Life goes on...

After a few months of reorganization, the Laflamme family is proud to announce that the development of the LAF-01 continues. The development will be however slower since the resources granted to the project are much less. The new development plan hopes to have a working prototype by the end of 2006. Laflamme Helicopters wishes to take all the time needed for a rigorous development, just like it always did.

In order to put all ressources on the development of the prototypes, Laflamme Helicopters ceases all marketing activities until the company is ready to for the commercialization. So please don't expect many updates and news on the website for the upcoming months.

Thank you very much of your interest to the project.

Indefinite suspension of activities

We have the regret to inform you that we must stop temporarily the development of the LAF-01 helicopter. For almost a year now, the company has been searching for funds in order to complete the prototypes and to begin the marketing. The months passed, and we were unable to find the required funds. Even though our presence at the EAA Airventure 2004 was very profitable, it will not have succeeded in proving to the investors the incredible potential of our product. We were thus restricted to cease, for an indefinite time, the activities at the end of October.

This is not the end of the LAF-01 project though. The Laflamme family is now offering its expertise in machining and composite materials to other industries. This diversification will make it possible to auto-finance the project and finalize prototype # 2, but at a much slower rate. With a flying prototype, the company will then be able to convince investors and go with the marketing.

We thank you for your interest in our beautiful project. We will maintain our website up to date, but the news will irregular. You can reach us anytime to transmit your questions and your comments.

Regards,

The Laflamme Helicopters Team

Back from Oshkosh

Laflamme Helicopters was at the EAA Airventure 2004 in Oshkosh WI from July 27th to August 2nd. This is where many people saw the the LAF-01 for the very first time. Aviation enthusiasts where very pleased by this "baby-chinook" and all agreed that it is a sleek looking machine. The cargo door was an attraction by itself. Everybody is now looking forward to see the LAF-01 fly at Airventure 2005.

The LAF-01 at Oshkosh 2004

We updated the FAQ from the questions we were asked during the shows this summer. Also, we've put a new section with downloadable pictures for new LAF-01 fans.

St-Georges and Sherbrooke airshows

Laflamme Helicotpers presented prototype #2 last week at the St-Georges and Sherbrooke airshows. The public was very pleased by its design and impressed by its quality of construction. The team is now in preparation for the EAA AirVenture 2004 in Oshkosh. The first test flights are scheduled for this fall.

Prototype #2 at Sherbrooke Airport

Summer schedule

The Laflamme Helicopters team is proud to announce that it will attend the following events to present the LAF-01 helicopter:

• June 24th, St-Georges-de-beauce, QC
  L'Aérofête Promutuel Beauce
  www.clubaerobeauce.org
  
  
• June 26th-27th, Sherbrooke, QC
  Les Faucheurs de Marguerites
  www.lesfaucheurs.com
  
  
• July 27th - August 2nd, Oshkosh, WI
  2004 Airventure Oshkosh
  www.airventure.org
  
  
• August 28th, Lac-à-la-Tortue, QC
  Festival de l'Aviation
  

The demonstration aircraft will be equipped with the new streamlined tail and the stabilizers. We will be happy to answer your questions about this special machine.

The test rig takes off

The test rig is a very important tool in the validation process of the LAF-01. The following video (6MB) shows how we use it. The helicopter is bolted into the yellow structure which is pivoting around an anchored pole. During this testing session, the prototype was run for a couple of hours and permitted to our pilot Rejean to familiarize himself with the controls. This take off of the test rig represents another important step in the development of the LAF-01.

Confirmation of our presence at Oshkosh

We are happy to announce that we will be at the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh this summer. Our display will be in lots 460 and 461 of the 'North Aircraft Display' from July 27th to August 2nd. We look forward for this event.

In the meantime, prototype #2 is taking form. The blades are almost ready, the rotors and transmissions are almost done, the engine and it's accessories are installed the body, the wiring has been started and the remaining walls and floors are about to be installed.

The assembly is going on

The tests on prototype #1 have continued as scheduled in order to test every major components of the helicopter. The results are good, we discoved some problems and solved them.

The assembly of the mechanical components of prototype #2 have progressed a lot so far. The rotors, the transmissions and the transfer case are almost ready to be installed in the body.

First news of the year

As the first posting of year 2004, here is a short video featuring Rejean Laflamme in prototype #1. This outdoor session was done in order to test the collective and to measure the lift.