Aerokopter AK1-3 Sanka


The Aerokopter AK1-3 is a Ukrainian helicopter, designed and produced by Aerokopter of Kharkiv. The aircraft is supplied as complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.
Some sources refer to the AK1-3 as the Sanka or San'ka while others do not.

Design and development

The AK1-3 was designed to comply with the Ukrainian AP-27 rules, which are similar to the European Aviation Safety Agency CS-27 standard. The aircraft features a single main rotor with a tail rotor, a two-seats-in side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit, skid-type landing gear and a four-cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke, Subaru EJ25 automotive engine.
The aircraft's diameter three-bladed Starflex rotor has a chord of and employs a unique torsion bar blade mounting that allows blade movement to produce pitch angle changes, flapping, as well as lead and lag. The main transmission consists of belt drives, with the tail rotor driven by a solid shaft. The aircraft has an empty weight of and a gross weight of, giving a useful load of. With full fuel of the payload is.
In 2009 Aerokopter was acquired by the Perla Group of companies Perla Aviation division, with the stated intention of moving the assembly line of the AK1-3 to the United Arab Emirates.

Variants

;Aerokopter ZA-6 San'ka:Original design forming the basis of the AK1, with a five-bladed main rotor and powered by a Subaru EJ22 converted automobile engine.
;Aerokopter AK1-5:A development prototype modified from a ZA-6 with a five-bladed main rotor. Registered as GL-0478 and displayed at the 2002 Kiev Manufacturing and Security Exhibition.
;Aerokopter AK1-3:A second stage of development resulted in the AK1-3 with a three-bladed rotor,. Other changes included a tailplane with end-plate fins and tail rotor transferred to the right side of the tail boom.

Specifications (AK1-3)