«Car - not a luxury but a means of transportation" - cocky, we thought to the era of tight jams in the capital's roads. Life makes beat on the road localized impacts. In Russia there was a private small aircraft with vertical take-off. Its pilots - the people who can afford to maintain its own helicopter for business purposes and, of course, for the rest. What do they own and to steer and how to relax under the umbrella of rotary-wing power with a herd of horsepower?

Planes well, and helicopters better

passion for helicopters usually begins with the aircraft. Many of those who are fond of winged aircraft, with the time change to a helicopter. There are many reasons. The plane is beneficial where there is n olnaya loading and flight distance of up to 1000 km, the helicopter also works in the operational zone of 500-700 km. It is safer and, most importantly, does not require runways. Ulterior motive in the recent reports about the program inception in Moscow and Moscow region air taxi service. The Moscow City Government even bought 45 single-engine six-aircraft M101 Gzhel, spending about a million Gzhel gather at the Nizhny Novgorod plant "Sokol" - the same place where they make and the MiG-29. The general budget of the program is about billion The trend, however: the sale of helicopters to grow 30% a year. In the coming years we will experience real helicopter boom. Steel yachts boats have already played their - in the port of five seas "more than 500 million dollars more expensive yachts. The next step steel dragonflies, they are becoming an integral part of the image of those who have "everything was." For example, the owner of a construction company "Peregrine" Sergei Shmakov has already two helicopters. A Turkmenbashi recently ordered some in the U.S. armored Sikorsky million for
I must say, in Russia before the Revolution had a tradition of "heavenly rest". There was this Mr. Fyodorov, a provider of the Court of His Majesty's well-known fact that had his airplane at Khodynka and every morning after breakfast with a half-hour it flew. With him, probably, and began private aviation in Russia.
Let's not talk about the romance of this leisure time - do know that finding the sky, a person is experiencing a tremendous sense of freedom and inspiration , which is almost comparable to the religious act. But while we are only at the start of a great adventure: across Russia today, just something about 60 helicopters in private ownership.

Celestial Chronicles

For prospective study of the topics we met with one of the country's first owners of the helicopter, the founder and leader of the private Air Club "gals" Eugene Evdokimov. His American "Robinson, 44, beloved machine Australian shepherds and Texas oilmen.
« I'm flying for many years - says Evdokimov - but still rise into the sky experiencing it for the first time ... it's an amazing feeling, helicopters make the world more real, and life long. " This man lives in a well-known principle of bats "We were born to make fairy tale come true ..." - and I must say, it turns out. Ten years ago Evdokimov visited the Grand Canyon and saw the U.S. as a favorite on the background of American westerns of the sun on the landing comes the handsome helicopter. On the ground of it came a busty blonde and her friend the pilot. "Who are you, a millionaire?" - The US-Russian simplicity of asked him Evdokimov. "No, I just truck drivers, - replied the pilot. - Want to fly? »
To Eugene this meeting at the Grand Canyon was like the ascension of Moses on Mount Nebo. He was chronically ill with helicopters, sold his apartment the vitamin business, bought the first "Robinson" and became a distributor of several American companies producing helicopters. That Yevdokimov Russian market is obliged by the fact that it appeared the most popular in the world of light helicopters - Eugene invested in their certification 0 thousand
Apologists for gas turbine engines say they are less reliable piston . Turbine "McDonald Douglas 600" takes 5 passengers and fly in any weather - from -40 to +40, in rain, snow, storm, with wind strength, break trees - 27 m/sec. "Porshneviki" conclusively prove otherwise. Standing light helicopter 0 thousand, and turbine equipment twice as expensive. After all, technologies that are used in aviation, had not self, and a helicopter - it's not a flying car. Their velocities are related approximately as 1:3, but the helicopter, there is one huge advantage - it does not need roads. Evdokimova for the fight against bad roads through the "Hammer" - a sort of national transportation illness, the diagnosis of lack of taste and imagination. "Robinson" flies on the 91-m gasoline. Fuel consumption 13 l/h - the same as a jeep. One refueling is enough for 650 km. If we take stock of 20-liter jerry can, you can fly to St. Petersburg.

How much is a ticket to heaven

In complex Russian situation there are two ways to ensure that the fly on his own helicopter. First: buy a helicopter and register your own airline. It is expensive and troublesome - and then, buying a car, you do not open their own taxi cab company? Therefore, a more convenient second option: bought a helicopter registered in the Air Club, and there put to the service.
Evdokimov, for example, bought the helicopter was not for business, but just to fly. But a clash with reality forced him to create the whole structure of airworthiness, maintenance and flight software. So there was a club "Gals", which today is a commercial agent for the world famous company Sikorsky. Son of the great Russian-American aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky Sergei personally come to inspect the club and was pleased. Still, the club have nachletom Evdokimova - the legendary pilot of USSR champion in aerobatics Stanislav Lebedev. One of the few who have flown over Moscow several tens of hours - and after flying over the capital more difficult than to get to the North Pole. Last summer, the club traced, that is doing a corridor for flight over Russia Englishman, who was flying solo around the globe in a helicopter "McDonald Douglas 500", after which he was listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Russia overcame it without straining for 4 days, flying for 6-7 hours a day with an average speed of 270 km/h. In the west
control helicopter - all the same that we fuck driving license additional category. In the U.S., 600 thousand private aircraft and more than 800 thousand pilots. In 2004 there were produced and sold in 1470 all types of helicopters. We have virtually the same one helicopter for civilian use - Mi-8. In its own way unique: more than 30 years on the market, and competitors it is not there. Over 4 million to acquire all-weather car with decent speed and capacity can only be in Russia. Here's comfort - it's another thing that we do not yet know how. Our helicopters - it's dinosaurs: tank to transport or kiloton bomb - please, but a man dying from an accident or an attack of appendicitis - this somehow nobody thought of that. Small and comfortable car we have to buy in other countries. Indeed, the development of new models costs 0,000,000 per ton of weight.

Forbidden myth and windows ROSTO

cost of used four-seater helicopter is comparable to the cost of the new " Mercedes. If you still make a correction on the breadth of our open spaces and shower, the price is not an issue. The main problem of Russian helicopter, according to Eugene Evdokimov - is "ublyudskie rules" that do not change for decades. Lack of a clear law hinders the development of our small aircraft, including helicopters. Our people are not rushing into the sky, fearing purely bureaucratic problems.
around the world fly by helicopter - is like riding a bicycle. Fly where you want: over the city, on private property - the air commons. There are, of course, and "traffic lights" - it's airfields, flying them, it is necessary either to stay or fly around. Our air is still mostly owned by the military. But flying is not like the movement on an intricate maze of exclusion zones - rather reminiscent of the movement through the spacious field, where there are small holes, or rather poles.
Home helicopters can be carried out Aeroclub grounds or with a private area the size of a tennis court. Acquire a quite simple: in Moscow, they recorded more than 50, including on the roofs of new skyscrapers - for growth, so to speak. However, air traffic is still severe: for their violation can lose everything at once, including, it is possible freedom of movement in general. With the permissive nature of operations we seem to live for a long time, but perk up and the air flow is allowed Air Club. This year, for example, all belonging to the system ROSTO - and there around the country more than 300 - are allowed to organize flights, including air-taxi driver. Enough for one day apply to the nearest Air Club - and if at the time of launch in the sky will be buzzing the presidential helicopter (if all, as they say, "fields"), the corridor is opened, and please, fly. During the eight years of flight Evdokimov only twice had to wait for permission to take off as much as 20 minutes. Without notice in urgent cases, the question of the rise can be solved in an hour.
Addition to business travel is becoming fashionable to fly on helicopters not only to hunt, but also in Sochi bought for a weekend or fish on Lake Seliger DMPA. He sat himself in a forest clearing, away from curious natives abandoned gear from the souls of DMPA and a half hours again in Moscow. No traffic jams, no traffic police, or other dubious joy of birth to crawl. Rent a small helicopter would cost at 0 per hour regardless of Lyon will fly or wait for you to stretch out along the river bank or dragnet Shoot boar in the forest.

Wolf Ninja and autorotation

Among the helicopter goes a lot of hunting tales. For example, tell us about the wolf-ninja who has managed to disappear in three birches. His long persecuted by the field until he ran into the trees and not "disappeared." Already flying off, the pilots saw the wolf, standing on its hind legs, pressed against a tree, so that almost merged with it. Why not learn to take life less contraption next to the man. In fact, the pilots did not respect the hunt from a helicopter, considering it dishonorable occupation - murder, simply put. Here to see moose in the woods and tell tourists coordinate - this is normal. Or the same as fishing. By the way, many helicopters are special inflatable cylinders, a kind of airbags: press a button - and a second, they make a helicopter amphibious.
But even just flying by helicopter, without any special needs - a high-quality and not incomparable holiday. Evdokimov with friends on his "Robinson once flew in the Khanty-Mansiysk - it was a real journey, with aerial to give to friends, feasts, baths, girls and even a rally at smaller cities with slogans like:" a blow on the road ... "- and then raised his head from the villagers of open-mouthed amazement and envy accompanied bright dragonfly, as once the Antelope-Gnu. Do you know what color the sea during the storm? Think of black? It appears, on the contrary, white, because the wind rips the foam of waves with crests and turns it into dust. Well it can only be seen from a helicopter.
Have your own helicopter, even cheaper than to keep a yacht - with its snappy berthing fees, semi-annual outage and "river wolves". Rarely goes to the Moscow region "water" usually end in stormy peers. Helicopter pilots, too, sometimes, a drink, but the discipline they have quite different - for aviation franchises does not pardon. Although the statistics of American Insurers helicopter found the safest in the world of travel (!), But the most dangerous was the car ....
Become a pilot today is no more difficult than motorists. Over 42 hours of practice and thousands you can get the pilot's license in the same "Hals. By the way, Stas Lebedev has Russia's only instructor, officially entitled to sign the pilot's license. According to him, most importantly in the art of flight - to learn to hang out: if the pilot felt that the dynamic instability and learned to keep the helicopter in place, everything else is easier than driving. And then - either you crossings or Speedster. Most often, the neophytes with a hidden anxiety ask the perennial question: what if the engine fails? It turns out that the helicopter - it's not a bank with an iron screw, it could glide. If the engine stops, and that happens very rarely, the helicopter is easily translated into autorotation: the pilot changes the angle of the blades so that the flow of air coming from below to tighten up and the helicopter is more or less gradually lowered. Some models even have a choice of landing sites. In addition, modern cars have a "foolproof": while in the air, "press the wrong button" virtually impossible.

first flight, or the best prevention of prostate

I close the door of the cab and wear seat belts, interior "Robinson" almost does not differ from the salon decent foreign cars. The machine heated, you are ready to take off, turn on the engine, bilobed screw, rotating with acceleration raises the snowy sludge and drives across the meadow, dry stalks of cane, we slowly come off. Glade slowly lost sight of the climb. Almost no sensations, but a lot of sense: Holy smoke, fly! The machine goes soft in the cabin, you can talk without headphones.
're Flying too high to winter the land is not turned into a contour map. Bottom of the problem, the roads and traveling on them box cars, they are looked down upon - we are in effect, and they are on the plane. We fly over the Moskva river and see how the fisherman pulls out of the wells fishes - the height in a strange way sighted. The pilot makes a turn, and a helicopter, leaning to one side, draw an ellipse - the horizon is almost pop, but do not feel like the carousel, but rather - as carried on board. Even the sharp gusts of wind did not shake the car - this is because the rotation of the screw creates a kind of air umbrella, and the wind flow around it. So where the plane crashes in the air holes, the helicopter goes like on rails. Easy vibration is comparable with that feel, riding on the rollers. It gives the conversation a few unexpected direction.
- Before the flight I did not have children and now four - said Eugene, slightly moving his wheel. - It's all due to vibration, because we are riders.
- Someone who?!
- Riders! - Repeats louder Evdokimov. - Air Hussars. Hussars were famous because of its potency because it rode on horseback. The horse is warm, and moving all the time a rider feels a vibration. That is, is prostate massage, hence the heightened sexuality. By the way, I have a seat in a helicopter heated.
We make another circle and back into the clearing. The fact that it is a real airport, one can understand except by developing the wind red-white "witch" and zimuyuschemu in snowdrifts old one AN-2. That's it - the initiation of hitherto unknown reality took place. We go for tea in a warm shed for "debriefing».
Company representatives of Moscow monorails Alexander Lazebnaya luckier to him without any training given "steer" - that is to hold helm.
- Well, how?
- Cool! Do not expect ... Play of the lightest movements.
- The car looks like?
- Chances for an intelligent and well-bred horse - smiling, Alexander.
Here comes his wife with some unexpected news:
- Sasha, and look what happened to your hat - it cut the screw.
turns out, sitting in the warm cabin, Alexander took off his hat and threw it away without looking aside. Headwear flew under the screw, and he cut off one ear. Turned out good souvenir of the first flight.

Dmitry Charcot