 The only aerobatic helicopter show in North America
will appear at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2008. Red Bull's BO 105 CBS helicopter, a
stock Eurocopter/Messerschmitt Boelkow Blohm (MBB), will perform its unique
maneuvers during the annual event scheduled July 28-August 3 at Wittman
Regional Airport in Oshkosh.
Pilot Chuck Aaron holds the distinction as the
only pilot licensed in the United States to fly aerobatics in a helicopter. His
performances feature aerobatic maneuvers achieved previously only in fixed-wing
aircraft, including loops and rolls, but also nearly the entire regimen of
maneuvers reserved for fixed-wing aircraft; the Split-S, Immelman, Half Cuban
Eight, and even the challenging Lomcevak, slightly modified by Aaron for the
helicopter.
"I ended up having a maneuver named after
me - the Chuckcevak," Aaron jokes.
 The MBB derives power from two 425 hp Allyson
Rolls Royce C-20B turbine engines that drive composite rotor blades mounted to
a solid titanium fixed rotor head. Normal versions of the rotorcraft can be
configured for a variety of flight operations, from air ambulance to off shore
oil drilling support. Red Bull's helicopter is certificated in experimental
exhibition category, allowing the pilot to push the envelope of its own flight
capabilities.
The Red Bull aerobatic helicopter made its
worldwide debut in November 2006 at Aviation Nation at Nellis AFB.
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