Vortech, Inc. is an American
aircraft manufacturer
An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry. ...
based in
Fallston, Maryland
Fallston is a census-designated place (CDP) in Harford County, Maryland, United States. The population was 8,958 at the 2010 census, up from 8,427 in 2000. Fallston is a semi-rural community consisting mostly of farms and suburban-like developm ...
. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of
rotorcraft
A rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft with rotary wings or rotor blades, which generate lift by rotating around a vertical mast. Several rotor blades mounted on a single mast are referred to as a rotor. The Inter ...
in the form of plans and kits for
amateur construction. Some of their designs also comply with the US
FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles
Ultralight aircraft in the United States are much smaller and lighter than ultralight aircraft as defined by all other countries.
In the United States, ultralights are described as "ultralight vehicles" and not as aircraft. They are not requ ...
rules as well.
[Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page F-8. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ][Downey, Julia: ''2005 Trikes 'Chutes and Rotorcraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 22, Number 2, February 2005, page 60. Belvoir Publications. ][Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', pages 215. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ][Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition'', pages 21, 333, 334, 390, 392, 396 and 401. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ]
Founded in 1970, Vortech and its parent company, Prismz, provide plans, books, some kits and parts to enable hobbyists to construct a wide array of machines, including: helicopters,
autogyro
An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), also known as a ''gyroplane'', is a type of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. Forward thrust is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller. ...
s, mini-cars, trikes, scooters, wind generators, engines, boats and electroplating systems. Prismz also provides computer graphics and publishing layout services.
Vortech also manufactures its own line of
helicopter rotor blade
A helicopter main rotor or rotor system is the combination of several rotary wings (rotor blades) with a control system, that generates the aerodynamic lift force that supports the weight of the helicopter, and the thrust that counteracts aer ...
s made from single-piece metal
extrusion
Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile by pushing material through a die of the desired cross-section. Its two main advantages over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex ...
s.
[Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 184. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ]
Aircraft
References
External links
*
{{Vortech aircraft
Aircraft manufacturers of the United States
Ultralight aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft
Helicopters
Autogyros