Chinese Farmer Builds Homemade Helicopter

By John Farrier in Gadgets, Hacks & Mods on Aug 8, 2009 at 4:58 pm

He made it out of wood and a motorcycle engine:

20 year old Chinese farmer Wu Zhongyuan built himself a helicopter using only — according to the man — what he remembers of middle school physics lessons and “relevant knowledge [found while] surfing the Internet via my mobile phone.”

Well, sure looks like things worked out. His single-seater conveyance has blades made from the wood of an Elm tree, a frame reinforced with steel pipes and uses an engine from a motorcycle — all for around $1,600. Wu claims the ‘copter can get him as high as 2,600 feet, though it seems he’s grounded for the time being as the Chinese government has forbid him to fly because of safety reasons.

Link via Geekologie

Tags: Helicopter, Wu Zhongyuan

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Øyvind
Aug 8th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
I was going to call hoax on this one.
But on second thought, I’m gonna call it Awesome instead!
Vonskippy
Aug 8th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
That has FAIL (bùjigé) written all over it.

Small motor, small rotor, no cyclic control, heavy frame, and a clueless designer/pilot. I wonder why the Chinese government is worried.
Anonymouse
Aug 8th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Yeah this is probably a hoax. Given the weight and what the rotors are made of, I doubt it gets off the ground. If it does, there is the problem of control — I doubt there is a way for the pilot to adjust the tail rotor speed, or to change the attitude of the rotors. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen..
konaha
Aug 8th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
if it is even possible, he needs to buy a parachute man.. flimsy piece of equipment..
bubba2468
Aug 8th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
This looks like something the professor on Gilligan’s Island would have built!
Foreigner1
Aug 9th, 2009 at 3:03 am
How do you mean Fail…?
I go to Mars and the outer planets every night in my Dreamship…!
Skipweasel
Aug 9th, 2009 at 7:34 am
Compare the power output of a modern motorcycle engine to the units Sikorski and his contemoporaries were using and it’s probably possible.

I just love the idea of the Chinese government getting upset about safety.
TimO
Aug 9th, 2009 at 9:54 am
He’s got a nice fantasy toy, but it’ll never get off the ground (well, it might flop over just enough to spray shrapnel across those neighbors croweded around….)
SenorMysterioso
Aug 9th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
I like the little caster wheels that look like they came off an old shopping cart
vonskippy
Aug 9th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
@skipweasel.

Sikorsky’s first cyclic control helicopter was the VS300 and had a three-blade 28ft rotor and a 75hp motor (which was soon upgraded to a 90hp motor).

I’m pretty sure the Chinese dream machine doesn’t come close to either of those spec’s.
Skipweasel
Aug 10th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
True, but it’s a lot smaller! That little engine looks like a 250cc, so 40hp is probably around right.
Foreigner1
Aug 10th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
After reviewing this case again, I think the Chinese government has every reason to get nervous- This dude is not the first one by a long shot and he certainly won’t be the last that builds something to lift off the face of this planet. Especially the Chinese always have been incredibly good at inventing stuff and using it as if it were nothing. Before you know it, every Chinese who ever tinkered with the Chinese equivalents of Lego or Meccano and who has seen even one single picture of the inner works of aircraft, builds one behind the chickens and tries to take off. And if only 10% of 1 billion(?) Chinese do that… Well, immagine the mess that Chinese traffic-control faces then…
daddymak
Aug 11th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Somehow I doubt the Chinese government is worried about his safety, more likely he’s too much of a free thinker.
jm1656
Aug 13th, 2009 at 11:29 am
hey, i have this bridge i have been itching to sell…..
enx
Jan 11th, 2011 at 11:11 am
i don’t really believe this stuff will fly but i guess there might be some thing going on with the Chinese

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