Safari Soars over the 1,200-hour mark

Keeping track of the number of hours that your helicopter has flown is one of the requirements necessary to ensure proper maintenance and personal safety. For most experimental aircraft enthusiasts, a thousand hours of flying their craft may represent a lifetime of usage. But for Mark Richards, of Canadian Home Rotors Inc., and his Safari helicopter, it's just another day.

Mark and his machine have become perennial favorites at rotorcraft airshows across America, appearing many times in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Florida. The familiar blue & white of his Safari have thrilled and amazed crowds since its first appearance in 1991. Mark’s base of operations is the rugged northland of Canada, where the reliability of your aircraft can save you from disaster, or at least a long and tough walk back to civilization. The Safari has proven itself to be THE most, reliable two-seat Experimental Kit Helicopter in production today.

Mark has been with Canadian Home Rotors for over six years, and is now CFI rated and their Chief Pilot. He knows his machine inside out and has total faith in what it can do and how it can do it. In fact he is responsible for recommending many of the design and manufacturing changes the Safari has gone through these past years.

The Safari operates year round in weather from the tropics to the arctic. Mark has flown in -37° F. Cold enough for him to leave a vapor trail behind him. During these winter flights, the Safari is fitted with Bear Paws to handle deep snow or soft bog ground. The cabin interior can be maintained at a comfortable temperature, while outside, winter is all around. This proves the reliability and flexibility of the Safari for endurance in all kinds of weather conditions.