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Paraplegic adaptive devices for helicopter pilots?


rotorhead8

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Hey all, I have a friend who does not have use of his legs, and recently he inquired about flying rotary wing. I've done a little research and have found a story about a guy who got his rating in a 300c with a device called the aeroleg. I'm posting on here to see if anyone has any more information on this product or any other devices out there. thanks!

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I was actually thinking of this last week. I was watching the FireScout take off and I thought, hey all you need is their remote control system, but only the yaw axis, and connect it to a thumb force controller on the collective. This British guy's solution was obviously much cheaper, but I think he should move the little controller to the collective just to keep that mental connection between yaw and collective. Seems obvious really, but maybe that wasn't possible for his rig to work. Still pretty cool.

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Wasn't there a female officer who lost one or both legs who got her certificate a year or so ago? I thought for sure she was flying rotary.....I had wondered then if you couldnt have a correlator between the collective and pedals so that changes in power automatically gave you the correct pedal input. Then with a cable control on the collective you could make finer adjustments.

 

Sure sounds do-able to me. Grab an R22, modify it and make it experimental.....

 

Good luck to your friend,

 

Goldy

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Does this help from 2003

McQuillan has been a student at Helicenter since May; together, they have achieved certifications and authorizations from the FAA and the federal government so that the AeroLeg may be used safely in helicopters.

Helicenter is a fully bilingual facility that provides training to potential pilots from the US and Latin America and also serves as a sales center for the helicopter manufacturer, Schweizer Aircraft Corp.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Clara M. Sowers

Helicenter International Corp.

Ph: (305) 252-9016

Fax: (305) 252-2612

 

Contact

  • Clara Sowers
    Helicenter International Academy
    (305) 252-9016

Another link that could help

 

http://www.freedomintheair.org/the-british-disabled-flying-association-wwwbdfanet/

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Wasn't there a female officer who lost one or both legs who got her certificate a year or so ago? I thought for sure she was flying rotary.....I had wondered then if you couldnt have a correlator between the collective and pedals so that changes in power automatically gave you the correct pedal input. Then with a cable control on the collective you could make finer adjustments.

 

Sure sounds do-able to me. Grab an R22, modify it and make it experimental.....

 

Good luck to your friend,

 

Goldy

 

That was Tammy Duckworth. She since her injury, she obtained a fixed wing certificate and still retains her helo ratings. However, it seems she has not flown helo's since but seems to be able to operate the controls, according to this article, and even mentions she has researched how to adapt an R22 without pedals:

http://www.aopa.org/...orth/index.html

"...Bowlsbey said his wife makes no secret of the fact that she longs to fly helicopters again someday. They’ve already researched a method of adapting a Robinson R-22 helicopter for flight without pedals."

Edited by klas
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Does this help from 2003

McQuillan has been a student at Helicenter since May; together, they have achieved certifications and authorizations from the FAA and the federal government so that the AeroLeg may be used safely in helicopters.

Helicenter is a fully bilingual facility that provides training to potential pilots from the US and Latin America and also serves as a sales center for the helicopter manufacturer, Schweizer Aircraft Corp.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Clara M. Sowers

Helicenter International Corp.

Ph: (305) 252-9016

Fax: (305) 252-2612

 

Contact

  • Clara Sowers
    Helicenter International Academy
    (305) 252-9016

Another link that could help

 

http://www.freedomin...ion-wwwbdfanet/

thanks for this! ill be sure to pass the info on to my friend!

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  • 11 years later...

Yes, there's a guy in Arizona that has an stc for a bell. He's been flying since about 2000. It's a lot easier and cheaper to build. I've been to his house and actually seen it. Unfortunately I lost his number. But I've got copies of his drawings and stc and I'm going to build a set for a Rotorway (which I think is now RotorX). Probably cost me $2-300 in parts. 

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