American Sportscopter Ultrasport 496
The Ultrasport 496 was designed and built by American Sportscopter as a kit helicopter—one you can buy a “kit” of and build at home.
This kit helicopter was first flown in 1995, cost $49,000 and required 60-100 hours to assemble the kit. It is named for its weight (in pounds) when empty.
Specs
Year: ca 1995
Materials: graphite-epoxy composite, aluminum, glass-epoxy composite
Capacity: One pilot, one passenger
Empty weight: 496 pounds
Length: 19 ft. 2 in.
Height: 7ft. 10 in.
Rotor diameter: 23 ft.
Maximum speed: 104 mhp
Cruise speed: 69 mph
Engine: 95 HP Hirth F-30 four cylinder
Range: 150 miles, 2 hours
Service ceiling: 10,000-12,000 ft.
American Sportscopter Ultrasport 496
The Ultrasport 496 was designed and built by American Sportscopter as a kit helicopter—one you can buy a “kit” of and build at home. This kit helicopter was first flown in 1995, cost $49,000 and required 60-100 hours to assemble the kit. It is named for its weight (in pounds) when empty.
The Ultrasport 496 is a two-seat helicopter based on a previous model, the Ultrasport 331, but built larger and with a more powerful engine. Like all helicopters, the Ultrasport 496 is flown using a combination of hand and foot controls. The collective and throttle controls are to the left of each seat. The collective controls the lift and the throttle automatically increases or decreases the engine speed as the lift increases or decreases. The Ultrasport’s cyclic control has currently been removed for easier visitor access into the copter. Normally, it would be an overhead bar between the seats to control the rotor tilt, which would control forward-backward and side-to-side direction. This helicopter does not have its anti-torque pedals, which control the tail rotor. The pedals would control the direction the helicopter nose is pointing: pressing the left pedal points the helicopter to the left, while pressing the right pedal points the helicopter to the right. The landing gear skids of this Ultrasport are designed to flex and act as shock absorbers. This flexing can be felt when a person enters or leaves the helicopter.
It was designed to meet FAA regulations as an amateur built kit. It is now out of production, and at one time had seven aircraft made and registered in total. Formed in 1998, American Sportscopter, Inc. was an aircraft manufacturer based in Newport New, VA that specialized in home-built (“kit”) aircraft. These ultralight helicopters are used primarily as private helicopters.
The company ceased to operate around 2009, but a few companies around the world have tried to resurrect the design. Before being donated to the museum, this helicopter was used at the University of Maryland to conduct fuel studies.
Our Sportscopter
The University of Maryland’s Department of Aerospace Engineering donated this American Sportcopter Ultrasport 496 helicopter to the museum for educational purposes in 2016.
More visitor information
Plan your visit
Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-4pm
Closed Mondays and holidays
About the museum
College Park Airport is the world's oldest continuously-operating airport, open since 1909.
The College Park Aviation Museum preserves and shares the exciting history of the airport, this "Field of Firsts."
Tours and Groups
The museum offers guided tours for schools and groups of 10 or more.