The Heli-Chair is an effective training tool for external load operations. Get a leg up on the process before you transition to turbine helicopters. As with all aspects of the Heli-Chair, this is the ultimate high fidelity flight simulator that obeys the laws of physics...and there are plenty of them with a swinging load underneath. We call it flight EMULATION, a step above computer flight simulators for rotorcraft.

External Load Competition

Contestants in order of percentage lifted (Rules Here):

Click on contestant photo for more information or larger photo

130% Currently unverified report of Bergen Intrepid Gasser lifting 17lbs by Bill Pineda. More details to come.

115% Bergen Intrepid Gasser - Empty weight 13 lbs, lifted 15 lbs, percentage lifted 115%. Stock helicopter, coleman fuel, klotz oil, lift performed in hover (out of ground effect) at 3,700 feet density altitude, prevailing wind 5 kts. Read more here. See videos of the lift here.

61% Kyosho Caliber 30 - Empty weight 6.5 lbs, lifted approximately 4 lbs, percentage lifted 61%. Equipped with OS .37, SAB 550 blades.

Please contact us if you have performed a lift. We need to know the empty weight of your helicopter and how much you lifted. Percentage lifted is a comparison of empty weight to weight lifted and allows the smaller helicopters to compete equally with the larger helicopters. Also include any information about modifications to the helicopter.

The competition rules are that you have to hover out of ground effect with the weight. All results MUST include the altitude of the hover (and temperature) in order to be compared reasonably. If folks don't know the altitude, list location and we can look up the altitude of the nearest airport. Be sure the hover lasts long enough to establish equilibrium.

If the helicopter will hover out of ground effect, it will have power in reserve for other regiems of flight (translational lift). Now, I am not saying that if you can hover with 15 pounds on the heli that you are capable of doing loops and rolls. Theoretically, if the helicopter can lift it, the pilot can eventually figure out how to maneuver with it, within reasonable limits. Weight slung under the helicopter on a load line will be very very difficult compared to weight mounted on the helicopter.

I don't think, strictly speaking, that a running takeoff and landing are fair in comparison with a hover lift...but it would be exciting to see so if anyone tries that, be sure to let us know.