Helicar Blog

Helicar Day 1 - Man in a kids world
Helicar Day 2 - 8 Blades top it
Helicar Day 3 - On 2 wheels
Helicar Day 4 - A dove to far
Helicar Day 5 - Sitting on 3 wheels
Helicar Day 6 - The cut of the car
Helicar Day 7 - The colouring in
Helicar Day 8 - The result
Helicar Day 9 - Into school

Man in a kids world - 21st November 2010

Click an image to enlarge!

A few weeks back the lad came home with homework, A project, to come up with a new vehicle that solves a problem. After 20 minutes of talking with the lad we decide on a design for a Car that is also an Helicopter. If your stuck in traffic you can just fly over the other cars.. Reading the sheet with the home work on something lights up in my head.

I have always been a literal git. Even at school when the teacher would dismiss class table by table. She/He would say 'that table can go'. Pointing at mine i'd pick the table up and walk out with it. So when I read no size limits and any material can be used, I decide on a life sized model big enough for a child to ride in.' Shhh keep it a secret' I tell the family, 'lets wait to see the look on the teachers faces'.

I come up with computer drawing for us to work from.

Big plans we embark on. We plan to have a motor turning the propellers, working front and rear lights with indicators, working aviation strobes and working steering. We have family in the auto trade so give them a ring with a list.

Unfortunately 2 weeks pass with no contact on the parts required. Time is running out and without knowing what parts are available and their size we cannot start. With less time left our grand plans are shortened to just working lights, the propellers to move via hand and the wheel to turn. We decide to contact local scrap yards with no luck, so we head across town to an area called Dunkirk, where there are a few breakers yards. I find the perfect lights on an old push along road sweeper that's seen better days. This upset the yards owner as its used to clean the yard, even though its stuck behind a great skip. Walking around the yard I spot some more lights in a bumper to which without me asking he informs me I can't have them and would have to pay £80 for the bumper with the lights in. I take this as bad customer relations. Upon first entry I had explained what I was after and that its for a young boys school project, so I leave. In the next yard there more friendly and do everything they can to help. They can't find what I needed and took our number to call later, as he said he had what I required in his garage at home.

We need paint and the closest shop on our way back, is a cash and carry called Collins. While in there we find a section of bicycle accessories and decide this is what we will use. We pick up some front and back lights plus batteries and the paint in the colours the boy wanted. Not including the bits I had in the workshop we spent around £160. The biggest bulk was plywood and the jockey wheels.

I know I shouldn't have kids in my commercial workshop, even more so while the machines are being operated but this is my risk right? Its a bit of fun and time with me so I'm sure the insurance company will not mind! If I keep him away from the machines and only let him operate un-sharp hand tools and sanders all will be ok? Mother didn't object so I sit him down before we start and go through the safety and risks. Where to stand and what not to touch kind of thing. He had some questions so I answer them and drill it into him that his actions could also put me at risk, so when im operating a machine he is to stand where I say and not move.

I take this opportunity to teach him some stuff as well. The first part we build is the front wheel assembly. This will be 2 brackets that hold the axle, each bracket is made up of 2 pieces, laminated and shaped. I explain to him a way of using double sided tape to keep the 4 pieces together while there being cut and why we do it.

I let him pump the wheel up with the air compressor and assemble all the pieces together. He also tightened the assembly up the best he could. Before the wheel could be slipped on I had to make a kind of bushing. The hole for the axle in the wheel is 20mm, 20mm threaded bar is hard to come by even if available so we are using 10mm as I have a lot of it laying around. I use the lathe to turn some Oak down to 20mm then bore a 10mm hole through the centre. This works a treat, smooth rotation of the wheel with no vibration or rocking.

continue to day 2 .......