4 From hobbies to helicopters: Murray Sweet has parlayed a childhood obession with Meccano sets into a soaring helicopter kit business.

Murray Sweet has always been a tinkerer of sorts. So it was no surprise when he developed the idea for a one-of-a-kind, build-it-yourself helicopter kit.

The idea was a good one. Today, he sells the kits through his company, Canadian Home Rotors Inc. (CHR) out of Ear Falls, 220 kilometres northeast of Kenora.

He spent hours as a child playing with Meccano sets. His sets consisted of tiny brass screws, washers, nuts and miniature poles, which could be made into bridges and cranes if one had enough parts. Sweet collected sets of them and built trains and cranes to run his toy steam engine.

"I was not normal, neither were my brothers," he laughs.

He loved disassembling creations into their parts just to put them back together. So it was no surprise to him when his brother, Allen, who was training for his commercial pilot license, challenged him to figure out the mechanics and aerodynamics of a build-it-yourself helicopter.

"He said, 'You like complicated? Figure this out,'" Sweet recalled.

He wasn't sure he could fly them, but after reading several theory books he knew he could make one. He bought his first kit from International Helicopters of Mayville, New York, shortly before the company went belly-up. Parts were hard to come by before a friend took the prototype bird out for a test run in 1982 and "rolled it," wrecking countless pieces.

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Necessity being the mother of invention, Sweet put his welding and machinist talents to work. He says he figured if he had to make parts for himself, it was likely the other 150 North American kit owners were in need of them too, if not for the same reason.

Twelve years into it, five of his friends decided to put their money where their mouth was. They invested $10,000 each to make a northwestern Ontario-built helicopter kit, and called it the SAFARI.

"I thought in a year I would have all the parts for it. It took seven years and I finally squared up with them all."

Sweet began modifying the mechanics of the Mayville helicopter by sealing in the flight controls so no dust particles could get in the bindings. He installed cab and carburetor heat while increasing oil sump capacity. The original transmission would overheat, so Sweet switched to larger gears and higher-rated bearings. Titanium was used as a component material to ease up on the transmission's weight.

The rotor blades were adjusted. In fact, Sweet purchased so many blades that he was given first choice to buy the blade company when it went up for sale. Today, approximately 95 per cent of his parts and kits are exported to more than 20 countries.

"If you want something better, you have to tinker at it before it is (perfected)."

The initiative cost a whole lot more than what he was anticipating. But it was a process, and in it Sweet learned a great deal about the economics of running a company. He promised his wife, Carol, the family funds would never be used for his hobby.

Communication is a huge part of CHR. Their manufacturing shop, overseen by brother Mark, is in Ear Falls. The company's Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) milling machines are in Dauphin, Manitoba and their warehouse is based in Marianna, Florida, which also serves as an inventory and training centre.

"If we need to expand again, (Florida) is probably one of the places of consideration," says general manager and shareholder Gary Assels.

After suffering as many aircraft manufacturing businesses did after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, CHR is experiencing a strengthening in the marketplace.

Ranchers, property owners and retired pilots from Eastern Canada to the southern United States have purchased this new invention to help them watch over their land, livestock and to just plain have fun.

At a Florida air show last April, Assels sold three SAFARI kits for about $85,000 US a piece. Three multi-kit orders are being negotiated and 12 single orders are in the works. Foreign distributors have approached Assels to ask if they could become the link between the consumer and CHR.

In the next five years, Assels and Sweet intend to nab more of the international market, since their only competitor, they say, is on shaky legs.

The company's goal is to position itself for designation as a "primary category" manufacturer in the United States. This allows them to build American regulated, flight-ready helicopters for training. In order to do this, however, Sweet has to build up test flight hours on the SAFARI and proof of the components.

"We should be able to take a big bite out of this market."

The next move will be to go nose-to-nose with the most popular helicopter in the world, the Robinson R22, a commercial helicopter considered a step above a build-it-yourself kit. Robinson Helicopter Co. sells their unassembled kit for $190,000 Cdn compared to CHR's flight-ready price tag of $106,000 Cdn.

www.acehelicopter.com

By KELLY LOUISEIZE

Northern Ontario Business 

QUICK FACTS

Canadian Home Rotors

Ear Falls

Founded: 1991

Murray Sweet, founder

www.acehelicopter.com