Designed for single-pilot operation with no room for passenger the slim inline design the K-MAX allows for excellent views from the cockpit thanks to the bulged side canopy windows. The front view is similarly dominated by a large curved canopy piece and the pilot sits in a raised seat with a commanding vantage point. All critical controls are mounted on the cyclic and collective hand grips. An external instrument panel is thoughtfully set with critical mission gauges to keep the pilot’s eyes close to the situation when precise hovering is called for. The engine is fitted within a compartment at amidships, exhausting just above the empennage base through a cylindrical fixture. The twin rotor masts protrude from the topmost portion of the fuselage with each blade controlled by a mechanical servo-flap along the trailing edge. The servo-flaps negate the need for complicated and fault-prone hydraulic- or -electrically-powered systems. The empennage is set low and complemented by a pair of outboard vertical tail fins set on wingstubs. The tail is capped by a slender and tall vertical fin assembly. The heavy-duty undercarriage is of conventional layout, featuring two single-wheeled main landing gear legs and a single-wheeled nose landing gear leg, the latter found just under the sharp nose assembly. There is a specially-designed integrated cargo hook set up on a trolley system that allows the hook and cargo slide forwards and backwards along the fuselage underside.