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These are the top 5 craziest homemade helicopters

From single-seaters to two-seaters, these are the most insane homemade helicopters in the world, some of which you can build and fly yourself.

Published on Mar 30, 2023 at 4:30PM (UTC+4)

Last updated on Mar 31, 2023 at 1:59PM (UTC+4)

Edited by Kate Bain
XEL Composite-FX - homemade helicopter

These are some of the craziest homemade helicopters in the world.

From the Hungaro Copter to the Vortech Skylark, people have built and actually flown some crazy DIY contraptions.

So, counting down from five to one, let’s dive in.

READ MORE! Top 6 craziest, most unusual RC models in the world

5. Rotorway Scorpion II

Kicking off this list is the Rotorway Scorpion II designed by a man called B.J. Schramn.

Having previously designed a single-seater, Schramn decided to up the ante and create the two-seater Scorpion II.

It’s a nifty-looking chopper that has a range of 201 km (125 miles).

It’s pretty nippy, too, with a cruise speed of 121 km/h (75 mph).

That’s pretty impressive for a homemade chopper.

4. Hungaro Copter

The Hungaro Copter is an awesome helicopter kit perfect for the amateur or backyard pilot.

It’s a single seater with either an enclosed cockpit with a fairing, or an open-cockpit without a windshield – if you live somewhere with a warmer climate.

The kit, which takes 300 hours to build, consists of a single main rotor and tail rotor, skid landing gear, and a four-cylinder, four stroke 135 hp engine.

That automotive engine gives a gentle cruising speed of 130 km/h (81 mph).

3. Mosquito Ultralight

If you’ve got about 20 grand lying around and nothing to do for the next 200 hours, consider putting together your own Mosquito Ultralight.

The Mosquito can only carry about 12 gallons of fuel at a time, but gives a good range of 241 km (150 miles).

The only real catch is that the homemade helicopter isn’t much more than an exposed seat and a rotor.

So, while it’s incredibly accessible, it may not be for the faint of heart. 

2. XEL Composite-FX

The XEL Composite-FX is one of the very few helicopter kits that you can put together and fly without needing a pilot’s license.

The kit comes with a piston-powered engine that lets the pilot fly for 45 minutes at a time, with a cruising speed of around 100 km/h (62 mph).

It even comes with floats, so you can take her down to the lake, to get a little rest and relaxation in.

Best of all, it only costs $41,000.

1. Vortech Skylark

Produced by the Maryland-based Vortech, the Skylark is their design for amateur construction.

Considered to be an experimental aircraft, maybe with its funky and bare-bones look, it’s not hard to see why.

The Vortech Skylark comes with a  single main rotor and a single seat open cockpit that totally forgoes the windshield.

Since it can pick up a maximum speed of 153 km/h (95 mph), you may want to wear some heavy duty goggles to keep all those bugs out of your eyes.

Vortech Skylark
Vortech Skylark / Image: Vortech
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