| Skytwister Choppy | |
|---|---|
| Role | Helicopter |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Showers-Aero |
| First flight | 1992 |
| Status | Plans no longer available (2015) |
| Number built | 12 (1998) |
The Showers Skytwister Choppy is an American helicopter that was produced by Showers-Aero of Milton, Pennsylvania, introduced in 1992. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied in the form of CAD plans for amateur construction. [1] [2]
The Skytwister is a modernized and updated version of the Adams-Wilson Hobbycopter, also called the "Choppy", as redesigned by Ben Showers. [1] [2]
The Skytwister was designed to comply with the US Experimental - Amateur-built aircraft rules. It features a single main rotor, a two-bladed tail rotor, a single-seat open cockpit with a windshield and skid-type landing gear. The standard engine used is a twin cylinder, liquid-cooled, two-stroke, dual-ignition 64 hp (48 kW) Rotax 582 powerplant with a 2.58:1 reduction drive, which replaces the original Choppy's motorcycle engine. [1]
The aircraft fuselage is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing. Its two-bladed Fleck 2706 aluminium alloy main rotor is made as an extrusion and has a 21.50 ft (6.6 m) diameter. The tail rotor has a diameter of 36 in (91.4 cm). The aircraft has an empty weight of 320 lb (145 kg) and a gross weight of 670 lb (304 kg), giving a useful load of 350 lb (159 kg). With full fuel of 5 U.S. gallons (19 L; 4.2 imp gal) the payload for pilot and baggage is 320 lb (145 kg). [1]
The designer estimated the construction time from the supplied plans as 300 hours. [1]
By 1998, the company reported that 200 sets of plans had been sold and 12 aircraft were completed and flying. [1]
By April 2015, no examples were registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration, although a total of one had been registered at one time. [3]
Data from Purdy and All-Aero [1] [2]
General characteristics
Performance
