Country of origin:

Australia

Description:

Single-seat amateur designed and built helicopter

Power Plant:

One 15 kw (20 hp) JAP 750 cc two-cylinder side-valve air-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

This light single-seat helicopter was built in the Melbourne suburb of Black Rock, VIC and is believed to have been completed in about 1948. It took about two years to complete and is thought to be, if not the first, one of the first helicopters designed and built in Australia. The designer / builder was Eric Adney who by day worked as an accountant / bookkeeper and was not licensed to fly aircraft or helicopters.

The machine was fitted with a converted 750 cc JAP motor-bike engine which gave it a power-to-weight ratio of about 10:1 but it is thought the engine was modified to give in the order of 22 kw (30 hp). It is thought to have been built in secret as the aviation authorities in Australia at that time did not permit amateur-built helicopters to be flown. It seems Mr Adney was a “backyard innovator” and the machine has been described as “a masterpiece of backyard engineering”.

It had a wooden spar as the main airframe member and the remainder of the airframe was bolted aluminium tube, there being no welding carried out. The gearbox housing was bolted together. The aluminium tube and sheet was of aircraft quality. The undercarriage was of sprung wishbone main suspension. The main and tail rotors were constructed of wood, the former being hollow.

The pilot operated the throttle, collective and tail rotor pitch with his hands. The foot stirrups were solely for support. There was no cyclic control and forward flight was thought to be by body shift. The pilot’s left hand controlled the throttle and his right hand controlled the separate collective and tail rotor pitch control handles. The rotor head was of the teetering hinge type with a servo / gyroscopic action, acting on the blades from the lower mechanism in lieu of a cyclic control.

It is not known how well it flew but people living in the area stated during testing the machine was seen to rise to above roof level on several occasions and it would seem the designer / builder taught himself to fly the machine at his home.

Following the demise of the designer / builder the helicopter was put out by the family to become scrap. However, it was saved by a neighbour. Later a helicopter enthusiast saw the machine and sought to obtain the JAP motor-cycle engine, which was from the 1930s period. He obtained the whole unit, the helicopter with its engine, which was still able to run. In later years the machine has been restored and is expected to ultimately be placed in a museum.