CH-7 | |
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CH-7 Kompress Charlie | |
Role | Ultralight kitbuilt helicopter |
National origin | Italy |
Manufacturer | CH-7 Heli-Sport, Turin |
Designer | Original CH-6 airframe by Augusto Cicaré, developed by Josi and Claudio Barbero; new cockpit by Marcello Gandini |
Number built | c.335 by May 2009 |
Unit cost | (2009) €81,033 for Kompress without engine |
Developed from | Cicare Helicopters CH-6 |
The CH-7 Helicopters Heli-Sport CH-7 series of ultralight, kit built, helicopters is based on a single-seat Argentinian design from the late 1980s. Later developed into a tandem two seater, it continues in production and has sold in large numbers.
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In 1989 EliSport, who became Heli-Sport in 1997, bought the rights to the Cicare CH-6, a small single seat open cockpit helicopter designed in Argentina by Augusto Cicaré. It was developed by Josi and Claudio Barbero and, with the help of the sports car designer, Marcello Gandini who produced a new, enclosed, cabin, marketed from 1992 as the CH-7 Angel.[1] Its commercial success led to a tandem two seat version with a stretched cabin and bigger engine named the CH-7 Kompress and, in 2005, a further refinement designated the CH-7 Kompress Charlie.[1]
The piston engined CH-7 ultralight series use the traditional "penny-farthing" layout with two bladed main and tail rotors. The main rotor is formed from composites and is a teetering, semi-rigid design with 6° of twist. The tail rotor is aluminium. The pod and boom fuselage has a glass fibre cabin built on a steel tube frame, with a long transparent forward opening canopy. The steel frame also carries the engine, semi-exposed behind the accommodation and connected to the main rotor shaft by a belt drive. A slender aluminium boom, strengthened by a pair of long struts to the lower fuselage frame, carries both the tail rotor and swept fins. The upper fin is topped with a short horizontal tailplane, with small endplate fins, and the lower one ends with a tailskid. The CH-7 uses a simple aluminium skid undercarriage, which may be fitted with small wheels for ground handling or multi-tube inflatable floats for flying off water. In this last form the CH-7 is called the Mariner. The Kompress Charlie has faired, wide chord carbon fibre skid legs.[1]
The Kompress and Kompress Charlie are sold in kit form for home assembly, the manufacturers quoting a 200-hour building time. A fast build kit, with more components pre-assembled, is claimed to need 85 hours.[1]
The Kompress series may be fitted with a hook for lifting loads of up to 100 kg (220 lb), or fitted with spray bars for agricultural work.[1]
120 Angels were built between 1992 and 1997, followed by 215 Kompress and Kompress Charlies up to May 2009. By mid 2009 the Kompress variants had logged over 30,000 flying hours with owners in 15 countries. There are dealerships in the Czech republic, France, Italy and Poland.[1]
In 2007 the CH-7 won the Italian Helicopter Championships. It gained 3rd place in the 2009 World Air Games.[1]
Information from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2010[1] and manufacturer's website[2]
Data from Jane's All the World Aircraft 2010/11[1]
General characteristics
Performance
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