---
title: Just because you can easily fly this new helicopter doesn’t mean you should
description: For less than $200k — plus 30 hours of training and a standard driver’s license — you’ll be able to pilot a helicopter.
---

[Hustle News ](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news)

# [Just because you can easily fly this new helicopter doesn’t mean you should](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/just-because-you-can-easily-fly-this-new-helicopter-doesn-t-mean-you-should)

 Written by [Ben Berkley](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/author/ben-berkley) | Sep 6, 2023 10:24:35 PM

America’s love of freedom knows few limits. That’s great.

But the freedom to crash a helicopter whenever you damn well please was one freedom we were quite OK living without.

Alas:

- In July, the Federal Aviation Administration [announced](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/07/24/2023-14425/modernization-of-special-airworthiness-certification) a rule that’d reclassify certain helicopters as “light-sport aircraft,” making them far more accessible.
- Two companies, Advanced Tactics and Rotor X, have already teamed up on a two-seater whirlybird poised to take advantage of the new proposal.
- Their upcoming ATRX-700 model has simplified flight controls and caters to rookie pilots.

#### **And we mean *****rookies***

If the eased FAA regulation clears its review period in October, anyone with a valid driver’s license, 30 hours of flight training, and the means to acquire a copter will be able to fly the ATRX-700, [per](https://robbreport.com/motors/aviation/advanced-tactics-atrx700-helicopter-1234888435/) *Robb Report*.

- The barrier to entry is lower than you’d think — $188k for the helo, plus ~$9k to train at Advanced Tactics’ California facilities.

Light-sport crafts — think gyroplanes and powered parachutes — are subject to [fewer regulations](https://newatlas.com/aircraft/atrx-700-light-sport-helicopter-faa-rule-change/) as they’re limited in weight, speed, altitude, and distance.

- The ATRX-700 is still no slouch in those categories: it weighs 1.7k pounds, reaches speeds of up to 100 mph, flies up to 16k feet, and has a 300-mile range.

**Recreational crafts…**

… make up the bulk of the FAA’s sport category, and though these choppers are now in this limited-training club, make no mistake — like all other craft (air, land, or sea), they can be dangerous to operate.

But you can [preorder one](https://lightsporthelicopters.com/) for early 2025 delivery if you want. It’s “available in selected colors and interiors,” though it’s still unclear what shades it’ll come in.

**Whatever color you choose…** we’d love to never see it. No flying those things near our homes, please.

[View full post](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/just-because-you-can-easily-fly-this-new-helicopter-doesn-t-mean-you-should)

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