Rotary Wing Forum - Helithruster UFO comments...

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Helithruster UFO comments...

Comment's/flame's regarding the Helithruster UFO effort? This question is irrespective of the user(s) "Animal" and "Anthony" from previous threads. I live fairly close by and would like to see their efforts and shop.

Although from the PIX it seems to be HTL (whatever that means in aerodynamic design), it is a very pretty bird!
Hopefully I'll learn something about S/S design, which I would like to build.

Please be nice.

Chris

OOOOPPPPSSS!

My apologies to Stan and other HELICYCLE aficionados.
I did mean the HeliTHRUSTER UFO Gyro.
No association intended; only 'old-timers' and the class semester ending, I assume.

BarryK; Thanks for pointing out that unfortunate faux pas.

BTW, made an appt. to visit the factory next weekend.

Chris

...now if I could only edit the thread title???

Chris

Fixed it for ya Chris.

for fixing my mistake and very embarrassing mis-typing:der:
I hope Stan will speak to me again %>)

Chris

Who flys the UFO ? It looks cool but has anyone put many hrs. in one ?
A flight review from a owner with lots of hrs. in his/her UFO would be a good read.

Chris- I knew what you meant, and I have done more than my share of mistyping. Tim Heilig ,aka "Animal" doesn't post here anymore for whatever reasons. He knew the person to contact. I saw one fly at Mentone, and though it looked cool, it was very sluggish in the air. It appeared that it had the prop pitch wrong or some power challenge . Stan

Thanks Stan!
Rodney, that is my point for the visit; I want to see what they've done. As said, I will give my opinions (FWTW) here if they offer any. I'm simply going to a local "gyro-shop" to visit since it's only 1.5 hours travel.

Chris

we've been here before - UFO Helithruster thread - see

http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22533

here is the manufacturers website

http://www.ufo-helithruster.com/

Known UFOs -

ZK-PGG, RAV ( canx 2011 ) , RAZ ( fatal accident 2009 ) RBJ, RCL ( canx 2011 - maybe to Canada ? ), RDP ( canx 2011 maybe to Canada ? ) , RIG

A least one was under construction in Australia - there may be more but ASRA do not make their gyro register public. The company website suggests 1 in Russia too.

Take care.

plus one Helithruster in the US

N988AC - in North Carolina

Chris
Sounds like a fun trip to Anthonys shop i hear he does nice work.
I was just throwing the ?s out so maybe if there was a private owner of a UFO on the forum maybe they would chime in on it.. I think Anthonys UFO is the only one registered in the US but i could be wrong...have fun take some good pics of the UFO

Steve UK and Rodney (Boots):
Thanks! BTW, seems from 'da net' that Anthony does most of his income-producing work running a CNC Shop; good for him and all of us.
The crafts-person is still viable in today's rapidly changing times.
Pics will be coming if available.

Chris

I live 60 miles from the factory and I too would like to see some of these gyros flying around.

Thanks, Lone Wolf.

more background info on the fatal Helithruster accident from 2009 - ZK-RAZ

http://rnzaf.proboards.com/index.cgi...d=10241&page=1

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boots (Post 472795)

Who flys the UFO ? It looks cool but has anyone put many hrs. in one ?
A flight review from a owner with lots of hrs. in his/her UFO would be a good read.

The UFO has one slight problem, no one lives long enough to get any hours up. One UFO that flew here in Ozz claimed the life of its owner.

Someone said it was a bit like flying a brick....I think that was being a bit unkind to the brick!

But yes, they do look pretty and invite the unwary like honey to a bee.

I will quote myself form the other thread,
it was almost exactly 3 years ago to the date,
unfortunately the UFO still attracts attention and is not extinct...

Quote:

Originally Posted by PTKay (Post 332997)

I was following the development of UFO since 5 years with great interest,
and growing disbelieve....

I liked, like many others of you did, the look and design of the machine.

But the statistics is devastating.
We have almost no reports of real flight data from owners flying more than
just a few hours, and a horrifying record of crashes and death...

Taking the risk of being labelled "UFO basher" I would like to start a warning
and information action bringing up to the public attention the dangers of
flying this machine.

Recent development of two seat closed cockpit machines with perfect
safety record give finally a chance to the gyrocopter industry to
emerge from a limbo of "dangerous toy" image, it was entertaining for years.

Such contraptions and "smoke and mirror" companies like UFO
are a threat to the whole industry, throwing it back again into limbo times...

So, as I used to be a "RAF basher", after RAF finally went down
the road of the dodo, I am officially starting the "UFO bashing campaign",
until it also follows the RAF and dodo...

:boink:

PS.: Fortunately UFO was never produced in the numbers like RAF...
Many lives saved.

I sense a bit of warning here!
Thanks folks for the comments. Also, I will not buy a pretty bird just because it can talk and sing.
Again, I will opine here on the visit if possible.

Chris