CH77 Ranabot

Role	Helicopter Type of aircraft
National origin	Italy
Manufacturer	Heli-Sport
Status	In production (2017)

The Heli-Sport CH77 Ranabot is an Italian helicopter designed and produced by Heli-Sport of Turin. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction.^[1]

Design and development

The CH77 Ranabot was designed to comply with the European Class 6 microlight helicopter rules. It features a single main rotor and tail rotor, a single-seat, a two-seats-in side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit, skid landing gear and an EPA Power-modified four-cylinder, liquid and air-cooled, four stroke 130 hp (97 kW) Rotax 914 engine.^[1]

The aircraft's two-bladed rotor has a diameter of 6.28 m (20.6 ft). The aircraft has a typical empty weight of 280 kg (617 lb) and a gross weight of 500 kg (1,102 lb), giving a useful load of 220 kg (485 lb). With full fuel of 66 litres (15 imp gal; 17 US gal) the payload for the pilot, passenger and baggage is 173 kg (381 lb). The microlight category version has a gross weight of 450 kg (992 lb)^[1]

Reviewer Werner Pfaendler wrote, "with side-by-side seating combined with excellent comfort, handling and performance, plus a reliable engine (a Rotax 914 tuned by EPA Power), it has a lot to offer...[It] boasts minimal operating costs, only some 6% higher than the CH7 Kompress Charlie 2".^[1]

Specifications (CH77 Ranabot)

Data from Tacke and manufacturer^[1]^[2]

General characteristics

Crew: one
Capacity: one passenger
Length: 7.240 m (23 ft 9 in)
Height: 2.470 m (8 ft 1 in)
Empty weight: 280 kg (617 lb)
Gross weight: 500 kg (1,102 lb)
Fuel capacity: 66 litres (15 imp gal; 17 US gal) (one 33.5 litres (7.4 imp gal; 8.8 US gal) tank and one 32.5 litres (7.1 imp gal; 8.6 US gal) aux tank)
Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 914 four cylinder, liquid and air-cooled, four stroke aircraft engine, tuned and balanced by EPA Power, 97 kW (130 hp)
Main rotor diameter: 6.28 m (20 ft 7 in)
Main rotor area: 31 m² (330 sq ft)