Visitors looking to rise above Hong Kong's congested streets could do well to pay a visit to Japan's Gen Corporation, which has brought the world's smallest manned helicopter to the show.
Powered by four 10hp, two-stroke boxer engines, the Gen H-4 weighs just 70kg and is 2.4m high. Offering a top speed of 40kmh, the helicopter can take off at a maximum weight of 180kg. Finding space to land in Hong Kong could be tricky though, as the carbon fibre reinforced plastic, counter-rotating blades are 4m in diameter.
 |
|---|
© Billypix |
If you are not brave enough to strap in yourself, an optional unmanned version is available, which uses GPS navigation.
The Gen H-4 is the brainchild of Gennai "Gen" Yanagisawa, who spent five years developing an engine small and light enough to power such a helicopter. The design made its public flight debut at the AirVenture show at Oshkosh in 1998 and development work on the project continues in Matsumoto, Japan.
"Consider the possibilities in the future of the Gen H-4," says the company. "Just like one would ride a motorcycle, you can strap on, start the engines and go flying.
"Take off vertically and fly to your heart's content. And it is so small it could be stored in less than half the space of a compact car."
- All the latest news, video and images from Asian Aerospace 2011
Source: Flight Daily News
