Aerokopter Offers New Helicopter At Great Price

By ANN Senior Correspondent Kevin "Hognose" O'Brien

Hey, I know that copter! It's a Schweitzer... the old Hughes 269. Or is it? But wait... it looks like one... but is that a Subaru engine...?

That's what ran through my mind when I first saw a picture of the Aerokopter 1-3, a new light helicopter from the Ukraine (you know, the European country where elections have as much drama as in some American states). In the Ukraine, as in many other parts of the former Soviet Union, people have embraced their freedom to fly, building on their nation's proud aviation heritage. One example of that new freedom is the Aerokopter 1-3.

Despite looking like that common training helicopter, a closer look at the 1-3 tells you it's an all-new design. It's a very light machine -- the design objective was 650-700 kilograms, 1430-1540 lbs. -- and it does indeed have a 2.5 liter Subaru powerplant. Alex Miroshnichenko of the Aerokopter Trading House (like many Eastern European firms, there are separate design and marketing companies) confirmed that the resemblance is only casual: "Hughes design? No, AK1-3 was designed from scratch.

It looks a bit like Schweitzer, but it is only a feeling." There are worse feelings to have than looking like the helicopter that tens of thousands of Western helicopter pilots remember fondly as their introduction to rotary-winged flight, but when you look at the machine closely you can see that Alex is definitely right: This is an all-new machine with a lot of innovations in it.

The helicopter weighs 370 kg (850 lb) empty, which yields a useful load of around 650-700 lb, and also makes the machine easy to handle on the ground, and able to trailer even behind a compact car. The design weight they used for the crew was about 240 lbs! The machine also accommodates the reasonably tall pilot: "Our pilots are about 189-192cm," the FAQ says: the taller is 6'3 1/2". The AK 1-3 was designed to land in tight surroundings, with its small-diameter, three-bladed rotor and skid landing gear (which accept ground handling casters). A dedicated agricultural version is in development also.

I was particularly interested in the rotorhead design. I am not a historian of helicopter design (to get the disclaimer out of the way), but I have never seen a rotorhead like this -- it looks like it will be robust and dependable in service, and it's about as simple as you can make this complicated device.

The 1-3 first flew on October 12, 2001. After the initial flights, this prototype subsequently has been used as a static test article and engineering process-development mockup. The second AK1-3 prototype flew in July 2003.

If there is a problem with the AK 1-3 it is -- from an American viewpoint -- its certification status. It is designed to FAR/JAR27 standards, and in the Ukraine is type certified. With the uncertified Subaru engine it is unlikely to receive US certification -- but Aerokopter has no plans to produce it as a kit. "We are not ready to deliver it as a kit," Alex explained to Aero-News, "since it costs additional... time and investment. We can separate the whole 'ready-to-fly' helicopter [into] few big parts just to deliver it easily." In this case, the copter is simply dismantled into its large components for crating, and, according to Aerokopter, requires 7-8 hours to reassemble. In the US, this would require the machine to be registered as Experimental-R&D, -Exhibition, or other restrictive licenses, which would make it hard to use for things like flight training or pipeline patrol.

Of course, in nations that are a little less dogmatic about aircraft type certification, the AK 1-3 can be put to work immediately. And it probably will be, in considerable numbers: it's the best buy in a type-certified (even if not US-recognized) light helicopter by far.

Alex quoted a price of $90,000 US on Rotary Forum last week; the Aerokopter website says Euros 75,000 with exact equipment for that price to be determined; if you are seriously interested in an Aerokopter 1-3 contact them directly (use the FMI links at the end of the article). Actual prices will depend on exchange rates in effect at the time.

One thing that anyone needs to know about a helicopter, almost all of which are operated for business, is the maintenance expenses and per-hour costs. Here, Aerokopter's people are honest: The machine is new; they don't know.

The Aerokopter design bureau was founded by I.V. Polituchy, A.N. Zapishny, and A.I. Polituchy in 1999. From the very beginning, they meant to make a 2-seat, piston-powered, light helicopter for utility and sport flying. The Aerokopter 1-3 is their second design, but the first one they have brought to market: work on a previous design, the Aerokopter 1-5 "Sanka," has been discontinued.

The development process has been assisted by other, long-established Ukrainian design and engineering bureaus, and by the National Academy of the Ukraine, and the Zhukovskiy National Aerospace University.

With development wrapping up and final certification flight tests underway, the attention that Aerokopter management has paid to production engineering will start to pay off. The firm occupies 1200 square meters of design and manufacturing space, and produces more than 65% of the parts of the AK 1-3 in house, including the composite main and anti-torque rotorblades.

What about that proud aviation heritage? Igor Sikorsky, the helicopter pioneer often described as a Russian-American, was born in Kiev, Ukraine -- and built his first helicopter there, 97 years ago (it never flew). So he is a homeland hero to Ukrainian aviators, even though he was an Imperial Russian, and later American, citizen, whose heritage was Polish -- so no less than four nations have a claim on him! The Aerokopter guys were fortunate to get Sergei Sikorsky, son of Igor, to try out the pilot seat of the Aerokopter 1-3 at the Kharkhov air show on August 27, 2004. Unfortunately all the aircraft at the show were grounded because of a sport plane accident the day before -- otherwise the Aerokopter team would be able to say: "Many have flown in a Sikorsky helicopter, but this is a helicopter a Sikorsky flew in!"

Ah well. Perhaps he'll be back for the 2005 Kharkhov show! Sergei Sikorsky or none, the Aerokopter 1-3 has got excellent potential as a sport and training helicopter, assuming the certification hurdles can be overcome. We'll be watching this one closely. (E-I-C, what's my per diem expense rate in Kharkhov... and am I doing anything else in late August?)

FMI: www.copter.com.ua