Anyone ever flown an ultralight / kit helicopter?

[52-80 19145]

one of my zany long term checklist thing, i want to buy and fly one of these.  probably will hurt or kill myself but yolo

 

 

[RDCanecutter 26379]

In the 80s I flew as a passenger in an Eagle 2-seater. Went way the hell up there. They were later recalled because they tended to fold up in mid-air, or somesuch.

[52-80 19145]

ok.  a real kit, with a shell and all.

 

not something constructed using Home Depot parts like this guy

 

 

[HOOKEM4 5036]

There are many cheaper and I would argue cooler ways to kill yourself. Nope.

[davidg 4036]

I watched a few Gyrocopter Girl videos on YouTube. That’s all I got

[Marfa Low Crown 2546]

2 hours ago, HOOKEM4 said:

There are many cheaper and I would argue cooler ways to kill yourself. Nope.

We might need a thread for this... 

[PRONG HORN 3133]

4 hours ago, 52-80 said:

i want to buy and fly one of these.  probably will hurt or kill myself but yolo

 

Get a para-motor instead.  When/if the engine dies you just float down.  

https://www.texasparamotortraining.com/

[El Diablo 4232]

I've flown in a UH-1N (Huey) and a CH-46 Sea Knight. Safety-wise, these things seem superior to those 2, I say do it.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21872]

I’m not sure I would fly in a helicopter I made myself. However, when I was in high school I almost bought a kit plane called the BD5

[Prepuce of Doom 21052]

2 hours ago, Marfa Low Crown said:

We might need a thread for this... 

First ballot HoF entry right here:

 

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

^^^^^
Dude gets ALL the women. 

[deadshank 24652]

 

 

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4974]

I've also been tempted to get an ultralight. Something like a quicksilver. I doubt the wife would go for it, even if I promised to sell my bike to fund it.

[Llano Estacado 1257]

Somebody near my parents place flys all around the south Lake Limestone area on some sort of parasail trike.

Looks like fun until your wing collapses or your $100 small engine gets some carburetor fouling or spark plug failure. Speaking of which...when was the last time I saw that dude flying?

[conVINCEd 21469]

Kit and helicopter are two words that should never appear next to each other.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4974]

A gyrocopter isn't exactly the same as a helicopter since there is no engine power to the main rotor. They spin the rotors up and create lift from forward momentum.

[conVINCEd 21469]

9 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

A gyrocopter isn't exactly the same as a helicopter since there is no engine power to the main rotor. They spin the rotors up and create lift from forward momentum.

I’m still gonna take a hard pass on anything that takes me more than 20 ft. off the ground that isn’t built by a reputable manufacturer.  I also fell 40 feet from a ski lift as a child, so my fear of heights is probably coming into play here.

[atomheartbevo 89624]

10 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

A gyrocopter isn't exactly the same as a helicopter since there is no engine power to the main rotor. They spin the rotors up and create lift from forward momentum.

If the engine dies, seems like it's going to be really tricky to glide it in, particularly where these people are flying.

Australia had a little report a few years ago:

Quote

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau report on accidents between 2004 and 2013 found half of all gyrocopter accidents to be fatal, with the aircraft responsible for the worst fatality rate per hours flown.

But it's Australia, so there may have been lots of beer, and more than a few dangerous animals involved.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4974]

If the engine dies you just quickly point it towards the ground so that gravity helps spin your rotors up and you can pull up before you hit the ground. Easy peasy.

[Shoxthemonkey 1976]

On 6/7/2020 at 7:43 PM, NeverMarryAStripper said:

I’m not sure I would fly in a helicopter I made myself. However, when I was in high school I almost bought a kit plane called the BD5

The early Bede Factory was in Newton, KS so I got to see a few of them fly. I also saw one of them crash. Probably a good thing you didn't put a deposit on one of them, most buyers lost their investment.

https://airfactsjournal.com/2013/02/a-dream-of-the-1970s-the-bede-5/

[VonZipper 50]

My FIL built and flew one of these in the early to mid 90's.  If I remember correctly, it took him about a year to complete.  He flew it a number of years before his health and old age caught up with him.  CSB...  I was too fat to fly with him.  https://rotorway.dk/?page_id=11187