The Bensen B-9 Little Zipster was a small helicopter developed by
Igor Bensen
Igor Vasilevich Bensen (russian: И́горь Васи́льевич Бенсен; April 1, 1917 – February 10, 2000) was a Russian-American engineer. He founded Bensen Aircraft, a US company which produced a successful line of gyroglide ...
in the United States in the 1950s and marketed for home building. Similar in general configuration to Bensen's previous rotor kite and autogyro designs, it consisted of an open aluminum framework but substituted the
autorotating main rotor for a
coaxial
In geometry, coaxial means that several three-dimensional linear or planar forms share a common axis. The two-dimensional analog is ''concentric''.
Common examples:
A coaxial cable is a three-dimensional linear structure. It has a wire conduc ...
, counter-rotating system of two, two-bladed rotors. A large tailfin provided directional stability, and the aircraft was controlled by a handlebar system extending over the pilot's head to the rotor hub.
Specifications
References
Bensen Aircraft Foundation
Vortech page on B-9*
1950s United States sport aircraft
B-09
Homebuilt aircraft
1950s United States helicopters
Aircraft first flown in 1958
Single-engined piston helicopters
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