Tuesday 27 September 2022

Homebuilt Helicopters of New Zealand - the Alf Crowe Helicopter

Alf Crowe was a well known aviation identity around Feilding, and in the late 1980s/early 1990s he built a homebuilt helicopter:

Sadly I do not know anything about this helicopter except that it was unregistered.  I took the photo in the early 1990s and that is Alf Crowe sitting just inside his narrow rotorcraft hangar at Feilding aerodrome.  Although I was right there I never asked Alf anything about his helicopter which I regret.  It looks to be well made. 

Can anyone else shed any light on this helicopter?

3 comments:

  1. Mr.Crowe was one of the pioneers developing the Adams/Wilson plans built helicopter of the 1950's.
    Still have a booklet somewhere that he send me ( to Europe) in which he explained his construction. The original A/W helicopter used aTriumph motorcycle engine, Mr Crowe used a somewhat more reliable 4T VW Beatle engine.

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  2. I help with the assembly of this and spent a lot of time with Alf I am on face book Kyle Davies my self son and dushund as profile

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  3. This machine is of the Adams Wilson design,it looks like the power unit is a marine outboard engine power head, using 2 radiators for the immense cooling reqiured, probably a 3 cylinder job..not a VW beetle engine.

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