Browsing the web some time last week and found a number of sites selling plans/kits for home made aircraft.
It seems that the americans are into their homebuilt planes and helicopters
Have a look at this one...
Helicopter link
to me that looks surprisingly basic and a bit intriguing
not sure i would trust it if i had a heli that was built from scratch but i quite like the idea of a kit helicopter (a little bit more substantial
ideally 
) cool way of getting around
Bit more like this one...
second link
four wheels and a bit of tarmac seems much more appealing (safer) to me! 
Just consider how many loose nuts and screws we have all had on the cars! How many snapped wing stays!
Still fancy a copter?!
If we were meant to fly we'd have wings 
Can you pat yourself on the head with one hand and rub your stomach in a circular motion with the other?
If not, stay clear of helicopters!
quote:
Originally posted by colt_mivec
If we were meant to fly we'd have wings
Mark Evans did "A chopper is born" where he built his own helicopter. I wasn't too impressed at the tail rotor drive which was a
series of several rubber V belts and pulleys, but the series is well worth a watch.
If you look at the FAA crash records, the number of accidents that self build helis have in the USA is a bit of an eye opener. I like the technical
aspect of heli's but I trust a fixed wing plane far more!
quote:
Originally posted by nitram38
Can you pat yourself on the head with one hand and rub your stomach in a circular motion with the other?
If not, stay clear of helicopters!
Helicopter - 5,000 spare parts flying in loose formation.
A discusion I often have with the inlaws, who hold private plane licenses, is;
who will stop me if I buy a helichopter off Ebay and fly it? I mean, just drag it out of my shed into my field and go for a fly.
Forgetting the fact that I can't fly but it's not too long ago that I couldn't work the micro wave so how hard can it be to fly a heli?
Rambo managed to fly one lastnight FFS!!
The inlaws recon the Aviation Authority would stop me. How?? Where are they? Are they in my field or lurking under my rhubarb? Or the plod? How are
they going to know I'm off for a jaunt and even then, how is a Peugeot Partner van going to catch me? If it sits at my field waiting for me,
I'll go to another field. There's loads of fields.
I'll be fine in my heli as long as neighbourhood watch don't get involved or those other jumped-up cretinous Community Support Officer
efforts.
Who's coming for a spin??
it was a rotorway that he built on a chopper is born
http://www.rotorway.com/gallery/build/index.htm
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
Mark Evans did "A chopper is born" where he built his own helicopter. I wasn't too impressed at the tail rotor drive which was a series of several rubber V belts and pulleys, but the series is well worth a watch.
If you look at the FAA crash records, the number of accidents that self build helis have in the USA is a bit of an eye opener. I like the technical aspect of heli's but I trust a fixed wing plane far more!
I reckon the undertaker would get you b4 the plod!
quote:
Originally posted by owelly
A discusion I often have with the inlaws, who hold private plane licenses, is;
who will stop me if I buy a helichopter off Ebay and fly it? I mean, just drag it out of my shed into my field and go for a fly.
Forgetting the fact that I can't fly but it's not too long ago that I couldn't work the micro wave so how hard can it be to fly a heli? Rambo managed to fly one lastnight FFS!!
The inlaws recon the Aviation Authority would stop me. How?? Where are they? Are they in my field or lurking under my rhubarb? Or the plod? How are they going to know I'm off for a jaunt and even then, how is a Peugeot Partner van going to catch me? If it sits at my field waiting for me, I'll go to another field. There's loads of fields.
I'll be fine in my heli as long as neighbourhood watch don't get involved or those other jumped-up cretinous Community Support Officer efforts.
Who's coming for a spin??
Helicoptors look a bit scray to me, now those gyro things lot a better bet. I must admit I,m with Owelly here, If I had one I would have to have a go,
even if was just fluttering over a local farmers fields, just stay low.....
Some time ago I tried doing calcs to figure out how much helium and so on would be required to lift slightly more than 1/2 my weight, the rest being
done with vertical thrust.
I think the "flying car" would have been about twice the size of my garage
I quite like the airscooter (1/2 hr instruction all that's required apparently), and the Gen H-4 helicopter looks a laugh
ATB
Simon
I spent several years flying fixed wing airplanes for a living. Private pilots WITH licenses were always considered dangerous. You really have to do
it regularly (once a week, I'd say at a minimum) if you want to be current.
Problems likely to be encountered:
a) you don't know what ELSE is up there unless you have a license and know how to work a radio and understand what is going on
b) in an emergency, you can't just pull over
c) you have to understand the forces at work before you try to work against them, which is what you are constantly doing in a helicopter. Imagine
trying to balance on top of a beach ball. That's pretty much what it's like. It isn't as easy as it looks. But hey, it looks like so
much fun! Just as that rally driver guy (now deceased)!
quote:
Originally posted by RK
I spent several years flying fixed wing airplanes for a living. Private pilots WITH licenses were always considered dangerous. You really have to do it regularly (once a week, I'd say at a minimum) if you want to be current.
Problems likely to be encountered:
a) you don't know what ELSE is up there unless you have a license and know how to work a radio and understand what is going on
b) in an emergency, you can't just pull over
c) you have to understand the forces at work before you try to work against them, which is what you are constantly doing in a helicopter. Imagine trying to balance on top of a beach ball. That's pretty much what it's like. It isn't as easy as it looks. But hey, it looks like so much fun! Just as that rally driver guy (now deceased)!
Trying to pluck up the courage to put a deposit down on one of these. Helicycle, by Eagle R&D. Sorry but don't know how to do linky thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo82pnyMR44