American homebuilt helicopter
| XE
|
|
| XEL variant with floats
|
| Role
|
Kit helicopter Type of aircraft
|
| National origin
|
Canada
|
| Manufacturer
|
Mosquito Aviation
Innovator Technologies
Composite FX
|
| Designer
|
John Uptigrove
|
| Introduction
|
2004
|
| Number built
|
37+
|
| Developed from
|
Mosquito Air
|
The Mosquito Aviation XE is a single seat homebuilt helicopter.
By 2015 Mosquito Aviation was out of business and the design was being produced by Innovator Technologies of Rockyview, Alberta, Canada.[1] By 2019 the design was being produced by Composite FX of Trenton, Florida.[2]
Design and development
The XE is a development of the Mosquito Air, with a cockpit fairing and a more sophisticated exhaust system, plus a rotor diameter increased by 40 cm (15.7 in) to support the higher gross weight. The aircraft was designed to comply with the US Experimental – Amateur-built and European microlight aircraft rules. It features a single main rotor and tail rotor, a single-seat enclosed cockpit with a windshield, skid landing gear and a two-cylinder, air-cooled, two stroke 64 hp (48 kW) MZ 202 engine.[1]
The aircraft fuselage is made from composites and metal tubing. Its two-bladed rotor has a diameter of 5.95 m (19.5 ft) and a chord of 17 cm (6.7 in). The aircraft has a typical empty weight of 135 kg (298 lb) and a gross weight of 280 kg (617 lb), giving a useful load of 145 kg (320 lb). With full fuel of 45 litres (9.9 imp gal; 12 US gal) the payload for the pilot and baggage is 112 kg (247 lb).[1]
