Vertical Hummingbird
The Vertical Hummingbird is an American helicopter, produced by Vertical Aviation Technologies of Sanford, Florida that was introduced in 1991. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction.
Design and development
The Hummingbird is a development of the certified Sikorsky S-52 that first flew in 1947, adapted to kit form. The aircraft features a single main rotor, a four-seat enclosed cabin, quadracycle landing gear and an option for skids. The prototype was converted by Vertical Aviation Technologies from a Sikorsky S-52-3.The Hummingbird fuselage is made from riveted aluminum sheet. The nose section is adapted from the Bell 206. Its diameter fully articulated three-bladed main rotor employs a NACA 0015 airfoil. The two-bladed tail rotor has a diameter of. The aircraft has an empty weight of and a gross weight of, giving a useful load of. With full fuel of the payload is.
Variants
;VAT S-52-3:Prototype of the Hummingbird family, converted from an original Sikorsky S-52-3.;Hummingbird 260L
;Hummingbird 300LS
;Hummingbird 300L