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The Revolution Mini-500 is a 1990s American single-seat light helicopter, designed and built by Revolution Helicopter Corporation as a kit for homebuilding.〔 Revolution Helicopter went out of business in November 1999 and kits are no longer available.〔〔Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 214. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X〕 ==Development== The Mini-500 was designed as a light helicopter that resembles a scaled-down Hughes 500, powered by a Rotax 582 two-stroke engine.〔 The Mini-500 design was initially based upon Augusto Cicaré's control system design as incorporated in his CH-6 prototype helicopter, but Fetters and Cicaré were unable to agree on licensing terms. Fetters instead elected to design and patent a "newly improved control system".〔Armstrong, Kenneth: ''Choosing Your Homebuilt — the one you will finish and fly! Second Edition'', page 202-205. Butterfield Press, 1993. ISBN 0-932579-26-4〕 The Mini-500 has a tubular steel fuselage with a foam and glass-fibre structure cabin. It has a two-bladed semi-rigid rotor and a conventional two-blade tail rotor. The first Mini-500 flew in 1992 and the company delivered the first production factory-assembled helicopter in July 1994. Production of kits ceased in 1999 and the company claimed that more than 500 had been sold.〔 The factory advertised the kits saying: "no machining, welding or cutting is required and the package includes pre-drilled guide holes for easy alignment during construction ... pre-fabricated, lightweight superstructure with all complicated components pre-assembled at the factory, ''i.e.'', upper main transmission/reduction with rotor head, instrumentation panel, and tail rotor gear box assembly)." Also included in the kit were the composite cabin structure, doors, transmission cover and horizontal stabilizer.〔 The initial kit price was US$24,500 and included the Rotax 582 powerplant, fiberglass enclosure, basic instrumentation, electric starter, landing lights and navigation lights. The components came pre-painted in a variety of optional colors. The composite tail and main rotor blades were advertised as “lifetime on condition", indicating no fixed lifespan. Assembly time was advertised as 40 hours.〔 After Revolution Helicopter ceased operations there was an attempt in 2003 led by Richard Stitt and Stitt Industries Inc to restart production of the Mini-500. The company started providing replacement engines to existing Mini-500 owners to replace the under-powered Rotax 582s and intended to produce new Mini-500s. Initial intentions were that it would be powered by a Mazda Wankel engine, but this was abandoned and plans shifted to the Solar T62 turbine engine. There is no indication that Stitt delivered any aircraft kits.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Revolution Mini-500」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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