Mattieu de Quillaco Flies DIY Helicopter from France to US

A Frenchman built his own helicopter and flew it to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the AirVenture aviation event.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on July 23 2010

Mattieu de Quillaco

Oshkosh, Wisconsin is a long way from France, regardless of how you travel. But Mattheiu de Quillaco, an aircraft enthusiast from southern France, took a one-of-a-kind journey over to the heartland for the AirVenture aviation celebration—in a single-seater Kompress CH-7 helicopter he had built himself.

The Frenchman built the helicopter a decade ago, modifying the back seat to add additional fuel capacity. The tiny helicopter is surprisingly fuel-efficient: it burns just 4.5 gallons an hour, and de Quillaco can travel more than 900 miles between refuelings.

Still, the journey from France to Wisconsin took more than a week, traveling through the UK, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada. When he landed to refuel at night, he slept in a sleeping bag beneath the helicopter.

Now that he’s safely arrived, de Quillaco is eager to enjoy the spectacular sights of the world-famous air show—but he’s even more excited about traveling home. He’s hoping to circle the globe on his return voyage, but is still waiting for approval to use Russian airspace during his trip.

De Quillaco had been wanting to accomplish this journey in a homemade helicopter ever since he was a young child. “I hope that my trip will help other people realize that they can fulfill their dreams,” he said.

Filed under: General Interest, Weird,

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