Construction of the Notar MD 900

During a visit to Théo Fracheboud’s place early this winter, I spotted a mold of an MD 900 NOTAR helicopter at the back of his garage—one he’d created about ten years ago. After a quick discussion and some negotiation, Théo agreed to make me a fuselage—I’d found my future helicopter for the upcoming season!

While Théo got to work on the fiberglass, I was thinking about what mechanical components and motor I was going to put on it. A quick weight calculation made me think of the helicopter I built last year: an electric Super Puma powered by a 10S battery that flies superbly well.

I used the same powertrain as for the Super Puma: an Actro 32.3 motor and an electromechanical system from Baumann. I also needed to add a 90 mm electric turbine—a Chinese-made one, in this case—with a Turnigy 3645 brushless motor powered by a 5S battery to create the airflow that will serve as the anti-torque system.

Théo made me a superb fuselage (*photo 1*). I prepared the side door closures, the NOTAR system (*photo 2*), and mounted the mechanical components and the 5-blade rotor head (*photo 3*).

Once the mechanical components were in place, we painted the fuselage. To do this properly, I asked my friend Théo for help. One coat of primer, one coat of white (*photo 4*), and the final coat of yellow.

That should whet your appetite… see you soon to tell you all about the first flight. (*photo 5*).

Bernard Rithner