Maiden flight is imminent for a two-seat billed as the world's first three-bladed light turbine.
Helineo Mk1 was first shown at the Paris air show in June but has since completed flight envelope testing on the ground and flight controls are ready, so first flight is expected in late October or November pending arrival of some redesigned gearbox parts. Certification in kit form could come in 2013, and the aircraft is expected to sell for €250,000 including assembly assistance from Helineo.
Key design features include a Solar Turbines T62 T-32 engine with FADEC controls, a spacious two-seat cabin, ample luggage space, crash-resistant 200l fuel tank and all-carbon fuselage, though the Mk1 prototype demonstrator shown at Helitech sported a metal tail boom. A phase 2 aircraft will also feature a redesigned empennage.
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Test pilot Stéphane Lignier says the project - led by an aviation enthusiast who owns a precision machining business - is being run in a spirit of "keep it safe and simple". Price is also key, with major cost savings being realised by opting for certification of a kit rather than a factory-built aircraft and the outsourcing of services such as those of Lignier, formerly a French air force pilot who still flies offshore missions for African clients and for a flight test instrumentation subcontractor.
The Helineo goal, says Lignier, is to provide owner-operators with a "magic car" experience of safe, pleasurable flying in comfort at speeds up to 110kt (200km/h).
However, the company is looking far beyond the personal transportation and sport flying markets. Lignier says the luggage compartment could easily be adapted to accommodate equipment for police, surveillance or maritime patrol duties. Customers in developing countries with tight budgets are obvious target, and the company claims some interest in the machine as a trainer. A drone version is a likely development, adds Lignier.
Source: Flight International
