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A real aircraft engine
The Safari 400 is powered by a 180 hp Lycoming O-360 with a 2,000-hour TBO. It is the same certified engine family found in production helicopters, not a converted automotive or proprietary powerplant.
THE SAFARI 400
Safari 400 Certified quality. Experimental price.
The Safari 400 is a two-seat kit helicopter with a real aircraft engine, a fully welded 4130 chromoly frame and the classic bubble canopy. Load up two fluffy guys and full fuel and still fly on a hot day.
Overview
The proven original.
The Safari 400 is a two-place kit helicopter built around a 180 hp Lycoming O-360, a fully welded 4130 chromoly frame and the proven Safari drive train and controls. The complete kit is $142,800 and includes everything you need — engine, rotor system, transmission, instruments and lighting — with nothing else to buy. Most builders finish in about 500 hours with basic hand tools, and you can earn your helicopter rating in the aircraft you built.
- Seats
- 2 side-by-side
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360
- Complete kit
- $142,800 *
- * Prices as published by Safari Helicopter and subject to change. Confirm current pricing with the factory.
Features
Everything a helicopter should have.
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Built to carry a load on a hot day
With a 1,650 lb gross weight and 650 lb useful load, the 400 will take two full-size adults and 28 gallons of fuel. Cruise at 85 mph with a 1,000 fpm rate of climb and a 10,000 ft service ceiling.
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A fully welded 4130 chromoly frame
The airframe arrives fully welded and powder-coated in the color of your choice, with interior ribbing and exterior sheet metal already installed. No welding is required by the builder.
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The rotor head that defined the 400
Introduced in 2011, the 400 brought a new, more robust rotor head with a titanium spindle, an engine governor and electric cyclic trim. Every critical component is individually serialized and tracked through material certification, dimensional inspection and assembly verification.
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The classic bubble canopy
The Bell 47 style bubble gives an unobstructed view in every direction, with cabin heat from the engine for cooler days. It is the silhouette that has defined the Safari since 1992.
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A complete panel, in the kit
The composite instrument enclosure ships with its electrical package, a main rotor tachometer with alarms, and gauges for temperatures, pressures, fuel, airspeed and altitude. Navigation, landing and strobe lighting are included.
Key numbers
Safari 400 by the numbers
- Gross weight
- 1,650 LB
- Useful load
- 650 LB
- Cruise speed
- 85 MPH
- Vne
- 100 MPH
- Max rate of climb
- 1,000 FPM
- Service ceiling
- 10,000 FT
Specifications
The full specification
Imperial values as published, with metric equivalents where they apply.
| Specification | Value | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Total length | 33 ft 5 in | 10.19 m |
| Total height | 8 ft 2 in | 2.49 m |
| Main rotor diameter | 26 ft 4 in | 8.03 m |
| Tail rotor diameter | 4 ft | 1.22 m |
| Seats | 2 side-by-side |
| Specification | Value | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Gross weight | 1,650 lb | 748 kg |
| Empty weight | 1,000 lb | 454 kg |
| Useful load | 650 lb | 295 kg |
| Fuel capacity | 28 US gal dual tanks | 106 L |
| Oil capacity | 8 qt | 7.5 L |
| Specification | Value | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Max speed (Vne) | 100 mph | 87 kt |
| Cruise speed | 85 mph | 74 kt |
| Max rate of climb | 1,000 fpm | |
| Service ceiling | 10,000 ft | |
| Fuel burn | ~9 gal/hr | |
| Endurance | ~2.5 hr on max fuel | |
| Range | ~200 statute miles § |
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Engine | Lycoming O-360 IO-360 supplied in the complete kit |
| Horsepower | 180 hp |
| TBO | 2,000 hr |
| Exhaust | Stainless steel meets European noise standards |
| Specification | Value | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Main rotor blades | 2, composite, 12 ft blades | |
| Main rotor chord | 8 in | 20.3 cm |
| Main rotor head | Titanium spindle | |
| Tail rotor | Titanium blades factory balanced |
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Frame | Fully welded 4130 chromoly steel tube powder-coated, color of choice |
| Cabin | Classic bubble canopy Bell 47 style, cabin heat from engine |
- § Approximate — derived from published cruise speed and endurance, less reserve.
- ¶ The Safari is an experimental amateur-built aircraft. Performance figures are as published by Safari Helicopter.
What is in the kit
Everything you need to build it.
Includes everything you need — nothing else to buy.
Complete kit $142,800 *
How a Safari goes together7 groups · 20 items in the complete kit
Airframe 3
- Fabricated, powder-coated frame with interior ribbing and exterior sheet metal installed
- Temporarily mounted bubble and cabin completion package
- Aluminum skids, tail rotor driveshaft, dual fuel tanks, starter and alternator package
Rotor system 5
- Titanium-spindle main rotor head
- 12-foot composite main rotor blades with lead/lag plates
- Main transmission with cooling fan and chip detector
- Sprag overrunning clutch
- Factory-balanced tail rotor with titanium blades
Powerplant 3
- IO-360 Lycoming engine
- Engine cooling shroud and vertical conversion package
- Engine/rotor speed governor package
Controls 3
- Cyclic electric trim package
- Collective friction lock package
- Chrome (nickel-plated, curved) cyclic sticks with Infinity grips and collective switch box
Instruments and electrical 4
- Composite instrument enclosure with electrical package
- Main rotor tachometer with alarms
- Gauges: temperatures, pressures, fuel, airspeed, altimeter, etc.
- Navigation, landing, and strobe lighting
Interior 1
- Leather or cloth upholstered seats with fitted carpet
Ground handling 1
- Ground handling wheels (pivoting axle) and camming assembly
- * Prices as published by Safari Helicopter and subject to change. Confirm current pricing with the factory.
Ways to buy
Three ways to own a Safari 400
Buy the complete kit, buy it in stages, build it with us. Every option is powered by a real aircraft engine and the proven Safari drive train and controls.
-
Complete kit
Everything at once. The whole aircraft arrives ready to assemble, with nothing else to buy.
$142,800 *
- The complete Safari 400 or Safari 500 kit — engine, airframe, rotor system, transmission, controls, instruments and lighting
- Leather or cloth seats and carpet
- Ground handling wheels
- Factory support through your build
-
Kit in stages
Buy and build in phases. Spread the cost of your Safari across the build.
Same kit price, spread across stages — ask us for a schedule
- The same complete kit, delivered in stages
- Start on the airframe while later stages are scheduled
- A payment plan that follows your build
-
Builder's Assist
Build alongside factory technicians, with the tools and the know-how on hand.
Contact us for scheduling and pricing ‖
- Hands-on assembly with the people who build Safaris every day
- Available for the Safari 400 and Safari 500
- Location, duration and pricing on request
- * Prices as published by Safari Helicopter and subject to change. Confirm current pricing with the factory.
- ‖ Builder's Assist details, location, duration and price are not yet published — contact us for scheduling and pricing.
Gallery
Safari 400 in action
In brief
Start the conversation
The Safari 400 is a two-place kit helicopter built around a 180 hp Lycoming O-360, a fully welded 4130 chromoly frame and the proven Safari drive train and controls. The complete kit is $142,800 and includes everything you need — engine, rotor system, transmission, instruments and lighting — with nothing else to buy. Most builders finish in about 500 hours with basic hand tools, and you can earn your helicopter rating in the aircraft you built.
- * Prices as published by Safari Helicopter and subject to change. Confirm current pricing with the factory.