Fl282 - Kolibri ‘The Hummingbird’

The FL 282 Kolibri (Hummingbird) was developed in the early 1940's by German aviation engineer Anton Flettner, and is considered to be the world's first serial production helicopter. The Kolibri used an inter-meshing rotor arrangement which comprised two twin-bade rotors mounted side-by-side that would rotate in opposite directions. Power came from a seven-cylinder SH 14 radial engine mounted behind the single seat cockpit.

This was another build and paint review for The Modelling News. It was a complex but an enjoyable kit for the most part…although the engineering and confusion around the rotor positions was a bit of a test…

A Brief History…

Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri Characteristics
Crew: 1or 2
Length: 6.56 m (21 ft 6 in)
Height: 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)
Weight (empty): 760 kg (1,676 lb)
Max take-off weight: 1,000 kg (2,205 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Bramo Sh.14A 7-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engine, 119 kW (160 hp)
Main rotor diameter: 2× 11.96 m (39 ft 3 in)
Main rotor area: 224.69 m2 (2,418.5 sqft)

Performance
Maximum speed: 150 km/h (93 mph; 81 kn) at sea level
Range: 170 km (106 mi; 92 nmi)
Service ceiling: 3,300 m (10,800 ft) / Hover ceiling: 300 m (984 ft)
Rate of climb: 1.52 m/s (299 ft/min)
Rotor loading: 8.84 kg/m2 (1.81 lb/sqft)