Helicom Commuter H1B ,I restoration of a classic

Tim- Assembly time coming.....I like white frames.


Stan
yeah this helicopter had a white and black frame when it was first built. I decided to do the frame all white.

I do plan to remove the skids and paint them Black.

Cab will be blue, control rods and tailrotor drive shaft blue.

interior, gray or white Naugahyde. I found a cool 2 tone boat seat that is blue and gray that fits the frame nicely.

I was going to use a race car seat. but only have 18" between the side frame and the collective.

I am looking forward to the real fun now of putting it back together.

with any luck it will be done by ROC in Oct.
 
Lookin' good, Tim!

Funny how a little paint (and a lot of prep) makes it look like a whole different machine. I look forward to seeing it go back together!

*JC*
 
Lookin' good, Tim!

Funny how a little paint (and a lot of prep) makes it look like a whole different machine. I look forward to seeing it go back together!

*JC*

Oh lord, we won't even go into all the prep work.

and it is scary how much paint it took.

I think this guy put 15 coats of clear on it.

he was here from 9:30 a.m. until about 8:00 p.m.

it is not perfect, but man it sure looks 100% better then it did.
 
Hey Tim...
That sounds like a really fresh Color scheme you've got picked out.
That will give it serious "appeal"...especially with the Gray.

Good job so far...keep it up..love watching your skills make 'em come back to life..!

M-M
 
Looking good! That's is going to be sweet.
Thanks for sharing!
 
1 month ago today! wow

1 month ago today! wow

Well 1 month ago today David Glassmeyer delivered the 1968 Helicom Commuter Jr. H1B helicopter to me.

This helicopter has been in storage since about 1992.

when I first got it, I had thought I would simply replace the fabric and get it
started and test fly it and resale it.

So much for those Plans...lol

when I took off that ugly badly made nose and top to restore it to stock config. the more I tore it down,the more I decided for my safety and the future owners safety I would do a frame up rebuild.

not to mention it had layers of paint with bad hanger rash. since I am going for top dollar on this ones sale or if by some chance I decided to just keep it.

I wanted to make it look like new or as close as I could on my limited budget.

lawn season not the best for me, but wow look what I have gotten done in a months time.

anyway now that it is painted and the heavy transmission set in place with the help of my business partner, I can now start the real fun of reassembling the Helicopter.

Hope ya'll are enjoying the rebuild as much as I am and hope ya take home some new knowledge about these Classic helicopters.

just a history note : the set of plans I just picked up for it are dated 1960.

can we say this is one of the true gand daddys of Homebuilt Rotorcraft.

I almost feel prevlidged to get to restore this classic.

As some may know I have searched for a Commuter helicopter for years, who would have known that Barnstorm2 last year would list on the forum, a helicopter for a friend of his that would fulfill my dream of owning a Helicom Commuter helicopter.

Thanks again Tim O.


Hoping to have it done for ROC, do ya think we will make it?
 

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Tim I have found yah! Thanks for the heads up on this project. I am such a heli addict no offense to gyros. I love what you have done so far. Good for you to learn in your own two place. (Come on tell us what brand?) I keep telling people the cheapest way to get your ticket is own one. BTW if any help I could be at don't hesitate to contact me. I am also an instrument rated CFI, so if things get rough give me a buzz I'll help ya out K? Keep the pictures coming you are doing a fantastic job so far. You have a lot of courage to take on a restoration job like this. You are the man!
 
Well look at that, it's starting to come together!
Thanks for sharing Tim, it's looking good!!
 
Hope ya'll are enjoying the rebuild as much as I am and hope ya take home some new knowledge about these Classic helicopters.
Yes I am enjoying your project Tim. Thanks for letting us in your shop. We appreciated it.

Your painted frame looks good Tim. 4130 tube airframes are some of the hardest components to strip , prime and paint. I'm sure you know that by now. I have done several and never again !!!

You have accomplished a lot in a short time and it must be a good feeling to be re-assembling again.

You will probably run into a few snags. Helicopters are like that. Just remember sometimes the most valuable thing is the "data plate" , the log books, the history, and the airworthiness certificate. Everything else can be repaired or replaced, it is just a matter of work and money and time. To be able to do it yourself in your own shop has great value . Most helicopter owners do not have that option.

Your restoration will probably be one of the first and best articles ever done on the Single seat Helicom Commuter H1B . That alone is rare. Keep the shop door open and the camera clicking. Thanks.

Arnie Madsen
 
Nose Job

Nose Job

Ok as some could see, this helicopter had a messed up nose on it.

someone had tried to make a pointy nose that had no clue about keeping it light.

also since this is a restoration,I wanted to get the nose pretty much back to the stock commuter Jr. look.

so below are the pics of what I have so far.

it is fiberglass sheet flush rivited to an aluminum angle frame mounted to the stock swing away nose frame.

still got finel trim work and sanding and filling to do. but all in all I think it looks pretty good so far.
 

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Tim,
Awesome... Keep shooting pictures as you progress... I love keeping up with Stan Build and I will love to keep up with yours.... I am back in the US and hopefully soon i will be be able to build something my self...

Be Safe

Jose
 
Tim,
Awesome... Keep shooting pictures as you progress... I love keeping up with Stan Build and I will love to keep up with yours.... I am back in the US and hopefully soon i will be be able to build something my self...

Be Safe

Jose
Well as pointed out in the beginning, this helicopter will be forsale when completed.

and the price will be under $30,000

so if you are in the market,who knows this bird could be yours.

but in the mean time, enjoy the restore thread.
 
Cooling cowls cleaned and reinstalled

Cooling cowls cleaned and reinstalled

Well today I sat down and cleaned the cooling cowls and reinstalled them.

surprising what ya can do with some wd-40 and scotch brite.

now that they are back in place I can work on reinstalling the cab firewall.

here are a few pics.
 

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Looking good, Tim!

It won't be long before you'll be doing an engine run-up. Good luck and keep pluggin'!
 
Started Fitting the new Lexan windshield

Started Fitting the new Lexan windshield

after installing the cooling cowls I decided to start messing with the new windshield.

what a pain that has been, but I have it partly fitted. after stepping back I have decided tomorrow I will make a new lower support form to replace the one in the photo. then use the one in the pic now to support and form the top mount of the windshield.

All in all I am happy with how it is working out.

enjoy the pics.
 

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Looking good, Tim!

It won't be long before you'll be doing an engine run-up. Good luck and keep pluggin'!

yeah looking forward to that day.

my goal is to have it finished in time to take to Rotor Over Carolina's fly-in.

I am just going one step at a time.

only bad thing is the airframe came out so nice with the new paint, that now I have to make the rest match...lol
 
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Yeah...and white too. Grease, oil...finger marks...

If I ever build another gyro, I'm going to paint it dirt colored!!
 
LOL Jon I hear you. Could never keep the white schweizers clean ever! And the grease spitting out of the packed head and the short shaft LORD! :) On the other hand easy to see cracks and any damage.... Tim you are the man. You don't mess around do ya? It's coming along so nicely. What is the thickness of the lexan that you had used? Are you heat bending it or just attach it to the frame? Looking good Tim.
 
gabor, it is 1/8" thick and will be held in by a frame that rivits to the airframe.

Lexan bends easily and with no more bend then this has it just curves right around.

Not near as bad as it was to form the windshield for my Falcon Gyro.
 
Yeah...and white too. Grease, oil...finger marks...

If I ever build another gyro, I'm going to paint it dirt colored!!

yeah, tell me about it. the tailboom was white on here to begin with and I wanted to put it back to as much like when it looked like when first built.

what was I thinking..lol

also noticed blood shows up on the white frame pretty well also..lol

alot of sweat and blood going into this restoration.
 
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