National Press Agog

The SoloTrek has gotten more national publicity than any flying machine since the 'round-the-world Voyager. The difference is, Voyager and its pilots, Jeanna Yeager and Dick Rutan, accomplished an incredible feat.

The SoloTrek's photos are famous, as the foot-launched helicopter has been displayed in a number of venues. It's about eight feet tall, and weighs 325 pounds, according to the releases.

It flew publicly last month; last weekend's tethered liftoff was a private affair.

Promotional genius Michael Moshier, a former Naval aviator, has been showing the cool contraption, in various stages of design and completion, for about six years. It's been together enough to demonstrate since last year.

Funded by Moshier himself, private investors, and US taxpayers, in the form of Pentagon and NASA money, the brainchild of designer Robert Bulaga is supposed to have a range of 150 miles, and endurance of about two hours. It's controlled by two joysticks; and Moshier plans to equip it with a GPS moving map for navigation.

Too heavy to be a Part 103 Ultralight (among some other things), just where this machine will fit into the spectrum of airborne vehicles remains to be seen. It's too light to require a Type Rating...

It's complex in that it has what the press called an "ejection seat;" it has two thrust lines, too.

ANN left several messages at Millennium Jet, Moshier's company, in Sunnyvale (CA), last Spring and Summer; but we haven't had our calls returned. Meanwhile, the twin-rotor thingie continues to impress the rookie press, tethered to the ground and guided by a wire. [Hey, we don't begrudge them the visibility; but how many major-press stories have you seen about Van's, or Quicksilver, or an S-18? --ed.]

FMI: www.solotrek.com