What engines did the Heliofly III helicopter have?

Short answer

In its first configuration it carried two Argus As 8 piston engines of 8 hp (6 kW) each, with each one driving a blade of the counter-rotating rotors. A problem with the supply of the As 8 forced a redesign to use a single 16 hp (12 kW) engine, which drove two rotors on the same coaxial shaft (pending confirmation).

Published: November 6, 2026 · Updated: November 6, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Image pending

A helicopter on your back

The Heliofly III was one of the experimental backpack helicopters designed and built by the Austrian Paul Baumgärtl. It grew out of his earlier experiments with gyrocopters strapped to the body. Two designations are known, Heliofly III/57 and Heliofly III/59.

Two engines, one per blade

In its initial configuration, the Heliofly III/57, it carried two Argus As 8 piston engines of 8 hp (6 kW) each, with each one driving a single blade of the counter-rotating rotors.

A single 16 hp engine

A problem with the supply of the As 8 engine forced a redesign, now as the Heliofly III/59, to use a single 16 hp (12 kW) engine (pending confirmation). That engine drove two rotors on a common coaxial shaft. It powered one of the rotors directly and the other through a gearing, to counteract torque effects.