The Cicare SVH-4 tethered helicopter trainer was developed from the Cicare 7 two seat tandem helicopter and both are powered by a Rotax 912 engine. (I think there might be a Cicare 7 helicopter in New Zealand, in Hawkes Bay but it has not been registered).
The concept of the Cicare SVH-4 is of a helicopter that can move on a concrete pad with eight free castoring wheels that allow unrestricted horizontal movement while pneumatic pressure allows the helicopter to rise up to 3 metres on two columns like a pontoon rises with the tide. This allows student pilots to practice hovering in safety and in theory allows some hours to be credited towards a helicopter license at a cheaper hourly rate. This is why Tim Pike's Cicare SVH-4 is registered on the New Zealand civil register although it can never fly freely.
However that nice theory has run into bureaucratic problems and Tim has had his helicopter trainer on sale on Trade Me for some time, and it still is.
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