A hilly district with no air connectivity, Thoppil Biju, a 34-year resident of Double Cutting near Cheruthoni in Idukki, has achieved something that is unfathomable to most people.
Biju, a lathe mechanic and farmer, has built a single-seater Coaxial mini-helicopter. Coaxial helicopters are mainly used for military purposes.
According to Biju, the helicopter was made after a four years of effort and after spending ₹7.5 lakh.
“After seeing helicopters flying in the air, I decided to make a Coaxial mini-helicopter. As a lathe worker, I know the making and functioning of engines and engine parts. The machine parts were bought from Coimbatore and the manufacture was completed in front of my house,” said Biju.
“ A Hyundai 85 HP engine is used for the helicopter and petrol is used as fuel. It can fly 10 feet high. The trial run of the helicopter will be conducted through remote control soon,” said Biju.
“ The mini helicopter is made as a Coaxial helicopter. The Coaxial helicopters are two main rotors mounted on one mast, sharing the same axis of rotation but turning in opposite directions, one on top of the other. The control along the vertical axis is produced as a result of different lifts, thus differential torque, of the two rotor discs. It took a lot of effort to make the anti-clockwise rotors of the helicopter,” said Mr Biju.
“Except for the engine, all parts of the helicopters were made by me. Medium quality equipment was used for the helicopter. If I get more money I can make a high-quality helicopter,” Biju says.
Biju says it was his ambition to make a helicopter.
“I have never travelled in a helicopter. If we use a more powerful engine and better quality equipment, the helicopter can climb more height and fly longer distance,” he said.
“Carbon fibre is one of the main materials used for the manufacture of helicopters. To reduce the cost, I used roving fibre material. The initial development of the machine was the main hurdle. The upgradation of the helicopter is very simple,” say Biju.
