Don’t let yourself be fooled by the impossibly small size of this flying contraption; the innovative Microcopter SCH-2A is mighty capable of providing a safe and enjoyable flight experience at a relatively low operational and maintenance cost. If you are brave enough to get on board, that is.
The Mirocopter SCH-2A is an innovative manned coaxial helicopter whose development and testing took more than ten years, and if you fancy one, you can buy it now on eBay for just $35,000 (35,271 Euro at current exchange rates). This incredibly low price makes the Microcopter the cheapest production helicopter in the world.
Weighing only 249 pounds (113 kg), this is also one of the lightest coaxial helicopters ever built and complies with the US FAR Part 103 Ultralight Vehicle rules. What this means is that you can get a license to fly it much more easily than for a standard helicopter.
The Mirocopter SCH-2A was manufactured in Slovenia, and the plan from the very beginning was to build the cheapest and one of the lightest helicopters in the world.
As for its dimensions, the helicopter is 14.3 feet (4.37 m) long, 4.9 feet (1.5 m) wide, and has a height of 8.0 feet (2.45 m).
The innovative ultra-light aircraft has no tail rotor, which allows it to lift more weight and operate out of a smaller area. To be more precise, it can carry a pilot with a weight of up to 273 lbs (124 kg), as the maximum takeoff weight is 551 lbs (250 kg).
Moreover, it features standard helicopter commands for vertical thrust, direction, and yaw control. The engine is a two-stroke Fiate MZ202 gasoline engine with an output of 60 hp/58.8 ps at 5800 rpm, which endows the helicopter with a top speed of 62 mph (100kph) and a cruising speed of 50 mph (80kph).
A Smarteh 7” LCD color resistive touch screen serves as the instrument panel and displays multiple parameters, including engine and rotor rpm, cylinder heads and exhaust gas temperatures, date and time, trip time, speed, altitude, and more.
What one might use the Mirocopter SCH-2A for, you ask? Well, potential uses include surveying, police use, cattle mustering, and, why not, personal entertainment.
After spending a few years as a copy editor, Ancuta decided to put down the eraser and pick up the writer's pencil. Her favorites subjects are unusual car designs, travel trailers and everything related to the great outdoors. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News