Heli-Sport

Heli-Sport is an Italian aircraft manufacturer based in Turin and organized as a Società a responsabilità limitata, or Srl. The company specializes in designing and manufacturing helicopter kits intended for amateur construction rather than producing conventional factory-completed aircraft alone. Its products are associated primarily with the CH-7 family and related light rotorcraft derived from the Argentine Cicare CH-6 design created by Augusto Cicaré. The business was established in 1989 under the name EliSport by the Barbero brothers, identified in reference material as Igo, Josy and Charlie. In 1997, the company adopted the Heli-Sport name. Its development work combined the Barbero family's aviation interests with outside design expertise. The CH-7 concept was developed by Josi and Claudio Barbero, while automotive designer Marcello Gandini contributed the enclosed cabin design. This combination gave the aircraft a more finished and distinctive appearance than many open-cockpit amateur-built helicopters. The first major aircraft associated with the company was the Heli-Sport CH-7 Angel, introduced in 1992. The design subsequently evolved into the tandem two-seat CH-7 Kompress, which appeared in 1997. Later derivatives included the CH-7 Kompress Charlie in 2005 and the CH-7 Kompress Charlie 2. Heli-Sport also developed the CH77 Ranabot, a two-seat aircraft with side-by-side seating that retained the basic design lineage of the earlier CH-7 models. The company has used aviation events to demonstrate the capabilities and international reach of its aircraft. A CH-7 Kompress Charlie 2 received a bronze medal at the 2009 World Air Games in Turin. In 2010, another Charlie 2 was flown from France across the Atlantic Ocean to attend EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in the United States, an achievement that provided visibility for the manufacturer beyond its Italian base. Heli-Sport's positioning is centered on lightweight rotorcraft, kit construction, owner participation and the enthusiast aviation market. Unlike large aerospace groups that focus on military, commercial or certified civil helicopters, the company operates in a specialist segment where aircraft design, buildability and recreational use are central to the product proposition. Publicly available reference material does not establish detailed revenue, employee, ownership or distribution figures, and no listed-company ticker is identified.

Heli-Sport originated in Turin in 1989 as EliSport, a company founded by the Barbero brothers Igo, Josy and Charlie. From the beginning, the business focused on light helicopters and on a construction model in which aircraft were supplied as kits for amateur builders. This placed the company in a specialist part of the aviation industry, distinct from manufacturers of certified helicopters for airline, military or emergency-service fleets. The company's aircraft lineage is based on the Argentine Cicare CH-6, designed by Augusto Cicaré. Heli-Sport's development work adapted that underlying concept into a family of aircraft intended to combine compact light-rotorcraft characteristics with a more enclosed and refined cabin. The CH-7 design was developed by Josi and Claudio Barbero, with the cabin styling credited to automotive designer Marcello Gandini. The resulting aircraft represented an effort to make an amateur-built helicopter both technically accessible to its intended market and visually distinctive. The first identified production development was the Heli-Sport CH-7 Angel, introduced in 1992. In 1997, the company changed its name from EliSport to Heli-Sport, the name under which its aircraft became better known. That same year saw the introduction of the tandem two-seat CH-7 Kompress, an evolution of the earlier design. The Kompress established the principal model direction for the company and provided the basis for later improvements. The family expanded with the CH-7 Kompress Charlie in 2005, followed by the CH-7 Kompress Charlie 2. Heli-Sport also developed the CH77 Ranabot, a two-seat variant with side-by-side seating rather than the tandem arrangement used by the Kompress. Although the models differed in seating configuration and development stage, they remained connected through the same broad Cicare-derived design lineage. The company's public profile was strengthened by sporting and demonstration activity. A CH-7 Kompress Charlie 2 won a bronze medal at the World Air Games in Turin in 2009. The following year, another Charlie 2 was flown from France across the Atlantic Ocean to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, one of the best-known general-aviation gatherings in the United States. These events demonstrated the aircraft to an international aviation audience and helped associate Heli-Sport with long-distance recreational and experimental flying. Heli-Sport remains described as an Italian aircraft manufacturer based in Turin and operating as an Italian Srl. Its established product identity is that of a niche rotorcraft maker serving amateur builders and light-helicopter enthusiasts. Public reference material provides limited information about its later corporate structure, production volumes, current management, financial performance or international sales network. Those aspects therefore remain unverified in this dossier.

• 2010

  Charlie 2 reaches EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

  [1]Heli-Sporten.wikipedia.org

  A CH-7 Kompress Charlie 2 was flown from France across the Atlantic to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

• 2009

  World Air Games bronze medal

  [1]Heli-Sporten.wikipedia.org

  A CH-7 Kompress Charlie 2 won a bronze medal at the World Air Games in Turin.

• 2005

  CH-7 Kompress Charlie developed

  [1]Heli-Sporten.wikipedia.org

  The CH-7 family was extended with the Kompress Charlie derivative.

• 1997

  EliSport renamed Heli-Sport

  [1]Heli-Sporten.wikipedia.org

  The company adopted the Heli-Sport name and developed the tandem two-seat CH-7 Kompress.

• 1992

  CH-7 Angel introduced

  [1]Heli-Sporten.wikipedia.org

  Heli-Sport introduced the CH-7 Angel, the first major aircraft identified in the company's CH-7 development line.

• 1989

  Company founded as EliSport

  [1]Heli-Sporten.wikipedia.org

  The Barbero brothers established the Italian aircraft business in Turin under the name EliSport.

A specialist Italian producer of lightweight, kit-built helicopters for amateur constructors and recreational rotorcraft users.

• Kit-built helicopter · 1992

  Heli-Sport CH-7 Angel

  Introduced in 1992, the CH-7 Angel was the first major Heli-Sport aircraft in the CH-7 family. It was derived from the Cicare CH-6 design lineage and represented the company's approach to lightweight helicopters supplied for amateur construction. The design incorporated an enclosed cabin developed with the involvement of Marcello Gandini.

• Kit-built helicopter · 1997

  Heli-Sport CH-7 Kompress

  The CH-7 Kompress was a tandem two-seat evolution of the CH-7 concept introduced in 1997. It continued Heli-Sport's focus on compact, lightweight rotorcraft for amateur builders while adding a two-seat configuration suitable for recreational and training-oriented use within the applicable operating rules.

• Kit-built helicopter · 2005

  Heli-Sport CH-7 Kompress Charlie

  Introduced in 2005, the Kompress Charlie was a later development of the tandem two-seat CH-7 Kompress. It retained the family's Cicare-derived architecture and amateur-build orientation while serving as a platform for subsequent refinement, including the Charlie 2.

• Kit-built helicopter

  Heli-Sport CH-7 Kompress Charlie 2

  The Kompress Charlie 2 is a later tandem two-seat member of Heli-Sport's principal helicopter family. The model gained public attention through a bronze-medal result at the 2009 World Air Games and through a 2010 flight from France to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in the United States.

• Kit-built helicopter

  Heli-Sport CH77 Ranabot

  The CH77 Ranabot is a two-seat development of the company's core rotorcraft design with side-by-side seating. It broadened the CH-7 family by offering a different cabin arrangement from the tandem Kompress models while retaining the same general light-helicopter and amateur-construction orientation.

1. 1Heli-Sporten.wikipedia.org