The RotorWay Exec is a family of American two-bladed, skid-equipped, two-seat kit

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribut ...

s, manufactured by

RotorWay International The RotorWay Helicopter Manufacturing Company, formerly called RotorWay International, was a manufacturer of kit helicopters located in Chandler, Arizona, United States. The company was founded by B.J. Schramm in 1961 as RotorWay Aircraft. R ...

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the ...

and supplied in kit form for amateur-construction.

Design and development

The Exec 162F is the latest in the Exec series of helicopters manufactured by RotorWay International. The RotorWay Scorpion design was updated with an aluminum tail and full fiberglass cockpit enclosure to become the Exec. The Exec 90 was developed in the early 1990s, it was, at the time, the only piston-powered helicopter to utilize an asymmetrical airfoil for improved

autorotation Autorotation is a state of flight in which the main rotor system of a helicopter or other rotary-wing aircraft turns by the action of air moving up through the rotor, as with an autogyro, rather than engine power driving the rotor. Bensen, Igor ...

characteristics and safety. In 1994, a fuel injection system with electronic ignition, and

FADEC A full authority digital engine (or electronics) control (FADEC) is a system consisting of a digital computer, called an "electronic engine controller" (EEC) or " engine control unit" (ECU), and its related accessories that control all aspects of a ...

was added to the Exec 90, producing the Exec 162F. Unlike most U.S.-designed helicopters, the main rotor on the Exec 162F rotates clockwise, as seen from above. The Exec series was further developed into the

RotorWay A600 Talon The RotorWay A600 Talon is an American helicopter, designed and produced by RotorWay International of Chandler, Arizona. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of ...

, which replaced the Exec in production.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 194. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X

Operational history

Comedian and ventriloquist

Jeff Dunham Jeffrey Douglas Dunham (born April 18, 1962) is an American ventriloquist, stand-up comedian and actor who has also appeared on numerous television shows, including ''Late Show with David Letterman'', ''Comedy Central Presents'', ''The Tonigh ...

has a custom-painted Rotorway Exec 162F with his name and a picture of Walter on the aircraft.

Variants

;Rotorway Windstar :Four place development that was cancelled. ;RotorWay Exec 90 :Introduced in 1990, improvement of the original RotorWay Exec, Electronic ignition, eyebrow windows, elastomeric control head. ;RotorWay Exec 162F :

improved model. ;AvioTecnica ES-101 Raven :In 1996 AvioTecnica of Italy marketed the Exec as the ES-101 Exec with a turbine engine instead of the piston engine. In 2004 it produced an improved variant it named the Aviotechnica ES-101 Raven powered by a modified Solar T-62-A turboshaft. Other improvements include carbon-fibre rotor blades, a two-piece windscreen and later models have a digital cockpit. ; Alpi Syton AH 130 :The Raven design was taken over by

Alpi Aviation Alpi Aviation srl ( en, italic=yes, Alps Aviation Limited) is an Italian aircraft manufacturer based in Pordenone. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of light aircraft in the form of kits for Homebuilt aircraft, amateur con ...

in late 2008 and the aircraft further developed into the Alpi Syton AH 130. ;

Hillberg Turbine Exec The Hillberg Turbine Exec is an American helicopter turbine engine conversion kit for the piston-engined Rotorway Exec. It was designed and produced by Hillberg Helicopters of Fountain Valley, California. Now out of production, when it was a ...

:A turbine conversion using the

Solar T62 The Solar T62 Titan is an American gas turbine engine used mainly as a helicopter auxiliary power unit (APU), ground power generator, turboprop engine or helicopter turboshaft engine. A free power turbine version was developed as the Solar T66. ...

auxiliary power unit An auxiliary power unit (APU) is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft and naval ships as well as some large land vehicles. Aircraft APUs generally produce 115&n ...

(APU) made by

Hillberg Helicopters Hillberg Helicopters was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Fountain Valley, California and founded by Donald Gene Hillberg. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of helicopters in the form of kits for amateur construct ...

Fountain Valley, California Fountain Valley is a suburban city in Orange County, California. The population was 57,047 at the 2020 census. History The area encompassing Fountain Valley was originally inhabited by the Tongva people. European settlement of the area ...

in the 1990s.Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition'', page 325. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998.

Specifications

Notes

References

*Taylor, Michael J.H. (ed.). ''Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000''. London:Brassey's, 1999. . *Jackson, Paul (ed) ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2008-2009''. Coulsdon, Surrey, England:Jane's Information Group, 2008.

External links

RotorWay International website
{{RotorWay International aircraft 1990s United States civil utility aircraft 1990s United States helicopters Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined piston helicopters Aircraft first flown in 1994