The Famà Kiss 209M is an Italian
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 ailer ...
two-seat
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 ...
, built from
composite
Composite or compositing may refer to:
Materials
* Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances
** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts
** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials
...
materials around a steel frame and with an optional retractable undercarriage. The moniker "Kiss" stands for "keep it stupidly simple", reflecting the philosophy of its designer, Nino Famà.
Design and development
The Kiss 209M is a single rotor, conventionally laid out helicopter seating two side-by-side. The design targets were low cost and easy maintenance, combined with a comfortable cabin and good performance. The centre section and the high-set
tail boom are tube steel structures, clad in
carbon fibre
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
. The cabin shell is also carbon fibre and bolts to the central frame. The 120 kW (160 hp) Solar T62
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 ...
engine is supported above the cabin roof and tail line, partly exposed, driving twin blade
main
Main may refer to:
Geography
* Main River (disambiguation)
**Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany
* Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province
*"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries
...
and
tail rotor
The tail rotor is a smaller rotor mounted vertically or near-vertically at the tail of a traditional single-rotor helicopter, where it rotates to generate a propeller-like horizontal thrust in the same direction as the main rotor's rotation. The ...
s. The latter is accompanied at the extreme tail by a fin/underfin pair, both swept and slender. A narrow pair of
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 gyroplane ...
s is located forward of the tail rotor on the boom, though the prototype initially flew with a
T-tail
A T-tail is an empennage configuration in which the tailplane is mounted to the top of the fin. The arrangement looks like the capital letter T, hence the name. The T-tail differs from the standard configuration in which the tailplane is ...
. The Kiss can have either a skid or retractable wheel
undercarriage
Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include:
*The landing gear of an aircraft.
*The ch ...
.
The main rotor advances to the right and the anti-torque tail rotor, mounted on the left side of the tail boom, advances at the bottom.
The semi-articulated main rotor is supported on an underslung teetering hinge. Pitch inputs to the main rotor blades are transmitted via rods inside the hollow main rotor shaft.
Control of the Kiss is conventional and manual. Dual control is an option. It is fitted with an
electronic flight instrument system (EFIS).
After ground runs on 15 July 2009, the Kiss flew for the first time on 13 August. The first production aircraft completed company testing at the end of January 2011 and went to the
Aéro-Club de France
The Aéro-Club de France () was founded as the Aéro-Club on 20 October 1898 as a society 'to encourage aerial locomotion' by Ernest Archdeacon, Léon Serpollet, Henri de la Valette, Jules Verne and his wife, André Michelin, Albert de Dion, ...
for a six-month evaluation.
Variants
;209M
:Retractable three-wheel undercarriage. The nosewheel retracts rearwards, the other inwards.
;209MF
:Twin fixed skid undercarriage: 20 kg (44 lb) lighter, maximum cruising speed reduced by 16 km/h (10 mph).
Specifications (209M)
See also
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fama Kiss 209
2000s Italian helicopters
2000s Italian aircraft