“The Pinnacle of Freedom”: High Tech Hungarian Helicopter Takes Shape

A very Hungarian story: a modest, quiet technological genius and an amazing high-tech invention in the outskirts of a tiny, sleepy town called Verpelét in North-West Hungary. We have caught up with inventor and aviation engineer Gábor Farkas, founder of Hungarocopter, who is just about to launch his ultra-light helicopter to the international market.

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How did the whole venture start? How did you become a helicopter engineer?

I am the owner of two companies, one is Steel Riders Ltd, founded 30 years ago, which is a CNC parts manufacturing company. The story started when I started repairing old engines and vintage cars around the time of the regime change. I still have a 1925 Citroen tucked away in the back of my shed. This required a lot of aftermarket parts, but these were nowhere to be found. There was a constant problem getting parts, so I started shopping around: I bought a lathe, I bought a milling machine. Slowly, I surrounded myself with machines and then with people who helped me make them. The last 30 years have been about continuous improvement, and the turning shop now employs 50 people.

How did you progress towards your interest in aviation?

My interest in aviation started in primary school, I was a modeler as a child. Then I flew gliders, but my dream has always been helicopters, because

the highest level and degree of freedom can be achieved in a helicopter.

So I started studying helicopters, learning aerodynamics. I had studied mechanics before, and I was always interested in this field. I saw that if you put those two things together, you could make a helicopter.

Initially I wanted to buy an American home built kit helicopter as a first step. You could buy plans for it, and I bought quite a few of them. However, with the current technology – this is 2007 – and with our factory, these were considered ‘shoddy’, I saw that we could do much better.

How did you put together the capital for such a massive project?

In 2009, the economic crisis hit Hungary, and by then I had at least 25 employees and a few skilled engineers. I already had the knowledge of how a helicopter works, but I was also ignorant enough to start building one, so to say. Should I have known back then how complex such a venture is, I would have probably chosen something easier to do. But back then I only had simple drawings. As we had no orders due to the crisis, yet I did not want to let go of my good technicians, I asked them to stay and fulfill my dream of building a helicopter. Everyone was enthusiastic about the idea. This was the start of the helicopter design and development, Hungarocopter.

How did you acquire the necessary knowledge without the appropriate academic qualifications?

I studied helicopters a lot, I know almost all types. I have spent the last 20 years trying to uncover the solutions, ideas and information that the big helicopter companies are obviously trying to hide. The things that have not been revealed – what will stop it from vibrating, what makes it fly well, how to build a more efficient rotorcraft – I have come up with my own solutions, with outside help.

The plan was always to build a two-person helicopter. We have two single-seater helicopters of our own design. These were the milestones in which our first technical solutions and developments were implemented. The two-seater can also be used for training purposes, which makes it pretty marketable.

How far are you from completion and from launch?

The two-seater helicopter is 99 per cent complete, the certification is currently underway and we expect to receive the German and Hungarian type certificates by the middle/end of this year. What makes this machine special in its class is that it is faster, stronger, less shaky and more efficient than its competitors. It also has the advantage of being 10-20% cheaper than its competitors in its category. If the machine gets type approval, opening up the European and Asian markets, the price of the machine is expected to increase by 20-30 percent. So we are currently waiting for type approval and trying to develop the conditions for series production.

Many people have similar dreams but are discouraged through prohibitive costs.

The helicopter is one of the most challenging businesses from a financial point of view. There is a joke going around in this business that many people have become millionaires from helicopter development, but only ones who started out as billionaires in the outset. Hungary’s strength in this business is that experienced professionals (mainly agricultural, but also police and defense) are still active in the job market. The disadvantage is that there are very few helicopter professionals as such, not only in this country but also in Europe.

Helicopter development among the old socialist countries was done in Ukraine, Russia and Poland, but all of them made big machines. Small helicopters for private use were made only in the USA, and around 1995 they started to be experimented with in Italy.

Could you tell us about the technical specs of your helicopter?

In the ultralight category, which we were targeting, the maximum take-off weight was 450 kg until 2020. The regulations allowed two crews weighing at 80kg. This is included in the maximum weight, so the helicopter’s empty weight was capped at 290 kg including fuel. They could not really produce good, reliable machines in the category.

We were fortunate enough to have two advantages at our disposal. Around 2021, a new EASA regulation came out that allowed a weight of 600 kg to be allowed under national jurisdiction. We won a Hungarian tender in the 600 kg category. It was also the time when the new 140 bhp aircraft engine from the Austrian company Rotax appeared, one that could be used in a helicopter with a minimum of modification.

Ours is an internal combustion engine (ICE) helicopter, which we had been developing for 16-17 years. As far as I know this is the only helicopter in the 600 kg category that is so close to type certification. There are gas turbine, kerosene-powered helicopters in the category, but they have the disadvantage of being very expensive. Gas turbines are expensive, and the fuel consumption of the machines is also much higher (by 50 per cent). Overall, the running costs of gas turbine helicopters are 30 % higher than those of ICE (100 petrol) machines.

The hourly cost of operating the aircraft with a crew of two, taking into account depreciation, maintenance and other costs, is around 90,000 HUF (EUR 220).

The helicopter we have designed has a cruising speed of 160-170 km/h and a top speed of around 200 km/h. Fuel consumption is around 25 liters per hour. It can operate at an altitude of up to 3,000 meters, but it can also fly up to 4,000 meters. The ideal recommended altitude for the aircraft is 500-1,000 meters. The helicopter has its heating and can be used comfortably in winter. The price is 100 Million HUF (245,000 Euro). We are making great progress towards implementing autonomous operation, where the helicopter will fly without a pilot. Testing is already underway.

Does the product have its own unique technological solutions?

The plane features a number of innovations. The rotor blade technology is a proprietary development, designed here. In addition, the helicopter has a special clutch. The design is based on the use of the most modern materials. We use a lot of titanium, which is very light and strong. The main rotor shaft and many of the fasteners are also made of titanium. The helicopter has a steel tubular frame with a lattice structure. The helicopter’s cowling and external parts and the rotors are made of carbon, a carbon fiber composite, which we also manufacture in-house, on-site.

Apart from the engine, the instrument panel and some smaller parts, all the helicopter’s components are made here. We also have a few suppliers – the upholsterer who makes the plexiglass – but they are all Hungarian. We have made safety our main concern in manufacturing, and we have also targeted the premium category. The exterior design, the interior design and the ergonomics have been conceived with the market in mind.

So far, four flying schools – two German, one Latvian and one Lithuanian – have ordered from us, but we also have a new inquiry from Iraq. Negotiations are underway with a Chinese investor in helicopter trading and licensed manufacturing, as they see a potential. If an agreement is reached, there will be a technology transfer from our side towards our Chinese partner, Jiangxi Helicopter Co.

Who are your greatest competitors in this category?

Our competitor in the category is the CH77 Ranabot helicopter from Italy, which has been in the market for almost 20 years with an extensive service background. The aim is to replace their machines with ours.

In Hungary, we have an agreement with the Defense Export Agency, and there is considerable interest from them in both the company and the helicopter. In addition, the Youth Pilot Program will be launched in January 2025, with the aim of attracting young people aged 14-18 into the Defense Forces and aviation. The selection has not yet been made, but there is a good chance that Hungarocopter aircraft will be included in the program.

Finally, what is your personal opinion about the new Airbus helicopters that the Hungarian Air Force has recently acquired?

In my opinion, the Airbus H225M and H145M aircraft of the Hungarian Defense Forces were a good choice for the country’s military purposes. Airbus is a modern helicopter that has been in production for a long time and in large numbers.

Featured Image: Hungary Today