The Bölkow Bo 102 Helitrainer was an unusual ground-based helicopter training aid that was developed and built by
Bölkow
Bölkow was a West German aircraft manufacturer based in Stuttgart, Germany, and later Ottobrunn.
History
The company was founded in 1948 by Ludwig Bölkow, who since 1955 with Emil Weiland had developed helicopters for Bölkow Entwicklungen KG.
...
of Germany in the late-1950s. Designed to be mounted on a swivelling captive rig the Bo 102 allowed trainee pilots to practise procedures such as engine starting, rotor engagement and manipulation of the flight controls. Many of the Bo 102's components, including the
single-bladed fibre-glass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...
main rotor were used in the company's next design, the
Bo 103.
Aircraft on display
Preserved examples of the Bo 102 are on public display at the
Hubschraubermuseum Bückeburg
The Hubschraubermuseum Bückeburg (Bückeburg Helicopter Museum) is located in the German town of Bückeburg, 30 miles (50 km) to the west of Hanover. The museum is the sole museum in Germany specialising in rotary-wing flight and one of few ...
,
the Helicopter Museum (Weston)
The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, is a museum featuring a collection of more than 80 helicopters and autogyros from around the world, both civilian and military. It is based at the southeastern corner of the fo ...
,Classic Rotors Helicopter Museum, Ramona, California and in
Rota, Spain
The town of Rota is a Spanish municipality located in the Province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Its surface area is 84 km2 and is bordered by the towns of Chipiona, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María. It is located near the city of ...
.
www.aviationcorner.net
Retrieved: 4 January 2011
Specifications (Bo 102)
See also
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolkow Bo 102
Bo 102
Flight training
Monocopters
1950s German helicopters