Quest for glory

One interesting announcement at the Dubai Air Show - the introduction of an 'all-new' civil helicopter with a remarkable tandem-rotor configuration and (this particularly cool) an eject-able crew and passenger capsule. The Quest AVQ has a Russian designer, Volodymyr Udovenko from Aerovortex, will be powered by Ukrainian FADEC engines (rated at 465shp) and built in the UAE.

With production scheduled to start in 2014, the first four-seat model, priced at US$2.95 million, is expected to have a range of 700km, max speed of 295kph and endurance of 3.6 hours.  MTOW will be 2,250 kg and empty weight 1,300kg. Pretty light for a twin. It will be aimed at the usual private/corporate, utility and public service sectors and promoted primarily to the Middle East, China, Africa and India.

On the face of it, this represents a radical a step in rotorcraft design. I hope that the transmission is more robust than it looks -- and why does the tail section have to be so chunky? -- and want to have a closer look. I hear Quest will be at The Helicopter Show at Silverstone next September.