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The VTOL Aircraft Phillicopter is a 1970s Australian light utility helicopter designed, built and flown by Newcastle engineer Duan A. Phillips. The two-seat prototype first flew in 1971 and was developed by VTOL Aircraft Pty Ltd. The Phillicopter was granted an Australian type certificate in 1984 and the original prototype is preserved at Newcastle Museum as a unique example of Australian aviation history.
Design Duan A. Phillips, a Newcastle-based engineer, began designing a two-seat helicopter in 1962, initially working from his garage, and started to build a prototype in 1967. The prototype, the Phillicopter Mark I, was completed and first flew in 1971, powered by a single Rolls-Royce Continental O-200 engine.Taylor 1976, pp. 8–9. Phillips set up VTOL Aircraft Pty Ltd in 1971 to construct and develop the Phillicopter.Gunston 2005, p. 491. The Phillicopter was granted its Australian type certificate in 1984,Taylor 1988, p. 7. and the prototype was modified to represent a pre-production standard.Lambert 1993, p. 11.
The Phillicopter is a conventional two-seat helicopter with a two-blade rotor powered by a Lycoming O-360 piston engine. It has an enclosed cabin with removable doors and is fitted with dual controls. The open frame fuselage has a two-blade tail rotor at the rear. A 91-litre fuel tank is fitted and an optional 91-litre central tank can be fitted, although this can also be used for crop spraying chemicals rather than fuel. The Phillicopter has a fixed skid type landing gear.
Specifications
See also
References
Notes Taylor 1996, p. 297
Bibliography
External links Flight 22 June 1985