Keck's Helicycle Wins Again

(Note: With all the hubbub surrounding the first commercial flight into space, Oshkosh and the political conventions, I overlooked a submission that definitely deserves your attention. Please... read on --ed.)

It was a Thursday morning, July 16th. The still air over Hillsboro (OH) was filled with the sounds of rotor blades and arriving motor homes. During the course of the weekend over 500 people and 56 helicopters converged at the Bell-Air Ranch.

Homer Bell's Helicopter Fly-In began 20 years ago as an experimental helicopter event with mostly Rotorway products showing up. Recently there has been everything from Rotorways and Helicycles to Jet Rangers and Hueys. This year there were more than 50 helicopters of all types. Among them, there were 9 Eagle R&D Helicycles, several Rotorway EXECs, Baby Bells and a couple of Rotorway Scorpions along with commercial helicopters such as Brantleys, Jet Rangers, R22s, Enstroms, Bell 47s and more.

Two Rotorway Execs flew in from Western Canada -- one of them, the turbine powered Rotorway Exec that started the Jet Exec craze. That ship is owned by Russ Gerrish of Calgary, the other Canadian Rotorway Exec is owned by Al Behuncick of Red Deer. The turbine powered Rotorway Exec won the "Reserve Grand Champion Turbine Powered" award and Al won the "Farthest Distance Flown to Homer's" award.

Helicycle N571DK owned by David Keck of Georgetown Texas walked away with top honors being awarded "Grand Champion Turbine Powered" and the coveted "Builders Choice" award which is voted for only by helicopter building peers. The "Grand Champion Piston Powered" award went to Terry Everhart of Florida and "Reserve Grand Champion Piston Powered" went to Mike Mazar of Michigan.

FMI: www.kitcopterconsult.com