For anyone unfamiliar with the Rotorway Exec here are the specifications. The kit is supplied with almost every part you require for the build with the exception of paints, oils and Avionics (Radio and associated communication equipment). To date Rotorway have sold around 800 kits.

Everything, including the engine is manufactured at the Rotorway factory in Arizona at the rate of around two a week. Accompanying the parts is a total of thirteen videos, four assembly and maintenance manuals and a stack of assembly drawings and templates. There is a legal requirement for the owner/builder to carry out 51% of the ship’s construction to qualify as an Experimental craft. In UK a completed, inspected machine is issued with a permit to fly instead of the usual Certificate of Air worthiness usually issued to production manufactured craft. Use is restricted to recreational.

Quoted build time is from 300 hours but I expect to put in four or five times that. Estimated cost £55K A similar, factory built helicopter, the Robinson R22 costs approximately $182K and must be maintained only by qualified service engineers. Both ships have a working life of 2000 hours before a complete overhaul although some components must be replaced at shorter intervals.

Both ships use a similar amount of fuel, 8 gallons per hour. Robinson quote an overall hourly running cost of $77 translating to a cost per road mile of 49 cents.  With UK fuel prices three to four times US prices, our costs would be around £70 and 50p respectively.for the Robinson .but because the owner/builder of a Rotorway is responsible for his/her own maintenance, the hourly cost of a Rotorway can be half that.

Here’s the official Rotorway running costs breakdown. Thanks Malcolm.

Picture courtesy Rotorway

SPECIFICATIONS   Powerplant RI 162F, 162 cu. in. (2659 cc) Seats 2 Gross Weight 1500 lbs. (680 kg) Empty Weight 975 lbs. (442 kg) Equipped Useful Load 525 lbs. (238 kg) Pilot and Passenger Load 425 lbs. (193 kg) Fuel Capacity 17 U.S. Gallons (64 liters) PERFORMANCE   Rate of Climb 1000 fpm Hover In Ground Effect 7000 ft. Hover Out Of Ground Effect 5000 ft. Service Ceiling 10,000 ft. Range, Max. Fuel Cruise 180 mi./2 hrs. Normal Cruise 95 mph (83 knots) Max. IAS, Sea Level/Standard Day 115 mph (100 knots) BASIC DIMENSIONS Main Rotor Diameter 25 ft. (7.6 meters) Tail Rotor Diameter 50-1/4 in. (1.2 meters) Length, Nose to Tail 22 ft. (6.7 meters) Overall Length 29-1/2 ft. (9 meters) Cabin Width 44 in. (1.1 meters) Skid Width 65 in. (1.6 meters) Height 96 in. (2.4 meters)

Picture courtesy Rotorway

Pictures courtesy Robinson.

Over 3,600 R22s have been sold.

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