Country of origin:

Australia

Description:

Two-seat light utility helicopter

Power Plant:

One 108 kw (145 hp) Rolls Royce / Continental O-300 six-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

The Philicopter did not represent the first venture into the production of a commercial helicopter by an Australian company but it, like the Wikopter and the Moser, built in the 1960s, was one of the first. However, no production aircraft were in fact completed.

The Philicopter was developed in Newcastle, NSW, and was designed by Messrs Duan A Phillips and P Gerakiteys in 1962. Construction of the prototype of the Philicopter, as it was initially known, the Mk I, began in 1967, and it was first flown in 1971.  Initially known as the Phillips Philicopter, the Company later became Vertol Aircraft Pty Ltd (VTOL). The machine was trialled extensively and did in fact receive a Certificate of Airworthiness following trials involving 100 hours of flight in 13 different configurations.

In 1980 work commenced on the construction of the first eight production aircraft, to be fitted with the 119 kw (160 hp) Lycoming O-290 four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine in place of the six-cylinder unit fitted to the prototype.  The smaller engine was lighter and more powerful, thus increasing the machine’s load-carrying capacity.  Orders were said to be held in abeyance pending the completion of trials with the new engine.

The Philicopter’s rotor was driven via three gearboxes, comprising one transfer box, one reduction box, and one tail rotor box.  The main and tail rotors both had two blades, and the fuselage was of tubular steel construction with aluminium and fibreglass covering.  Tailplane incidence was adjustable manually on the ground.  The undercarriage was tubular steel skids, with shock absorption through bending and torsion of cross members.  Ground handling wheels and float-gear was to be available as an option.  Accommodation was provided for two side-by-side in an enclosed cabin with a door on each side.

In 1985 at the Paris Air Show in France the designer announced that production to meet orders for six machines was due to start later that year, and the first production machine was to fly in 1986.  This order was said to have been from a Chinese operator and a considerable amount of money was spent obtaining materials to build the helicopters.  It was said a friend went to China to close the deal but the Chinese operation was shut down and the helicopters were not completed.

The registration VH-DXV (c/n 0001) was allotted to the prototype on 18 August 1989.

The Philicopter, like other machines in the class such as the Robinson R-22 and Hughes 300, was aimed at the bottom end of the helicopter market, being a simple, robust, easy-to-maintain and cheap-to-operate helicopter with a reasonable load carrying capacity.  However, probably due to the success of the cheap to buy, operate, and very successful Robinson R-22 in this region, no further examples are known to have been built and registered as far as can be ascertained.  However, the prototype has been seen at a number of events over the years, being noted on static display at Aviex 2000 at Bankstown, NSW in November 2000 and later at an event at Albion Park, NSW.  At some stage the prototype was modified to pre-production standard.

By late 2014 the Philicopter was being advertised as designed to meet FAR 27, was known as the Vertol Philicopter Mk 1 and was marketed by VTOL Aircraft Pty Ltd of Garden Suburb, Lake Macquarie, NSW.  At that time it was said to be available in fly-away or in kit form.  By this time the power plant had been changed to the 108 kw (145 hp) Rolls Royce / Continental O-200-C four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine, fuel being carried in a single fuel tank containing 82 litres (18 Imp gals), and it had an oil capacity of 5.7 litres (1.25 Imp gals).  It was announced production aircraft would have a tubular skid type undercarriage, with shock absorption through bending and torsion of cross-members, and have a single fuel tank, but floats were to be available as an option for operations from water.

Later again the 134 kw (180 hp) Lycoming O-360 engine was specified as the production engine.Fuel was increased to 91 litres (20 Imp gals) in the main tank with an optional central tank able to carry 91 litres (20 Imp gals) of fuel but which could also be used for crop spraying in lieu of fuel.  No further aircraft are known to have been completed and registered.