How I made a full scale Helicopter

An overview of the last 5 years building my coaxial helicopter
Dr. Franz Schöffmann's helicopter
• Home Built Personal He...
The Nolan Brothers Helicopter
• Nolan Brothers Coaxial...
Air scooter
• AirScooter, AirScooter...

[@Ben-Dixey]

Question for you all. Is this design considered weight shift or cyclic pitch control? I will reveal what I think in the next video.

[@NeilJB]

Weight shift. Cyclic means rotor blade pitch change that varies through each rotation of a blade, hence 'cyclic'. Collective means pitch added or subtracted but remains the same irrespective of blade position. Your helo's blades are fixed pitch, therefore there can be no collective or cyclic pitch change. Rotor RPM variation is an approximation of cyclic. Your helo is controlled in the same way as a hang glider, the weight of the pilot (+ engine in your case) is moved relative to the lift vector which generates pitch and roll torques which give you control.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Hi, I agree there's no collective pitch but disagree about cyclic pitch. The tilting head and teeter hinges act as a swash plate and cyclic changes in blade angle of attack occur during rotation. I explain more in this video if you haven't seen it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2fQaXyZps6Efbc

[@NeilJB]

@@Ben-Dixey My bad, I was fixated on the wood in your (temporary) rotor head and didn't really notice that the heads were in fact teetering. And I must have skipped the bit in Part 4 where you do demonstrate the teetering. Agreed, teetering heads do have a cyclic effect on the blades' angle of attack when there's a mismatch between the mast axis and the plane of the rotor which tends to force the plane of the rotor to that of the mast. Great work, but take care.

[@thefreedomguyuk]

It's only a shift of balance, there's no cyclic control available. It's quite like a canopy-less paraglider.

[@thefreedomguyuk]

@@Ben-Dixey Collective pitch CONTROL is not there. There's no swash plate actuation.

[@tadgyro]

I just crossed with this video. Because I'm interested in building a coaxial helicopter this is an eye-opening video. I admire you for the time you took to show me step by step of your project, Thank you.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks for watching, the project was an amazing experience and hopefully not over.

[@shakenama]

This is amazing!! I appreciate the research that you put into it. When you said "even if the project failed, what you learned would be worth it" This goes along the lines what Edison had said when inventing the lightbulb. It was quoted that he said, "I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work".

[@amazingdiyprojects]

Perfect ending, the gain in knowledge and experience is worth it all. Thank you for taking us along for the ride!

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thank you. Looking forward to your next video, always learn something from the things you make. 👍

[@alfo6085]

Thank you so much for taking the time to make and share the video of your journey. Its a remarkable one. I'd love to see a get together with you and Allen Millyard! 😊 So inspiring.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Wow. Thanks 👍 I hadn't heard of Allen Millyard but it looks like he's done some amazing stuff.

[@okgo8315]

@@Ben-Dixey ...Alan M. is a bloody genius and such a lovely chap.✌🇬🇧

[@crazzylee]

You did excellent

[@rajeevshagun7409]

I liked your openion on buying ready made components or stuff , we don't learn anything with them but if we build our own then we really learn out of it . I do think the same way brother. I noticed a great rotation of both rotters in line (no up and downs rocking or vibration visible) Wow impressive. Great work brother.

[@okgo8315]

Thanks for this great video of your journey. I'm sure the knowledge gained will be hugely beneficial not only for your next project but for the rest of your life....professionally too.✌🇬🇧

[@CameronCarter1]

Excellent video Ben. Thanks.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Cheers Cam 👍

[@craigtate5930]

Love the drive mechanism...many years ago I also considered building one based off the conventional mosquito as I recall

[@Ben-Dixey]

The mosquito is an excellent helicopter, John Uptigrove produced a great design. If making a conventional configuration I would copy the way he made it.

[@dev-debug]

Back in the 70s my dad had a friend from local flying club that built a gyrocopter then later a helicopter. I still remember him landing in our field to visit for a bit, was pretty cool to see.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Nice 👍 Do you remember his name ?

[@dev-debug]

@@Ben-Dixey No, that was a long time ago, I'm in the US

[@rigilchrist]

Extraordinary. I got my helicopter license in 1983 and I have read a lot about Helicopter control systems and aerodynamics (R W Prouty is very good on this). Yours is an amazingly ambitious project and I am filled with admiration!

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks Bob 😊

[@deathriders83]

That's Amazing! We'll done Sir

[@allanmontile8210]

Amazing job. Well done on all your research and determination to finish. Allan Montile. Durban, South Africa

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thank you 😊

[@josephperry6822]

Second video watched bye the rc guy and I've subscribed. I simply must see how it all began because it's a very cool project. Cheers sir!

[@badrinair]

Very impressive man..#respect

[@TheIronHeadRat]

Amazing as always, can’t wait for the next video 👍

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks, more flying attempts coming soon. 👍

[@Zepplin76]

This is amazing.. I know a local guy built a solo flying machine. Wasn't a helicopter. Now I'm curious what it was but this is way more interesting to me.

[@whathasxgottodowithit3919.]

That is a great project, nice one, fly safe.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thank you 👍

[@hambamable]

Beautiful.

[@helder4u]

loving it ! 😃

[@onmyworkbench7000]

DON'T GIVE UP!!! I have had so many people tell me that I could not do something and it made me want to do it all the more just to prove them WRONG. Back in the mid to late 80's I worked for a communications company in FLORIDA, I had a sign that I found that said: "One Test Is Worth A Thousand Expert Opinions" and I have lived by that ever sinse. Where would the world be today had every inventor given up becouse someone told them that it would not work.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thank you and love the saying. 😀

[@nagjrcjasonbower]

So neat, bro!! Keep it up!

[@transistor754]

It's good! just test (launch) from a height and get out of ground resonance. Your tube bending, "not welding" approach is fantastic and hugely stronger and will be lighter in the end! Just remember to sleeve 3 times the diameter when you make a hole.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thank you 👍

[@stealhty1]

Great invention , if you have fixed pitch stay with in few feet of the ground since auto rotation is out of the question

[@Ben-Dixey]

Will do thanks 👍

[@123windyron]

Whow so many parts good luck.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thank you 👍

[@nevillecreativitymentor]

Someday Saa ...Someday I shall too join this club !!! Some day sa! 😊 Thatnk you for such a clean and clear video.

[@Ben-Dixey]

My pleasure. 👍

[@arkadiuszwitkowski4170]

mr ur amazing greatings from poland!

[@ehudgavron9086]

Amazing. FYI it takes tens of hours to hover a "fully sorted out" helicopter from the factory. I can't imagine the effort to do that with a homebrew where so many adjustments are possible each leading away from stability. AWESOME explanation, and kudos to you for including ideas that didn't work, the WHYs of what you chose and the HOWs of how that impacted the final design. Ehud Tucson, Arizona, US FAA Certificated Commerial Helicopter, and borne in an engineering household :) This scratched a lot of itches!

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thank you for the kind comment 😊

[@artmckay6704]

wow! Love it! Let's see it fly!!!! :)

[@andrewjacobs3219]

A thought regarding tubular frames and cracking . My idea would be to have all of the tubes or as many as possible interconnected with a simple method of sealing any open ends . Then it would be possible to pressurise them . Any crack would leak air and so be detactable , it would be easy quick and safe .What do you think ? .

[@Ben-Dixey]

Yep you could do this. It has been done with rotor blades to detect cracks. The problem is welded aluminium has a poor resistance to vibration. You will find welded chromoly frames possibly pressure tested on many helicopters. I don't think you will find much in the way of welded aluminium on aircraft. Not on anything critical anyway.

[@chrisp8275]

Hello! I understand you perfectly...I'm building my own helicopter...after I manage to decide what type of helicopter I want to make. You're helicopter is actually a drone....I mean that type of commands....I am doing a full coaxial rotor control like Russian Kamov Helicopter. You're projected is amazing for the simplicity and ingeniously work and decisions that you do. Sorry about my English. Best Regards!

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks and your project sounds good, kamov's are superb machines and using the same cyclic control would be a wise decision. Would you also choose 6 blades or 4? Kamov chose 6 blades very early on ka-8 ka-10 for example. Not sure why 6 blades were chosen for such small machines but the lift for the amount of hp was good.

[@vaushssexyboyfriend2623]

Stumbled across this video, thanks for doing it and I enjoyed it. Build an affordable home made wind turbine next plz, my electricity bill is ferkin crazy

[@Ben-Dixey]

I know what you mean, I've got two spare blades and rotor hub I was thinking about using for a wind turbine. Would be a bit nervous about it in a gale though. Ha

[@desilva68]

Fantastic 👍

[@caturlifelive]

Awesome. If i can make something like that, my country gov will asking for tax immediately.

[@starsky7453]

My best friend built his own helicopter out of stuff he found down the local breakers yard - apparently its not that expensive if you are prepared to take a few shortcuts. Anyway if he was alive today he would have loved your video and definitely given it a thumbs up.

[@Ben-Dixey]

If he was alive ? I hope that wasn't helicopter related.

[@Chris-bg8mk]

I’m a prof helicopter pilot and safety officer. Please look up dynamic rollover, then clean up your helipad accordingly. Keep up the good work and stay safe!

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks, the helicopter is tethered at the moment so can't suffer a dynamic roll over but when the time comes to untether I will be taking precautions. 👍

[@alexlo7708]

I think acquire 4 contra blade rotor motor and made electric flying craft looks more easier in fabricated.

[@shekhargaidhani1618]

Nice

[@JoneKone]

Amazing :)

[@sssbob]

That rotor mast looks pretty spindly. I hope it's titanium.

[@Ben-Dixey]

It's EN24T, pretty similar in strength to titanium but much heavier of course.

[@mickmuzzmkmz1628]

Love the project! One thing to consider when flying, is that you might want to keep altitude low, as in a survivable height if something was to go wrong. This fixed pitch set up, while being simple, doesn't allow for autorotation, so if, for example, the engine stopped, you'd fall like a stone.

[@leemnav]

What makes you assume that when the engine stops , the rotorblades stop rotating and stop creating lift at the same time in the blink of an eye ? I wish every helicopter pilot much luck when trying to adapt to autorotation mode , in case of an engine failure , while hovering in the 'dead men's curve'. That would be the same like jumping from your roof with a parachute strapped to your back , in the believe that the parachute will save your life......unless the Empire State Building is your home of course. Most , if not all, these small helicopters are meant to operate close to the ground ( dead men's curve) for safety (irony) so one can ask the question what the options are of having autorotation capabilities when operating less than ten feet above the surface . It's not because the latest high tech military helicopter uses computer controled hydraulics for safety that this should be blindly adapted to all homebuild helicopters for the sake of safety. Everyone who ever attempted to build his own helicopter and sat under those whirling meatgrinders knows that his latest lunch is turned into the most liquid form of feces instantly at that moment , they seek no further thrills to take this proces to the next level of speeding up the methabolism.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks. No plans to fly higher than a few feet if I get that far. I think twin engines could be the way to go to advance to higher altitudes.

[@cloudusterable]

Ben is totally aware of the fixed pitch situation,it would impossible to have collective on this design.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Leennav, thanks for your excellent assessment. I watched a video of an R44 performing a successful auto at 75ft with some forward speed. That's lower than I thought was possible for a large helicopter. I wonder what height would be necessary to transition if mine had collective pitch? I'm sure it would be higher than the few feet I'm aiming for.

[@helicopterdriver]

@@Ben-Dixey I've had 5 engine failures in a H300-C Hughes/ Schweizer. Never bent one. Depends on your experience of how that ends. R-22, R-44, I will not fly. Crappy designed rotor system with very little inertia. A virtual death trap for the inexperienced. I flew fiber optic and powerline patrol at less than 200' for over 3000 hours. Many hundreds of practice autorotations saved my butt. I applaud your efforts, but that is why Gates ended that conversation. Double flexing a belt is the worst wear factor, just like a chain drive. Life critical, as a component, means they will get sued, even if you designed it. Loose 1 belt in flight, you are dead. That is why they use gearboxes. Lawyers go for the biggest wallets first, regardless of who designed it.

[@sean6992]

Madman!!

[@oliviaritter8689]

Very inspiring video both in the philosophy of your words and design. How did you determine what diameter propellar to use based on the weight of the enitre mechanism?

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thank you, The diameter and chord of the rotors were determined simply by researching what others had done. There weren't many examples to go by, Nolan coaxial, Bensen B9, and hekitrike for example. To determine the most efficient rotor diameter was beyond my math skills but it is more efficient to move a large amount of air slowly than a smaller amount of air fast. This means larger diameter rotors can be more efficient up to a point of course. If I wanted more lift I would try longer rotors but a larger gear reduction would be needed as the tip speed would need to be similar to what it is now. The depth of the maths required in this area is pretty immense to get accurate figures, and I would need help in achieving those figures.

[@bugfighter5949]

I didn't know fixed pitch helicopters were a thing. Cool project ! How do you change your yaw without a tail rotor ? Do you make one of the rotors spin faster than the other somehow or do you just use bank to turn ?

[@Ben-Dixey]

Hi, there are vanes that work in the downwash of the rotors mounted on the tail for yaw. Fixed pitch works but has some significant drawbacks limiting the use of the machine.

[@adamchurvis1]

It's one thing to BUILD a contraption that LOOKS like a helicopter. It's an entirely different thing to FLY that contraption as a practical vehicle. When can we see that?

[@Ben-Dixey]

Hi, I've only got as far as limited hovering. Hovering is the goal with this machine. The next one will have more capability if I decide to make another. This is the most up to date video. BALLS UP Homemade coaxial helicopter learning to FLY kzbin.info/www/bejne/jn2uo5-Dec6bqpY

[@briananthony4044]

I hope you will go more into how the rotor head is controlled to maneuver the craft.

[@Ben-Dixey]

This video at the end explains a bit more on how it works. Part 4 Learning to FLY Homemade Helicopter kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2fQaXyZps6Efbc

[@TinyHouseHomestead]

DUDE! If you wanna build a FLYING SAUCER i am all in! 😁😱🤪🤣👍👍🇺🇸

[@kimkeam2094]

Good job on the video! You are so close, and I’d hate to see you put the project aside. It’s a pity you are on the other side of the world otherwise I would be able to assist directly! I asked you previously how much power you have in reserve? If currently you are near maximum revs is there enough torque left to increase pitch without overloading the engine?

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks and more hovering practise coming soon, I've made some alterations and added more weight 🙄 but I'm sure it will help control. There was engine power remaining last time but I can increase blade pitch and possibly get more lift. I'm undecided if this will help or hinder altitude control. I can go up to 7 degrees before drag gets too high. Thanks again for your support. 👍

[@lafarms]

Could you make mention of the diameter of your drive sprockets or number of teeth? What did you use for your larger rotor mast? Excellent project! Thank you.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Hi, the number of teeth is 140 on the large pulleys and 20 teeth on the small one. The steel mast for the top rotor is inch diameter EN24T and the lower rotor is driven by the larger aluminium sleeve of 6082t6 grade. Think it was 5mm wall but can't remember now. I think next time I would go for a hollow main shaft and have the potential for cyclic pitch control rods going up through the mast.

[@jlucasound]

That is awesome! Put a lithium iron phosphate battery on board for safety and light weight.

[@elliottwhitticar2383]

Thanks so much for sharing this! Regarding your question, "What I build after this, I don't know. Jetpack, [...]?" I think you have the skills now to build something better than a Jetpack, without all the power and noise issues. How about a backpack coaxial helicopter, with much lower disk loading than a Jetpack or ducted fans. I'll bet you could power it for short flight with a battery and electric motor not much bigger than they use for electric powered paragliders.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Great suggestion. Have you heard of the hoppi-copter ? Built in the 1940s a newer version of that with electric power would be pretty nice. As you suggest quiet and efficient, the hoppi weighed 78kg which was an achievement with IC power. The reversing could be done with two separate motors, (no gearbox) and that would provide very effective yaw control. The right blades would have taper and twist be made of composite material so you can get away with no teeter hinges like the GenH4. Very low inertia light weight blades would be desired. The only thing that would make me nervous is those very fast spinning blades with no protective framework should a blade strike ever occur.

[@experimental_av]

Cool project, has a coax fixed pitch helicopter been flown before? How do you plan to control the vertical axis?

[@Ben-Dixey]

Fixed pitch has been done in the Bensen B9, Nolan coaxial and air scooter 2. Altitude is controlled by rotor speed but it isn't as reactive as collective pitch. The Bensen B9 is the same drive configuration to my helicopter and the last person as far as I know to fly this configuration was Dr Igor Bensen in the 1950s. Plenty of attempts have been made since but none have flown. There isn't any online film of the B9 flying but there are pictures.

[@experimental_av]

@@Ben-Dixey interesting, will keep following for sure

[@rachaelplant2504]

That is very impressive but how are you controlling Yaw ? (rudder) most coaxials use a differential in the drive to slow or speed up one set of blades ? other than being tail heavy it sure looked like it wanted to fly ! well done !!!!!

[@Ben-Dixey]

Hi. Yaw is via the downwash and tail vanes, seems to work ok in hover at least. I'm up to three feet high now if you haven't seen the videos. Slowing the speed via a differential Would cause the machine to sink but otherwise works.

[@lawrenceveinotte]

great job, i follow another guy building a flying machine, he is using electronics for stabilization, i have my own idea for kind of a combination of both, all great fun.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Who's the other guy? AmazingDiyProjects?

[@lawrenceveinotte]

@@Ben-Dixey thats the guy

[@monostripezebras]

that is cool

[@fabriceboel57]

C'est du pur génie j'adore dommage que cela soit en anglais mais la perfection n'existe pas lol je suis jaloux c'est un pur chef d'œuvre et je suis stupéfait par le silence de l'appareil j'imagine que Mr est au moins ingénieur en aéronautique, c'est malheureusement un peu plus que mes compétences

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks very much for the very nice comment. I'm a time served engineer but no aeronautical experience. Never built an aircraft before or helicopter. Distinctly average ability's I would say but enjoy learning. Does the translate function work very well on KZbin videos ?

[@AkoyTamad]

My best guess is that it would be considered a weight shift rather than a cyclic pitch control due to the lack of a swash plate. Would that be correct? How does pitch, roll, and yaw work with your helicopter?

[@Ben-Dixey]

Pitch and roll is by tilting the rotor mast on hinges like a gyrocopter as you say the blades are fixed and there's no swash plate. Yaw is achieved by directional tail fins using the downwash. I'll explain my thoughts on weight shift vs cyclic on the next video.

[@benm5913]

How is direction control done with a coaxial design? If there's no swash plate, I can't visualize how movement other than straight up and straight down works.

[@Ben-Dixey]

The whole mast tilts on hinges, like a gyrocopter.

[@Danny-sl1ej]

cool

[@felixaudet5860]

Stupid question: why not copy an existing design since there are so many that have a proven track record, even some that are low tech / DIY friendly

[@Ben-Dixey]

Not a stupid question, it was seeing the personal helicopter of Franz schoffmann that made me think it looks so simple to build. There weren't any plans of his helicopter but how hard could it be ? It then evolved into a much bigger and different design. I decided I wanted a coaxial and the only plans available were the Bensen B9, I didn't want a B9 so went the hard route. At times I wished I just went for an AW95 it would have been so much easier but if this machine all works out then the satisfaction will be so much greater.

[@TheFuneralDirector]

Nice work so far .... if you had a farmers field to travel about in, how high could you legally fly without a licence or CAA intervention ?

[@Ben-Dixey]

I was wondering when someone was going to ask that, I don't think I'm allowed to fly at any height untethered.

[@TheFuneralDirector]

@@Ben-Dixey I think there’s 2.89K subscribers wanna see you try it tho, thank you for the reply I’ll subscribe and follow this project, take care and good luck, Regards Andy

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks Andy 👍

[@justinbieber12373]

The microchoper SCH 2A sells for $37,000.00 looks similar.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Yes, a super helicopter, Miro the designer went through a similar development process. It originally had a tilting mast like mine but after discovering the drawbacks he went to cyclic feathering and collective pitch. It's a beautifully machined helicopter and very lightweight. Something to aspire to for sure.

[@dutchsailor6620]

👍

[@AwwalKako]

Please what is the name of that electric tube bender?

[@Ben-Dixey]

Hi, the tube bender was built from plans, the plans are from gottrikes website by takacs cycles. The electric hydraulics I got from an old sausage making machine and I made the dies but you can buy the dies for it. They are pro tools 105 dies and are very expensive.

[@ramjet4025]

ITs a coaxiam head ache. There is no collective and with a fixed pitch rotor, its doomed to failure in the event of an engine failure out of ground effect.

[@sqracing]

Whats the glide ratio of a (light as possible) home built Helicopter at 100 meters travelling 40 Knots .. when you find you made it too light...?

[@Ben-Dixey]

My helicopter cannot glide so I haven't done any calculations I'm afraid.

[@sqracing]

@@Ben-Dixey No.. I''m Afraid .. Of what can happen.. < It was a joke Q. > it will have the glide ratio of a ROCK.. as you wont be able to AutoRotate. Before you think I am some sort of arm chair hero.. I have built and design ( to production ) my own Engine and Vehicles.. and know what can go wrong One mistake could be your life.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Ahh yes, a stone is right. Ha. The danger is decided by what you do with it and the decisions you make. I could decide to park it in the Workshop and just look at it or I could decide to find out it's ceiling height. Ones not dangerous at all the other is extremely dangerous. What you assume I'm going to do and what I actually do may be two very different things.

[@Electric-Bob]

Perserverance Pays!!!

[@othoapproto9603]

Did you make your own coffin as well?

[@Ben-Dixey]

🙄

[@shademe]

Wow I'm speachgreat job I've always wanted a Mosquito or similar small heli but that's out of my reach lol. I'm happy for you good job!

[@Ben-Dixey]

The mosquito is a great helicopter, I would like one too but no helicopter is cheap no matter how small and out of reach for most people unfortunately. I also like the sch2a think it's about $35k.

[@damiengirvan5020]

Fantastic..... What is the legality of doing this in the UK???

[@Ben-Dixey]

I don't think the authorities would be over the moon about it. So far it's only been tethered flight testing

[@damiengirvan5020]

@@Ben-Dixey best of luck with everything.... You have done really well....

[@ya5788]

How many HP that engine produce ? , What is engine model ? , Is it two stroke ?

[@Ben-Dixey]

The engine is a j60elcia Johnson outboard, 2 stroke, 2cylinder 60hp

[@aziggy1039]

I would very concerned about fatigue cracks in critical parts in a home made heli.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Yes it's something I'm concerned about. Really all parts should be tested on rigs to estimate part life.

[@aziggy1039]

@@Ben-Dixey I would bet a lot of the price for a certified commercial heli is assiciated with cost for extensive Finite Element Analyses and testing. To sit in a heli several hundred meters above ground in a heli where this has not been performed would feel risky to say the least. But I admire your work, it looks good.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks and yes I agree completely. This prototype is just for hovering a few feet above the ground. It was more of a project for something to do and to learn about helicopters. I could call the project complete at this point but I think it would be a shame not to get to the point of slow forward flight and to learn whatever I can from it. There are questions to be answered about the configuration which could be interesting.

[@aziggy1039]

@@Ben-Dixey Would you be willing to share the cost and hours you have spent on this project?

[@Ben-Dixey]

Sure, I've spent around £6k. I thought in the beginning I could do it for £3k but that obviously escalated. I'm still spending money on it. The hours I have no idea I'm afraid, I should have kept a talley out of interest. It took around 5 years working evenings and Saturdays so it can be estimated. If I wasn't making things in the evenings I was designing/researching. The hours I'm sure would be huge but with no kids to look after it wasn't a problem.

[@av8tor261]

Technically and legally the moment the skids came off the ground under power you were "flying". So you have success. Bee Safe.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks, it is my understanding that as long as it's tethered it's legal as far as the authorities are concerned. Is that your opinion ?

[@cloudusterable]

If you had to comply with all the requirements and regulations you might as well forget the whole thing and go back to bed !

[@douglashughes2331]

Way to go Igor S 2022

[@JeffChoppah]

After building and flying just take a job with national geographics as a narrator, seems u a man of multiple talent...😅

[@Ben-Dixey]

😂 that's a good one. 👍

[@SystemsPlanet]

Please build a flying saucer 🛸 👽 👾 🛸 👽

[@danielw5225]

Are ya actually gonna fly it though.

[@Ben-Dixey]

To the point of hovering around a field I hope so. It wouldn't be safe to go at speed or higher than a few feet without some fairly major modifications.

[@nostalgiaindustryeco]

For sale?

[@Ben-Dixey]

Not at the moment, I'm still working on it. 🙂

[@TinyHouseHomestead]

I'll take 2 PPPPPPlease! 😁👍✌

[@Ben-Dixey]

😂 thanks

[@victorpowell4757]

It seems that the main propeller of the helicopter has been fixed to the mast !!! Am I right? Why is there no damper? !!The blade should play to the right and left

[@Ben-Dixey]

Sorry I don't quite follow your question. Dampers in the form of lead/lag dampers are only used where there are more than two blades on the same rotor hub.

[@victorpowell4757]

@@Ben-Dixey I do not understand what you mean by following my question what do you mean?! Please make your point clearer

[@Ben-Dixey]

To say I don't follow your question is the same as saying I don't understand. Hopefully I answered your question and you were right to say the blade should have play left and right as mine does. If everything was perfectly accurate you wouldn't need this play or adjustment.

[@victorpowell4757]

@@Ben-Dixey It seems that Google's translation is wrong, I do not mean exactly I hope he translated this one correctly. If you can build an aw 95 helicopter I hope the problem of this helicopter is solved. You have the ability to do this, you are an intelligent person.

[@Ben-Dixey]

👍 The aw95 is a great helicopter and it would have been much easier to build that.

[@DimentiaGaming]

Just wait til you get a email from Lockheed Martin

[@hariowen3840]

You sound much older than you look?

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks, I think. 😉 I'm 40

[@pepethefrog7193]

I would not dare. Grats for having the balls. Maybe learn to pilot model helicopters. It will teach you hovering with skids randomly touching ground is an absolute nogo. You have to jump it up or it will not be controllable. There are coax models with that 45 deg stabi bar for 50 bucks.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Things have moved on from this, I've got a blade 400 which has taught me a lot. 👍

[@MaxMakerChannel]

I wouldn’t help DIYers either at work. All they do is cost money and time.

[@kdawson020279]

This is probably the least arrogant or patently BS helicopter video. It demonstrates that stuff is hard, but perseverance pays off, and failure is not a reason to give up completely but to try and solve it a different way. Very cool, and it almost hovers a bit which is better than my complete lack of helicopter. 😎👍

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks for the nice comment. 👍

[@kdawson020279]

@@Ben-Dixey It's impressive. Good, matter of fact delivery. I like leaving positive comments because anyone can be a troll. I like to tell people that their content was good if I got something from it to encourage more of it. Plus, if the pandemic and its fallout taught me nothing else, it's that being nice is desperately needed in this world. Have a great day, and never stop dreaming!

[@ronintoecutter7690]

Build a hoverwing. It is a hovercraft with wings. I’m studying up on coaxial helicopters. The hoverwing may be the first project though. What is the horsepower of your motor?

[@Ben-Dixey]

Hi. I had plans to build the hoverwing but James greenberger put me off that idea. He built one and said the maintenance was too high, always fixing something with that machine. James went and built the mudskipper after that and he's done loads of flights. I'm 75% through a flying boat wing in ground effect machine at the moment. Flight testing late this summer hopefully. My engine in the helicopter is a 60hp Johnson.

[@thomaskrenn3808]

I would like to be Your student.

[@wallywally8282]

I value my life a LOT more😂

[@thefreedomguyuk]

Wow, I'm bowled over here. Amazing. If you're looking for a competent guy to test your build, just give me a shout 😉👍 -It will work, but you didn't exactly make it easy for future pilots. It will be lively to fly, prone to sensitivity for PIO's. And any instance of low RPM will make it drop out of the air. Be quick on the collective, as you can't otherwise compensate. Do reconsider your head design. Material choice is inappropriate. This part is under the heaviest load of the entire build. As soon as there's mast torsion under T/O, the mastheads WILL fail. Which is really messy.....

[@Ben-Dixey]

Hi and thanks. I think from another comment you have worked out there isn't collective pitch. This machine is only for hovering. Could you explain more about the rotor head failure you predict? Cheers

[@DanOneOne]

you could have built an RC heli first and it will show you how it works.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Yes I did consider it, there was a picture of the Bensen B9 in the air from the 1950s. Some disagreed it was real but I believed it was. This was enough evidence for me to say the design is capable of flight so didn't make a model. If it was a completely new concept I would definitely make a model first.

[@helicopterdriver]

No collective? How does it autorotate without that when the outboard pukes a reed valve? Not very good... for the rest of your very short life. I'll pass... great work, but you got it about as high as I would go, ever. I'd give it a safety factor of .2%, it you have a helmet on.

[@Ben-Dixey]

In this configuration it won't be flown higher than a few feet. I'm not sure collective will help much unless your flying higher than 75 feet anyway. Dual engines I believe would be the way to go for safer low altitude flying.

[@helicopterdriver]

@@Ben-Dixey If have not, I would suggest a ride in a real helicopter. A lot of operators will give you an introductory ride at reduced rates. I don't think using RPM alone for altitude control will be safe. One wind gust and you will be in deep shit real quick. Two engines is not any safer if your altitude control scheme is only RPM's. Helicopter flying is like having sex while standing on a beachball in the deep end of a swimming pool. I'm pretty sure your idea is very dangerous or it would have been done years ago. Only helicopter i've ever seen without it was electric and mounted on a boom and went only in circles. A toy. They crash too. Falling 75 feet equals a 7 story building. Anything less that the diameter of the rotor blades is ground effect hover. Not flight. If you have not, I recommend reading Helicopter Aerodynamics by Ray Prouty. Again, I'm not bashing your ideas, and admire your work. Please be safe.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Ok, thanks for your advice. There are two examples of fixed pitch that tried to mass produce. The Nolan Coaxial kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGOUiZ5sqbOWeNk And a follow on development the air scooter 2 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGndonpqgbehqKc I don't know the reason these failed to go up for sale but I imagined it was to do with the lack of collective. The wind gust situation is of some concern, I've already discovered its effect in very light winds and that's still tethered. I will discover more during the next tethered tests and if I decide it's not safe to untether so be it. I have had a half hour lesson in an R22.

[@helicopterdriver]

@@Ben-Dixey I would definitely take some time, and personally, I'd rig up a remote system of control to do dynamic loading of the rotors and transmission before attempting flight. Loose 1 blade and it's over. I have an instructor's license and found that most students struggled a lot with hover, hovering autos, and then translational lift. When things fail inflight or hover it will be catastrophic, especially since your frame elements are bolted and not welded. Never seen either of those helicopters in person, but have seen some strange ones that flew. Most engines fail during power changes, rotor RPM is critical for most to be stable, too slow and you will get blade flap, that could lead to mast bumping, loss of tailboom (dead) or pylon swirl on a bad autorotation touchdown. I've done a few hundred full touchdowns in various models, can't imagine doing that with no collective control and just RPM. I've never flown a coaxial rotor. My favorite strange helicopter is the KMAX. It's a beast. Please be safe and take your time.

[@Ben-Dixey]

Will take my time for sure. 👍 I considered making a remote throttle control for the first run up but didn't do it as I wanted to observe and feel vibration levels. I've run these rotors somewhere between 60-100 times now and at higher rpm than what they what they currently run at. It's still an option of course to have full remote control and I could go down that route if I wanted. Just out of interest when students come across transitional lift what do they get struggle with in particular ? The comments on low rotor rpm failures wouldn't apply to me being fixed pitch. I fitted engine and rotor rpm gauges for testing but don't think I will ever need to look at them. The Kaman is a great helicopter and I really like the servo flap control method. Don't know why it hasn't been widely adopted.

[@axialcompressorturbojet]

Hello, from Australia. I have found this project very inspiring and I commend you on your dedication, knowledge, and passion for this project. I also have a question for you. I have vast previous engineering, welding, and fabrication knowledge and am currently building my own jet engine, and although I know that helicopter blades are significantly different from compressor blades and turbines blade, they still use the same integral concept of the airfoil. I was hence wondering how you managed to figure out what exact airfoil to use, and also how you managed to manufacture it in such a neat manner? Long story short, how did you figure out what airfoil to use, and what materials and methods have you been using to make it?

[@Ben-Dixey]

Hi, you are making a jet engine ? What size engine are you attempting? I remember having a book (can't remember the name of it) and started building a model jet engine, but I didn't get very far at the time as I was using works machinery. Not sure how I was going to build the compressor wheel anyway. I have a video on the blades explaining a bit more on how I made them if you haven't seen it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZoabmoCNot2ahZI The type of airfoil was determined mostly by research into what others had done. It was later after I built them that I understood why it was a good choice. The naca 0012 symmetrical blade is a sensible choice given its zero pitching moment. Other airfoils can offer some mildly improved lift but pitching moments can cause issues. Perhaps not with my choice of fixed pitch blades but definitely on a collective pitch machine. There were other compromises too like the choice to have parallel and not tapered blades, straight and not twisted. Ease of manufacture being the deciding factor here. This is another channels blade making video, they are built from plans with a 6 degree twist incorporated. They are heavy but in a collective pitch machine that's not so much of an issue.

[@axialcompressorturbojet]

@@Ben-Dixey Hey again! Thanks for responding to this, and in so much depth as well. I'm thinking of doing all the bells and whistles and going for a 6-combustion chamber can-annular design, that at its widest, has a diameter of 22.7 centimeters. I’m building it mainly out of Mild steel, with some components made of Galvanized steel, and have the vast majority of the components necessary, already at my disposal. I was initially thinking of using my slip roller to make the airfoils but quickly realized that there would be no way for me to get the shape right, especially if I didn't even know the specific shape I needed, and hence I decided to come to your channel to ask you this, considering you seem to know at least a tad-bit more about how to build them, or at least where I could learn about them. There is also a person on KZbin who I am subscribed to called @Praendy, who has successfully built a couple of jet engines, some even with afterburners and I think that after reading what you’ve said, I’ll look further into what other people have done, like him, and I’ll look a little further into how he made his in his previous videos. Thanks for all the insight though, and that link to how you made your airfoils, really appreciate it. I also recall that you mentioned that you weren't sure how you were going to build the compressor wheel, and as an example for you, here's how I'm going to do it. I personally was going to use an internal cone that is inside the compressor section of the engine and starts at the very front of the engine and then expands further, the closer it gets to the combustion chamber, which is vital to compress the air, with the cone having several large slits through which the blades (the shape of which I like I said don't know yet), will point through from, which are attached to a 15mm thick mild steel rod that has those blades mig welded onto it, and is supported by bearings that fit that size. It is going to have 3 stages of that, and 3 more stator-stages to further help. Also, one more thing that is quite unrelated to this previous topic. I only recently discovered your channels, and up until literally just a few hours ago when I watched your most recent 2 videos, I hadn’t realized that you were struggling with this project so much :/. Now, although I do hope you continue this project, I am aware that it is sometimes not that easy when your dream is seemingly crushed by 7 or 8 different large issues all at once, including the shaft being destroyed, I know it may be tough to move and keep going, but the end was, and still is in sight, and I am hoping for your sake that this can be a rather large hiccup in this projects long 5-year history, that attracted thousands of keen fans including now, myself, and after this you will have achieved all the initial goals of full flight before you know it, but even if you decide to move on and shelf this project, you are so talented and so passionate for what you do, that I and many other people, will regardless, continue to watch your fantastic content, and see your amazing creations. It's also awesome to hear that you were pursuing a jet engine earlier on as well. If you had any designs or specific ideas for one, I wouldn't mind hearing about them. I wish you all the best, and thanks for all the info. 👍

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks so much for the very kind encouraging message. I'll have a look at the homemade jet engine channel, it looks brilliant. I hope your jet engine build goes well, i can't offer any insight into building one I'm afraid. They are fascinating and exciting engines but I know very little about them. Don't think the power to weight ratio can be beaten by any other engine. Best of luck.

[@airstrykerone335]

Absolutley great Sir - my honest compliments !! 👍👍💐 coaxial ist the best rotor system !! You have no loss of power because tail rotor...👍💐

[@Ben-Dixey]

Thanks. Yep I'm not a fan of tail rotors (excuse the pun). I believe the chinook is the most efficient lifting machine but I like the kayman syncropters too, it's just a shame the blades come so close to the ground when approaching from the side. Having said that you wouldn't want to approach mine when the blades are spinning unless your under 5ft tall.

[@airstrykerone335]

@@Ben-Dixey you have absolutely right, the K-man helicopters are great too, see them everyday, because I live near a heliport. They working with longline logging in my environment......low level rotor noise an powerful 😀 I was the commercial helopilot for twenty years, was flown also the MD 500 models. Also the NOTAR models, wonderful machine too. Furthermore, I was also involved in a project in developing a jet Pack ( one man back jack ) helicopter. 2008 the project was cancelled, short before success, because the finance crisis. So my skills are on the mechanical side. Therefore I can imagine, how much problems you had to overcome in building your.fantastic machine 👍👍👍💐

[@Ben-Dixey]

Nice 👍 Would love to see and hear a K-max take off. Was the backpack using jet engines ? I saw a KZbin video of multiple electric ducted fans on an Ironman suit that looked Interesting. Can't beat rotors for efficiency though. Like the hoppi-copter of the 1940s.