a lot more flexibility with point of touch down than auto-rotating a plummeting chopper. Forced landings in a Cessna I have practiced, but only know the theory for the chopper.

Are you sure about which one's faster? I'm not...:angel:

(considering the corresponding vectors of each aircraft, during a forced landing, with a bit of open space, I'd choose the fixed wing)

Sorry, sure. You would be surprised how much control a chopper will allow though. Yes the chopper get to the ground a hell of a lot quicker, but, done right, touchdown should be close to zero speed. If you get it right no damage done, can do it into a very small spot. Before you say, I will qualify that by also agreeing that it is a lot easier to forced land a plane. Even a Cessna is still doing 30 knots when it touches down.
Confined areas or trees? Helicopter. Open areas, beaches etc: aeroplane. Preference - 2 turbine engines in either:D admitted this has nothing to do with the OP too.

To be truthful to the OP - an ultralight plane will be a safer than an ultralight helo.

[101 Ron]

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/flight/92851-my-trail-bike-skies.html

[Greatsouthernland]

Sorry, sure. You would be surprised how much control a chopper will allow though. Yes the chopper get to the ground a hell of a lot quicker, but, done right, touchdown should be close to zero speed. If you get it right no damage done, can do it into a very small spot. Before you say, I will qualify that by also agreeing that it is a lot easier to forced land a plane. Even a Cessna is still doing 30 knots when it touches down.
Confined areas or trees? Helicopter. Open areas, beaches etc: aeroplane. Preference - 2 turbine engines in either:D admitted this has nothing to do with the OP too.

To be truthful to the OP - an ultralight plane will be a safer than an ultralight helo.

:D all good BBD.

[pawl]

:confused:

but with a light aeroplane (depending on a few inputs already made) you have a lot more flexibility with point of touch down than auto-rotating a plummeting chopper. Forced landings in a Cessna I have practiced, but only know the theory for the chopper.


(considering the corresponding vectors of each aircraft, during a forced landing, with a bit of open space, I'd choose the fixed wing)

Personal opinion of course, having practiced plenty of autos in an R22 many with full touch down, some in between and avoiding trees, which was where ever my CFI decided to pull a surprise simulated auto. I would go for a helicopter for forced landing, I have the opinion you have more flexibility with point of touch down in a chopper, sure you get more distance out of your glide in a plank but you hit the ground with more speed and anything in your way will do it's best to wash off that inertia, with a helicopter you can touch down with little or virtually zero groundspeed. Autos are even slower in high inertia rotor helicopters.
Was the theory behind the choppers from fixed wing instructors? the reason I ask is because there is always the banter between plank and rotary pilots/instructors about which is better. There is a common misconception that helicopters plummet out of the sky with an engine failure, I can assure you they too can glide, even backwards, which my instructor demonstrated to me once.
We can agree to disagree on this one :)

[blitz]

always wanted a gyrocopter

[pawl]

always wanted a gyrocopter

Yeah one of these days I may get the courage to have a go but at the moment all ultralights scare me

[Greatsouthernland]

Personal opinion of course, having practiced plenty of autos in an R22 many with full touch down, some in between and avoiding trees, which was where ever my CFI decided to pull a surprise simulated auto. I would go for a helicopter for forced landing, I have the opinion you have more flexibility with point of touch down in a chopper, sure you get more distance out of your glide in a plank but you hit the ground with more speed and anything in your way will do it's best to wash off that inertia, with a helicopter you can touch down with little or virtually zero groundspeed. Autos are even slower in high inertia rotor helicopters.
Was the theory behind the choppers from fixed wing instructors? the reason I ask is because there is always the banter between plank and rotary pilots/instructors about which is better. There is a common misconception that helicopters plummet out of the sky with an engine failure, I can assure you they too can glide, even backwards, which my instructor demonstrated to me once.
We can agree to disagree on this one :)

Yes Pawl, it was from a fixed wing instructor... So you are probably right about the bias ;)

I would still love to learn rotary wings, if only I had the time :( haven't flown (in command :cool: ) for about 10 years and miss it heaps. I really thought as a kid we'd have rocket backpacks by now...affordable ones that is.