New Zealand’s Composite Helicopters has shifted its focus from developing and producing carbon-fiber kit helicopters to offering three certified models. The company recently announced that it has filed a type certification application with the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and said it intends to pursue FAA certification under the FAA/CAA bilateral airworthiness agreement.
Composite Helicopters says it now intends to produce three certified models: the KC630
with a Rolls-Royce 300 engine in an executive five-seat configuration, the KC650 with a Honeywell LTS101 engine in a utility six-seat configuration and an intermediate KC640 model with a Rolls-Royce 250-C20B engine. The company said certification for the KC630 is anticipated in late 2017, followed by the KC650 and KC640 in 2018, and that establishment of an international dealer and support network is pending. Composite Helicopters claims its helicopters are the first fabricated with a full monocoque fuselage fabricated entirely from rigid composite materials. The models are expected to have a top speed of 125 knots, maximum gross weights from 3,200 to 3,600 poundds and payloads between 1,350 and 1,650 pounds.
Composite Helicopters first announced its intention to enter the helicopter market in 2011 at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., displaying the fuselage of a kit helicopter it called the KC518 “Adventourer.” At that time, the carbon-fiber and Kevlar fuselage helicopter with a four-blade aluminum main rotor and shrouded composite tail rotor was planned to be offered as a $337,000 kit with a $44,500 fast-build option. The company said it would eventually be offered as a certified model for $795,000. Over the last several years a pair of KC518s has accumulated more than 250 flight test hours. Both have crashed.
The first accident occurred in May 2013 with a KC518 ditched into Auckland harbor
following an apparent engine malfunction. Company CEO Peter Maloney autorotated into the water following the annunciation of several engine warnings from the helicopter’s Rolls-Royce 250-C18 turboshaft. Maloney later posted to the company’s Facebook page that the helicopter “performed beautifully” with a “sedate entry into auto[rotation]…Up until now, the helicopter has been flying really well.”
The second occurred on November 8, 2014 when the machine rolled over after a hard landing during flight test in Rodney, Auckland. The test pilots aboard received minor injuries. They reported severe low-frequency vibration before making an emergency landing during which the helicopter pitched up and rolled on its side. Subsequent investigation revealed rod end component failure in the single scissor-link assembly of the upper swash plate and loss of main rotor control.
