"An average soldier can learn to fly it in 30 to 40 minutes; a helicopter pilot takes two hours." Brian Nalborough is unlikely to endear himself to the professional rotary wing fraternity, but his Intora Firebird multi-mission helicopter in the static park does look remarkably simple to master. As director of Intora-Firebird plc at Southend-on-Sea, Nalborough has brought a highly individual aircraft to the show, where he hopes to gain orders for both manned and unmanned versions.

Nobody could accuse the Firebird of being complicated. Looking like a tubular steel armchair, it consists of nothing more than two fuel tanks on each side of a seat, topped with a rotor and with a small V-tail at the rear. Helicopter pilots like to say their mounts take three hands to fly, but the Firebird has just one control and one instrument (a revolution counter). A single control column (the monotrol) with a twist-grip throttle has full directional authority, including up and down.

"If you can ride a motor-bike, you can fly a Firebird," said Nalborough.

The piloted version has a small anti-torque rotor half way down the tail boom; the unmanned version does not. Continuing his popularity offensive, Nalborough observed, "The tail rotor is there because helicopter pilots like it; it's not essential."

Key to the helicopter's simplicity is its power source. Fuel is 85% hydrogen peroxide, fed under pressure to jets at the tip of each rotor, where it decomposes into superheated steam and oxygen at 630 degrees C. The jets weigh about 1 pound each and together generate 100 horsepower-the same as a 220-pound aircraft engine.

As thrust to turn the rotors comes from their tips, torque effects are all-but eliminated, so an anti-torque rotor is not strictly required. Where fitted, it is driven from the turning main rotor shaft.

Also on show is the two-seat, enclosed-cabin, Atlas tip-jet helicopter which was part of the program obtained about a year ago from the original Swiss owners of the Firebird. There are no plans to put the Atlas into production in the near future, Nalborough said, as his company is not seeking civil sales until a proper training course can be formulated in conjunction with the Civil Aviation Authority.

For the moment, the Firebird is being promoted in military/law-enforcement guise, where maneuverability, low radar and IR signatures, and stability are valuable assets. In stark contrast to earlier tip-jet helicopters (for those who remember the Sud Djinn or even the compound Fairey Rotordyne), noise is said to be extremely low. In unmanned form, where reconnaissance is an obvious application in view of the 30,000-foot ceiling, operation is by two operators working at a pair of easily transported control boxes.

Production will begin at Southend early next year. Nalborough said there is a potential for 500 sales of this unusual, yet evidently versatile rotorcraft.

By Paul Jackson.