The Avimech Dragonfly DF-1 is an American

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 ...

produced by Avimech International Aircraft, Inc. of

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. Originally developed in Switzerland, the aircraft is supplied complete and ready-to-fly.Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 204. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.

Design and development

The DF-1 was designed 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 ...

aircraft rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of . The aircraft has a standard empty weight of . It features a single main rotor and tail rotor, a single-seat, open cockpit without a windshield, skid landing gear with ground handling wheels. The rotor is driven by

tip jet A tip jet is a jet nozzle at the tip of some helicopter rotor blades, used to spin the rotor, much like a Catherine wheel firework. Tip jets replace the normal shaft drive and have the advantage of placing no torque on the airframe, thus not re ...

s fueled by

hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscous than water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usually as a dilute solution (3%� ...

, which emits only water vapour and oxygen as exhaust products. The tail rotor is fitted only for directional control as it is not required to counteract torque, as the tip jet system does not require torque compensation. The aircraft

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...

is made from steel and

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...

tubing. Its two-bladed rotor has a diameter of . The aircraft has a typical empty weight of and a gross weight of , giving a useful load of .

Specifications (DF-1)

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.avimech.com/dragonfly-df1
Video of DF-1 flight
DF-1 2010s United States sport aircraft 2010s United States ultralight aircraft 2010s United States civil utility aircraft 2010s United States helicopters Tipjet-powered helicopters

Design and development

Specifications (DF-1)

See also

References

External links