29 November 2011
After more than ten years of development, NEO, the new kit-built light helicopter from Youngcopter, left the ground taking its first test flight on 31 October 2011. The flight took place at Mainz Airfield, Germany, and was used to qualitatively assess stability and control properties of the helicopter.
Björn Jung, the man behind the development of NEO, stated, “With this first flight, we have reached the most significant milestone and our project is now entering a new phase.” He further explained the current stage of NEO’s development. “As expected, the rotor is very responsive and also for yaw control the Jet Control System (JCS) requires small inputs only.” A feature of the aircraft is the composite structure of the airframe, which is the central element holding together all other subassemblies. It consists of 10 main parts and is manufactured in a single process.
As part of the certification process, NEO now has to fulfil numerous tests on the ground and in the air, with considerable effort from those involved to confirm a fixed date for the beginning of the kit production, which is likely to be 2013, at the earliest.
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