FTA"The eyewitness thead a 'pop' and it dropped."

lolwut?

did the obvious tag goto bed?

i smell an owned pic.

The eyewitness thread a pop?

Disagrees.

I was about to make a darwin remark, but the fact that someone built a helicopter and got it off the ground is rather impressive. Even if it didn't end so well...

Well, Olalla!

Wait, I just noticed the "kit-built" part. They have kits? I knew cars and planes, but aren't helicopters a little more complicated?

I just love the banner ad above the story -

He should have paid the extra $299.95 for the handy auto-rotation feature.

ldasil: Wait, I just noticed the "kit-built" part. They have kits? I knew cars and planes, but aren't helicopters a little more complicated?

They are actually pretty damn good. (new window)

ldasil: Wait, I just noticed the "kit-built" part. They have kits? I knew cars and planes, but aren't helicopters a little more complicated?

Well I'm quite sure after mastering the concepts of autorotation, gyroscoping precession, retreating blade stall, and countless V-speeds, bolting "A" to "B" isn't rocket science.

/So maybe autorotation didn't work so well...

Helicopter, shmelicopter. Who cares about helicopters when you have two-farking-headed turtles!

matt120784: ldasil: Wait, I just noticed the "kit-built" part. They have kits? I knew cars and planes, but aren't helicopters a little more complicated?

Well I'm quite sure after mastering the concepts of autorotation, gyroscoping precession, retreating blade stall, and countless V-speeds, bolting "A" to "B" isn't rocket science.

/So maybe autorotation didn't work so well...

A successful autorotation requires practice.

Flying a home-built copter is a great way to commit suicide and making it seem like an accident so the family doesn't get all pissy.

Really though, they can be quite safe but it is all about the quality of materials and who put it together. Here is a video of a well made homemade gyrocopter Link

Inflatable Rhetoric: matt120784: ldasil: Wait, I just noticed the "kit-built" part. They have kits? I knew cars and planes, but aren't helicopters a little more complicated?

Well I'm quite sure after mastering the concepts of autorotation, gyroscoping precession, retreating blade stall, and countless V-speeds, bolting "A" to "B" isn't rocket science.

/So maybe autorotation didn't work so well...

A successful auto rotation requires practice.

it sounds like screwed himself on the first try..

Inflatable Rhetoric: A successful autorotation requires practice

FTFA: "The eyewitness heard a 'pop' and it dropped."

He forgot to lock before he dropped it. That's what happened.

Quick, to the PeterCopter!




/HOW DO YOU AFFORD THESE THINGS?!

matt120784: Inflatable Rhetoric: A successful autorotation requires practice

Too bad the guy in the article had to find out the hard way.

Seems like he got his rotocarriage's velocitator and deceleratrix mixed up.

berylman: Flying a home-built copter is a great way to commit suicide and making it seem like an accident so the family doesn't get all pissy.

Really though, they can be quite safe but it is all about the quality of materials and who put it together. Here is a video of a well made homemade gyrocopter Link

gyrocopters automatically autorotate, they're much safer.

If you build something cool at your house and die in it, that is still pretty cool. Lots of people in history have died testing things and they have contributed to the advancement of human understanding.

I think that I heard that kit built aircraft are only 1% more fatal than off-the-shelf.

FTA: "The eyewitness thead a 'pop' and it dropped."

Pop, Lock, and Drop

I was reading a book about helicopters once, and the author said
that an airplane, by it's nature WANTS to fly, and will so unless acted upon by an outside force. A helicopter, on the other hand, does not want to fly, and the pilot must beat the air into submission!

I came here seeking ROFLcopters. I now leave very disappointed.

Flying without training - listen to audio at the end.

Priceless.

If you want a high-performance single seat homebuilt helicopter, THIS is the one you want. Great machine.

Ahhh...home sweet home. I always love it when something from Kitsap County pops up on Fark. There is a small grass airstrip in Olalla--friend of mine grew up on it. Every 5 or 10 years someone buys an ultra-light or something and and decides to crash it into the ground and die. There are some pretty cool small planes out there though.

nastro: Disagrees.

Auto-gyro, and those things are not too complex and damn near infallible.

fatbear: If you want a high-performance single seat homebuilt helicopter, THIS is the one you want. Great machine.

Have you flown one? That thing looks pretty cool.

Helicopters can't fly! Helicopters are so butt ugly the earth repels them.

I thead the article and I still can't figure out what the guy did wrong.

explody_pup: Helicopter, shmelicopter. Who cares about helicopters when you have two-farking-headed turtles!

does not ask for much:

ldasil: Wait, I just noticed the "kit-built" part. They have kits? I knew cars and planes, but aren't helicopters a little more complicated?

i used to see those goofy little things with the high masts buzzing around seattle pretty often.

riding a chopper is dicey enough without some poorly tested kit that you threw together in your shed.

sane:


not sane:

nastro: Disagrees.

gyrocopter != helicopter

Inflatable Rhetoric: berylman: Flying a home-built copter is a great way to commit suicide and making it seem like an accident so the family doesn't get all pissy.

Really though, they can be quite safe but it is all about the quality of materials and who put it together. Here is a video of a well made homemade gyrocopter Link

gyrocopters automatically autorotate, they're much safer.

xactly.


much, much safer.

That's pretty much why I never built one. PVC and duct tape do not make a good quality helicopter.

I am a helicopter pilot so i am getting a kick out of these replies ect ect...

He was probably in the caution or avoid area of his machines height velocity diagram. IE there are some flight regimes where doing a successful auto is close to impossible.

re-elect_jimmy_carter: gyrocopters automatically autorotate, they're much safer.

xactly.


much, much safer.

But cannot lift to a hover, translate laterally, and then take-off. Neither can they descend to a hover, translate and then land. A gyrocopter is merely a VSTOL with flappy bits, which is why they are relegated to the role of hobby flyers and movie roles.

Old_Chief_Scott: re-elect_jimmy_carter: gyrocopters automatically autorotate, they're much safer.

xactly.


much, much safer.

But cannot lift to a hover, translate laterally, and then take-off.

being alive is a pretty good trade-off, if you ask me.

Darwin's law...If you're smart enough to build it, you should be smart enough to not fly the damn thing...

AUTOGYRO JOUST!!!




/made 'em m'self

Helicopter, shmelicopter. Who cares about helicopters when you have two-farking-headed turtles!

Oh no! Not Pittsburgh! Think of the Pierogies, man!

Noam Chimpsky - If you build something cool at your house and die in it, that is still pretty cool. Lots of people in history have died testing things and they have contributed to the advancement of human understanding.


Yeah, but given that what he built was essentially a Revell kit for people with more disposable income than sense, the coolness factor goes WAYYYY down...

He didn't really advance human understanding much. We've already got a pretty good grasp on the effects of gravity AND Murphy's Law.

Build your own autogyro kit... Didn't they have ads for these in the back of all the boyscout magazines? Or was it Bazooka Joe comics?

jerky on the veldt: Didn't they have ads for these in the back of all the boyscout magazines? Or was it Bazooka Joe comics?

Boys' Life Magazine used to be the premier source for all your gyrocopter, hoverchair and garage-built submarine needs.