The ADI Bumble Bee (sometimes Hollmann Bumble Bee) is an

ultralight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

gyrocopter An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), also known as a ''gyroplane'', is a type of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. Forward thrust is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller. Wh ...

marketed by Aircraft Designs Inc (ADI). It was the first of its kind when it flew in 1983 and is still available in plans form for homebuilding.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page F-1. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Downey, Julia: ''2005 Trikes 'Chutes and Rotorcraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 22, Number 2, February 2005, page 54. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 203. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X It was designed by Martin Hollmann after a back injury (sustained in the crash of the ADI Condor) prevented him from flying his previous design (the ADI Sportster) on account of not being able to lift the rotor assembly.

Design and development

The Bumble Bee is a simple and lightweight design that can be built to comply with the US

FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles Ultralight aircraft in the United States are much smaller and lighter than ultralight aircraft as defined by all other countries. In the United States, ultralights are described as "ultralight vehicles" and not as aircraft. They are not req ...

rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of . The aircraft has a standard empty weight of . The aircraft consists of an open frame based on a keel tube, which supports the nose wheel at the front and the tail at the back. The pilot's seat, the engine and rotor assembly are bolted to the same keel tube. A

control stick A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal cont ...

cyclically controls rotor pitch angle. The powerplant specified is a , twin-cylinder,

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of ...

, air-cooled, single ignition

Rotax 447 The Rotax 447 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. Design and development ...

mounted in pusher configuration. The

Kawasaki 440 The Kawasaki 440, also called the T/A 440, is a Japanese twin-cylinder, in-line, two-stroke engine that was designed for snowmobiles and produced by Kawasaki Heavy Industries until the early 1980s.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's G ...

engine has also been used. The

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

is of tricycle configuration, uses plastic-spoked wheels to reduce weight and does not include suspension. A horizontal

tailplane A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyropla ...

maintains the aircraft pitch angle in flight and a large fin and

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...

is provided. The main rotor system is of low-inertia and requires pilot skill to manage energy on landing. The aircraft plans cost

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

160 in 2001. Construction time is estimated as 400 hours, much of which is consumed fabricating the composite rotor blades.

Specifications (ADI Bumble Bee)

References

{{ADI aircraft Homebuilt aircraft 1980s United States ultralight aircraft

Bumble Bee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera ...

Single-engined pusher autogyros