The Curti Zefhir is a two-seat light-single turbine-powered recreational or trainer

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

designed and produced by Italian aircraft manufacturer Curti Aerospace. Development was partly funded by the

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. It performed its

maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alwa ...

in 2017 and was commercially launched at the April 2018 AERO Friedrichshafen. Curti aim to secure

type certification A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). It confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production, is in compliance with applica ...

of the Zefhir as an ultralight aircraft.

Development

Background

The Zefhir is developed by Italian aircraft manufacturer Curti Aerospace, a subsidiary of an industrial group active for more than 60 years in the mechanical engineering sector and specialized in industrial automation, packaging machinery and certified aeronautical light alloys parts manufacturing. For over 40 years, Curti has produced subassemblies and components for aerospace and defense companies, including Italian giant

Leonardo S.p.A. Leonardo S.p.A., formerly Leonardo-Finmeccanica and originally Finmeccanica, is an Italian multinational company specialising in aerospace, defence and security. Headquartered in Rome, Italy, the company has 180 sites worldwide. It is the eighth ...

Curti saw a market opportunity for a better-designed light helicopter powered by a more powerful engine. Development began in 2013 after Curti formed a partnership with Czech engine maker

PBS Velká Bíteš Prvni brnenska strojirna Velka Bites, a. s. ("First Brno Engineering Plant", known as PBS VB) is a Czech Republic, Czech engineering and manufacturing company. It focuses mainly on the development, testing, and production of devices for the airc ...

(PBSVB) and German company

Junkers Profly Junkers Profly GmbH is a former German aircraft manufacturer based in Kulmbach. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of ultralight trikes and fixed wing aircraft. The company was formerly located in Kodnitz.Purdy, Don: ''Aero ...

. The rotorcraft has been developed under the ''DISRUPT'' project for reliable and secure ultralight helicopters; it was partially funded by the

to support small and medium enterprises, in addition to regional financing.

Launch and testing

In April 2018, the Zefhir was launched at the AERO Friedrichshafen tradeshow in Germany, seeking for

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

ultralight approval and countries recognizing this certification. By late 2018, Curti expected a 2019 service entry.“Development of an innovative and safe ultralight two-seater turbine helicopter.”
''cordis.europa.eu'', 12 November 2018. By September 2018, the whole-aircraft parachute recovery system was successfully tested, with a descent rate and ground impact within crash tests requirements.Huber, Mark
“Zefhir Successfully Tests Whole Helicopter Parachute.”
''AIN Online'', 28 September 2018. The aircraft was unmanned and remotely piloted for early tests. Its unique whole-aircraft ballistic parachute was co-developed between Curti and Junkers Profly.Rexroth, Alexa
“Curti Unveils Zefhir Helicopter.”
''AIN Online'', 17 May 2018.

Design

The Zefhir complies with EASA CS-27 requirements for larger helicopters and its critical flight elements are tested accordingly. The airframe is entirely made of lightweight

composite material A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...

s, as are the

rotor blade A helicopter main rotor or rotor system is the combination of several rotary wings (rotor blades) with a control system, that generates the aerodynamic lift force that supports the weight of the helicopter, and the thrust that counteracts aerody ...

s. Composites materials also permitted to optimise the aerodynamic design. Its low weight and compact size allows an ultralight certification. To recover without autorotation, the Zefhir is fitted with a ballistic parachute safety system. It is stored in a non-rotating box above the main rotor, attached to the airframe through a fixed shaft inside the rotor mast.Head, Elan
"How Curti put a parachute on its Zefhir helicopter."
''verticalmag.com'', 15 April 2019. Other systems includes a

glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic (digital) flight instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, rather than the traditional style of analog dials and gauges. While a traditional cockpit relies on numerous mech ...

. PBSVB manufactures the Zefhir’s

turboshaft A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine that is optimized to produce shaftpower rather than jet thrust. In concept, turboshaft engines are very similar to turbojets, with additional turbine expansion to extract heat energy from the exhaust ...

, derated from maximum continuously, and optimally controlled by

FADEC A full authority digital engine (or electronics) control (FADEC) is a system consisting of a digital computer, called an "electronic engine controller" (EEC) or "engine control unit" (ECU), and its related accessories that control all aspects of ai ...

. Its performance is consistent under adverse weather conditions or when flown at high altitude or high temperatures. The engine drives a two-bladed main rotor with a profile maximising efficiency while lowering noise pollution.

Specifications

References

External links

Zefhir official websiteCurti Official website
{{Portal bar, Italy, Companies, Aviation Italian helicopters Single-turbine helicopters Proposed aircraft of Italy