Homebuilt and Sport Helicopters of New Zealand - Innovator Mosquito Air

The Innovator Mosquito Air is a single seat very light helicopter designed by John Uptigrove and originally manufactured by Mosquito Aviation.  It was then supplied as a kit by Innovator Technologies Ltd of Rockyview, Alberta in Canada, complying with FAR Part 103 Ultralight regulations which require a maximum empty weight of 254 pounds.  It first flew in 2000 and has been much developed since into a range of Mosquito helicopters.  In 2019 manufacture of the latest models of Mosquito helicopters transferred to Composite FX of Trenton in Florida.

The Mosquito Air is made from aircraft grade aluminium and the tailboom is a carbon fibre tube supported by vee struts.  Its length is 16 feet (4.87 metres) and its rotor diameter is 18 feet 1 inch (5.5 metres).  Empty weight is 254 pounds (115 Kg) and MAUW is 529 pounds (240 Kg).  I am not sure what the earliest engines were but a common engine was the Zanzoterra MZ 202 which is a 2 cylinder air cooled 2 stroke producing 64 HP, and this gives a cruise speed of 63 mph (55 knots).

We have had only one Mosquito Air registered in New Zealand:

Oskar Stielau of North Shore briefly registered hi Mosquito Air as ZK-JNG3 (c/n 1083) on 12/2/08.  It was registered microlight but I guess when it was realised it was a helicopter it was re-registered as ZK-HNG6 on 20/2/08.  It is photo'd above at Parakai on 6/10/08.

And again at Parakai on 1/3/09 with a change of colour scheme?
 

Also at an airshow at Parakai on 19/2/11, Oskar is flying his Mosquito Air with another Mosquito flying in the background.  They buzzed around like real mosquitos!

ZK-HNG6 was cancelled as withdrawn on 7/1/19 but it went on to more interesting things.