The Moscow club AeroSoyuz holds helicopter competitions that are called the Carlson’s Cup. Today we’ll visit this place and take a fly over Moscow.

The main helicopter used in the club is Robinson R44. In general, Robinson helicopters are the most mass in the world, the company has produced more helicopters than all other helicopter manufacturers in the world put together.

These helicopters got their popularity first of all due to their simple devices and high safety. And because of a relatively low price. The price for a helicopter is about 450,000 dollars in the USA, in Russia its cost increases due to сustoms ( 600,000 dollars).

Helicopters use gasoline engines.

Inside a cabin of R44. Control devices are rather simple as well as the helicopter itself. Controls are doubled, it is possible to control it from any of front seats. But more often helicopters are controlled from the right seat as it is more convenient for right-handeds. By the way a control lever on the left can be removed if a passenger sits here.

Variations of inner decoration can differ and can be ordered individually.

The capacity of this model is a pilot + 3 passengers. Headphones are used for talks. The cabin is quite cramped.

A new helicopter arrives unassembled and in boxes.

The club stores helicopters in this hangar. They are very compact, we may say.

A helicopter is moved on the territory using such trolleys. A helicopter weighing 1 ton can be easily moved with it by one person.

There are no tricks, a trolley has an accumulator and a motor.

Different colors.

Inside the club building. There is a billiard table, a place for meetings and a museum of fans.

The museum of fans has very interesting items, such as one of the first hand-operated fans or a fan that probably belonged to Hitler.

A shop of clothes for the helicopter sport.

A workshop.

The helicopter Eurocopter runs with kerosene and it can take more passengers.

Controls are more serious than those of Robinson.

A lever.

The flight control center. During a flight pilots communicate not only with their controllers but also with air traffic controllers of Vnukovo, Domodedovo and so on.

Something like a black box.

The theoretical part of trainings of the helicopter control is read here. Such trainings cost about 800,000 rubles (28,500 dollars).

A wall with different trophies and certificates.

Flights over Moscow are forbidden. It is possible to fly only over the Moscow Ring Road. Flights over Moscow are made only in the clockwise direction.

The landing ground.

Last preparations before competitions.

The competition consists of several exercises. The first one is when pilots try to get balls to the target.

[youtube]hjrS5oxFJfg&feature[/youtube]

This is like another world.

The second part of this competition is slalom.

And then the competition ended and everybody went to rest.

via pkuneev