Innovator Mosquito Air INTRODUCTION
The category of aircraft construction kits is one that never used to be heard much
about among aviation enthusiasts, however, this has been changing little by little,
and it is becoming more frequent to hear about new projects such as these that seek to revolutionize
the market and draw attention with different proposals. Now, surely when you hear "aircraft
construction kit," you automatically think of an airplane, and I don't blame you, since they
are the most popular and famous, but they are not the only ones. Did you know that there are
companies that develop construction kits so you can assemble your own helicopter? Yes, there are,
and best of all, they are compact vehicles that, with just a few adjustments, you can store in your
backyard without any problem. This is the case of the Innovator Mosquito Air, the Mosquito Air XE,
and its predecessors, aircraft with a simple and minimalist design that makes you wonder if they
can really take flight. And guess what? They can, but there’s more! Their price is significantly
lower than other proposals on the market, so this makes it more accessible to people and gives them
the chance to disconnect from the routine of everyday life and enjoy the views from another
perspective, while of course maintaining the highest standards in terms of safety. You won't
want to miss it!!! DESIGN/EXTERIOR
At first glance, the Innovator Mosquito Air stands out; that is something undeniable since its design
is, to say the least, unconventional, moving away from the standards to which the industry
has become accustomed. But more importantly, it lives up to its name because, when you see its
structure, it will most likely remind you of just that: a mosquito. The Innovator Mosquito
Air was designed by Canadian John Uptigrove as a single-seat open cockpit helicopter without
a windshield, which very few aircraft offer. Although the design is sacrificed because it
has an open structure, what guarantees you a unique experience onboard this aircraft is
the direct contact with the air. The fuselage is made of 6061-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum tubing,
a form of precipitation-hardened aluminum alloy containing magnesium and silicon as the main
elements. It uses a simple triangular structure, with the tubes arranged straight to reduce weight,
maximize strength, and greatly simplify construction. Additionally, it uses a
carbon fiber tail arm with support struts that add structural rigidity to the Mosquito and improve
its overall power-to-weight ratio. It is 20 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 6.92 feet high. Some of its
design features are its rear boom, made of carbon fiber. The landing tripod legs are equipped with
small anti-skid pads that help reduce lateral movement during engine start and take-off and
provide better grip on any surface when landing. The main rotor has a diameter of 18 feet,
while the tail rotor has a diameter of 3.33 feet. The tail rotor is made of composite material,
including an aluminum tube and a titanium rod, as well as several rivets, ensuring good
functionality, lightness, strength, and longevity. The structure of the Innovator Mosquito Air served
as the basis for the design of its successor, the Mosquito XE, which is almost the same aircraft,
but this time equipped with a closed cockpit, offering great aerodynamic performance and an
outstanding appearance, although it loses direct contact with the air. Despite this, it became the
company's most popular and profitable product. INTERIOR
Because it has room for only one passenger, the interior of the Mosquito hides no secrets. These
single-passenger helicopters have not been designed with comfort and luxury in mind,
so you won't find any of that here. Instead, they have focused on developing a utilitarian
and functional product. Inside the structure, we find a semi-rigid seat lightly padded to
provide extra comfort, which can be removed to get access to the mechanical components of the
aircraft for easy maintenance. In front of the seat, we find the traditional flight controls,
the collective pitch control, the cyclic pitch control, and the anti-torque pedals that regulate
the tail rotor, as well as the electronic fuel, altitude, and power gauges. Basically,
this is all we find inside the Mosquito, and to add extra safety for the pilot,
a seat belt can be installed. ENGINE
Both the Innovator Mosquito Air and the Mosquito Air XE are powered by a Compact Radial Engines
MZ202 piston engine, specially designed for use in ultra-light aircraft due to their reduced weight
of 75-lbs. This engine incorporates the electric starter, carburetors, fuel pump, cooling system,
and exhaust system. The MZ202 is an air-cooled, reed-valve-controlled, two-cylinder, in-line,
two-stroke engine with two Bing carburetors and Nikasil-coated cylinders. It has one of
the highest power-to-weight ratios on the engine market and is capable of generating 63 horsepower.
This engine employs reed induction, which produces a very flat torque curve that ensures that power
is consistently delivered at the required operating torque. In addition, it has a speed
of less than 6000 rpm, resulting in less stress on the motor and increased reliability. To ensure
maximum reliability, the engine ignition system is fully electronic and therefore requires minimal
maintenance. It includes a powerful 180-watt alternator that provides power for the operation
of the helicopter's entire electrical system. PERFORMANCE
Thanks to the MZ202 engine, the Mosquito reaches a maximum range of 70 miles, as well as a top speed
of 55 knots, and is able to reach a ceiling of 6,500 feet, however, it is not recommended to
reach such a high altitude. It has an empty weight of 254 pounds, and its gross weight goes up to 529
pounds, which translates into a payload of 275 pounds. Its rate of climb stands at 790 feet
per minute, and the disk load is 2 pounds/square foot. It has a fuel capacity of 5 gallons. The
flight duration is a maximum of one hour, so its use is practically limited to recreational
flights or very short recognition flights. The Mosquito XE, on the other hand, has the same
engine but has a slightly larger unibody, so it carries a larger fuel tank, reaching 12 gallons.
It has a fuel burn rate of 6 gallons per hour, which guarantees a flight time of almost 2 hours.
It has an empty weight of 298 pounds and a maximum gross weight of 610 pounds, facilitating a payload
of 312 pounds. It has a climb rate of 900 feet per minute, and can reach a top speed of 70 knots,
with a maximum range of up to 150 miles. AVIONICS AND SYSTEMS
We have seen that sobriety is one of the key features of this aircraft, so something to
keep in mind is that, due to its classification as an ultralight aircraft, its instrumentation
consists only of a digital rotor tachometer, an engine tachometer, an indicator of cylinder head
temperature, an exhaust gas temperature, and an air speed indicator. Composite FX, the company
in charge of the production of these flying machines, has a sophisticated virtual reality
training system to help familiarize new pilots with the controls and the entire flight system.
So if you were thinking about getting one, but were hesitant due to your lack
of expertise with these machines, don’t worry, as most pilots will become capable enough to
operate the Mosquito without any problems after 10 to 20 hours of practice with their
virtual system. VARIANTS
The Mosquito Air without "XE" was the original Mosquito haha, and its great performance quickly
led to the design of an improved version based on it, intended to reach a much wider public. This
is how the 2004 Mosquito XE was born—the most commercialized version and the one from which
more variants have emerged. The Mosquito XE was presented as a natural evolution, featuring a cab
fairing and a more sophisticated exhaust system. The powertrain, controls, and rotor systems also
underwent minor modifications to better match the XE design. To compensate for the additional gross
weight, the diameter of the main rotor had to be increased to 19.5 feet, while the diameter of the
tail rotor remained at 40 inches. Because the XE offers different supports, the collective control
had to be adjusted to accommodate these. At least three different variants were developed from the
XE. The first was the Mosquito XEL, which was introduced as a model with chassis modifications
to equip a pair of standard floats in order to be able to land and take off from the water. Its
maximum flight time is 45 minutes, and a kit of this model costs about 47,000 dollars. Next came
the XE 290, considered the company's workhorse, a flying beast with a water-cooled, fuel-injected
CFX 800 engine capable of a maximum flight time of 2 hours, priced as a kit at $55,000. And finally,
the XET. It uses jet fuel A, which powers its great solar turbine engine (T62-T2A modified).
Although its maximum flight time reaches only 1 hour, this aircraft is the most powerful model,
and its price as a kit rises to 60,000 dollars. MARKET
The time has come to talk about the price of this one-man helicopter, one of the aspects that
have made it so popular among users all over the world. The Innovator Mosquito Air went on
sale in 2002 at a price of 28,000 dollars for the kit. Finding another aircraft that offered
the opportunity to fly, and even more, to fly with the freedom offered by the Innovator Mosquito Air,
at a lower price, was practically impossible. Another highlight that caught the attention
of many enthusiasts was its unique ability to routinely perform 15- to 20-foot hover
autorotations without any problems and fully automatic landings on the
ground with no effort. Also, its minimal fuel consumption, which ranged from 4.5 gallons per
hour to 8.5 gallons per hour, depending on the model, translated into lower operating costs.
After the attention the Mosquito Air got, the company wanted to develop a single-seat
helicopter that would meet European standards for ultralights, with the clear intention of
expanding the Mosquito's range and conquering new markets, thus, the Mosquito XE was born.
The XE kit was launched at a price of 46,000 dollars. The company followed a clear line, which
was to basically put their aircraft on the market for a similar cost to that of an average car,
making them enormously attractive to potential buyers. Now, no doubt one of the most fun aspects
of the construction kits for enthusiasts is that they give you the opportunity to make the
assembly piece by piece, as if it were a Lego set, either alone or with your father or your children.
However, if assembly is not your thing or you lack the time, skills,
or patience to assemble one of these gadgets, you can always purchase the factory-ready version,
which costs between 12 and 16 thousand dollars extra over the base price of the kit.
The average time to assemble and mount all the parts until the Mosquito is 100%
operational is approximately 400 hours, but this can vary depending on the user's
experience. If it is a detail-oriented person looking to assemble a flying work of art,
the total time can be as much as 2,100 hours, while if it is a user simply looking to get
off the ground as quickly as possible, the time can be even less than the standard 400
hours. The popularity of these kits has been incredible, thanks to their attractive price,
but also to their versatility. Although the manufacturing company is based in the United
States, they ship to every corner of the globe, from Malaysia to Finland, Canada to Australia.
There are no boundaries between you and the mosquito; it doesn't matter where you are.
The Mosquito Helicopters line is the result of more than two decades of research, development,
and innovation, and its intelligent design makes helicopter flight accessible to pilots or future
pilots who would like to experience this type of flight. The varied applications for the Mosquito
XE have led some farm owners in Australia, for example, to use them for medium-altitude flights
to monitor livestock or do preventive security patrols more efficiently. In Iceland, they have
been used to perform precision reconnaissance flights and to be able to admire and photograph
the beauty of volcanoes from a unique perspective. Last but not least, these incredible helicopters
have been used to assist in search and rescue missions, so, yes, their applications are endless.
PROS Despite its compact size,
the Mosquito was designed to have easier handling characteristics than, for example,
an R22, and was designed so that the main rotor head can withstand up to three times the maximum
energy it could theoretically ever produce without damage or structural compromise. So,
compared to most conventional helicopters, where if 10% of the maximum rotor speed is exceeded, the
head must be disassembled for inspection to ensure that it has not been damaged, the Mosquito has a
higher capacity in this area, which translates into an additional built-in safety factor that
its users will surely appreciate. CONS
Due to its reduced cabin space, it may be uncomfortable for some people, especially
those with great height. And with today's aircraft standards, the Mosquito XE may be too simple for
some users. Another aspect that has generated some controversy around these helicopters, at least
those equipped with the MZ202 engine, is that Compact Radial Engines, the company that produces
them, has acknowledged the inherent limitations of the engine design and made it clear that it is not
a proven engine for aeronautics. Despite this, the number of mosquito helicopter accidents resulting
from engine failures is practically zero. CONCLUSION
To summarize, today the Innovator Mosquito Air is discontinued; however,
it laid the foundations and demonstrated that you can really fly without having to depend on
support equipment. The most incredible thing is that it allowed you to appreciate views
as good as those that a bird would have. It is an aircraft with a simple, intelligent,
and reliable design. Its legacy continues thanks to the XE and its respective variants,
which allow the possibility of flying by yourself to a much larger number of users.
Did I convince you? So, what are you waiting for? Get your own movie-style helicopter now!