I spent the a few hours wandering the warbirds area this morning looking in vain for a Sea Fury, my favorite of that era, but a couple of Spitfires kept me happy. After a bit of break it was off to the kit manufacturers area in search of a plane for my girlfriend. She quite liked the Panther and Lightning so perhaps I will be roped in for some builder assistance sometime in the future.
For a couple of hours, I visited with Safari Helicopters crew, one of small number of helicopter kit manufacturers.
They have mated a composite tailboom and fuselage shell to the existing chrome moly tube-frame center section structure of their Model 400. The new Model 500 uses the existing engine, transmission and rotor system of the Model 400. Although I am a fan of the Bell-47, a legacy of watching too many MASH episodes as a kid, the new Model 500 has a much sleeker and refined appearance. The helicopter is still in development, but I was afforded the opportunity for a short flight and was able to do some basic hover maneuvers. I look forward to seeing the aircraft develop as it is one of only a few in this market segment.
