Little-known American Helicopter Prototypes & Projects

[hesham]

From USA :

Enstrom F-27 :three seat light civil helicopter.

Umbaugh U-17 :tandem two seat gyrocopter with a slim low-set tailboom
and a single fin and tiny T-tailplane.
Rotorway Schramm Javelin :single seat amateur-built helicopter,it had
a tubular steel structure with a formed aluminium body
shell and was powered by a 100 hp Mercury powerboat
engine.

 

[Archibald]

There was also plenties of ramjet powered helicopters in the 50's, best known beeing the XH-20 Little Henry. Good article in le Fana around 2000... I have to post some pics and perfs...

 

[hesham]

Thanks dears,

from USA:

Landgraf H-3 :was three seat version of H-2.
Landgraf H-4 :was 5/8 passenger helicopter based on H-2.
there are also Bell model-680 and Fairchild-Hiller model-473 helicopters
but no details.

 

[hesham]

Also from USA,

Learjet Twinjet:was a medium helicopter as the size of Sikorsky S-76.
Gluhareff helicopters:
he was researched in pressure-jet powered light helicopters,he built the
MEG-1 was personal strap-on helicopter rig which used a single rotor
tip-mounted G8-2 engine and followed this with the MEG-2 which had
a two-blade rotor ,the MEG-3 was based on a dish-shaped platform on
which the pilot would stand and two-blade rotor revolving underneath
the platform.

 

[hesham]

Hallo,

USA Rotormaster Boomerang :two seat light autogyro of 1964.
SA Rotorcraft Minicopter :single seat ultr-light autogiro of 1962.
USA Chodan Hel :was an unconventional single seat experimental
helicopter of 1966, with a shrouded rigid rotor.

 

[hesham]

Hallo,

USA Russell theBR-1 and BR-2 were a single seat ultra-light autogyros, designed in
early 1960s,the BR-3-D was built as a flying test-bed for components of the
BR-4 agricultural version.
SWISS Stierlin type 1,2 and 3 :were a single seat ultra-light helicopters of 1960s.

 

[Hood]

The Vertol/ NASA design never left the wind tunnel and was, I think, a pure research project. The six propellers were driven by a 1000hp electric motor. The double-slotted flaps covered about 60% of the chord. The entire wingspan was subject to the propeller wash for lift.

Source: 'Straight Up: A History of Vertical Flight' by Steve Markham and Bill Holder, Schiffer Military History, 2000

 

[hesham]

My dears,

do you know McDonnell MD-660 helicopter? please
give me an informations about it,thanks.

 

[hesham]

Oh my dears,

no one knows McDonnell MD-660 or Bell Model-460 helicopters !!.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

The Higgins was a small USA company,founded to design a helicopters,
the EB-1 was two seat light helicopter powered by one 180 hp pressure-
cooled Warner engine,the company designed also an experimental four
seat twin engined helicopter,I have no further Info about it,except it
was designed for military use.

 

[turboshaft]

Since then it has shifted its attention to more modest designs - the two- and four-seat "personal air vehicles" seen below.

CarterCopter's initial focus was of course a relatively small (3,600 lb) vehicle, and the company's refocus on its PAV designs after its brief excursion into heavylift vehicles is reminiscent of Groen's own transition to the production of kit autogiros when the money ran out.

DARPA, meanwhile, has a programme called Heliplane under which Groen Brothers is developing a high-speed gyroplane demonstrator...

Personally, I think the GBA design being studied in parallel with the five Army-funded JHL CDA designs will be quietly dropped - the DoD clearly has no interest in the design, which has extremely poor deck spotting for seabase opps.

Note the "double" inlets, each feeding two engines
The X2HSL is a three-engine design.

The X2 Crane...differs from Sikorsky's other X2 designs in being a conventional coaxial-rotor helicopter
The X2C shares the same ABC-derived rotor as the remainder of the X2 family, but lacks the HSL's aux propulsion. It is, though, as you state a very compact design, and only requires two 10,000shp class powerplants.

The X2 Vertical Unmanned Aerial System is Sikorsky's contender for the US Marine Corps' VUAS requirement for a VTOL UAV. Bell plans to offer the Eagle Eye tilt-rotor UAV for this competition

This requirement actually stems from the Corps' decision to scrap its commitment to the Eagle Eye. The Corps is currently studying three VUAS concepts - stopped-wing, fan-in-wing and tilt-rotor - with the X2VUAS at this point deemed too slow to keep up with the MV-22.

 

[CammNut]

The Corps is currently studying three VUAS concepts - stopped-wing, fan-in-wing and tilt-rotor - with the X2VUAS at this point deemed too slow to keep up with the MV-22.

That may explain the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works' fan-in-wing VARIOUS.

 

[CammNut]

The X2C shares the same ABC-derived rotor as the remainder of the X2 family, but lacks the HSL's aux propulsion.

Can you explain the differences? Not close-coupled, three blades, servo flaps - doesn't look like an ABC rotor system.

 

[CammNut]

The world's first AEW helicopter? They just couldn't get it to fly...

 

[yasotay]

No Camm, actually it is a bit of kit from a little town in New Mexico. They stopped work after two attempts because it took half the power of the eastern US to run it and it turned the test pilots into hamsters.

It really is an interesting picture though.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

The USA Laskowitz projected convertibles were L15CV two seat
powered by one Continental Palas turbine engine and a large machine
the L180CV-1,it was powered by two Westinghouse J34 turbojets.

http://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1958/1958%20-%200381.pdf

 

[hesham]

Hi,

The Hiller had designed a large Convertiplane in 1956 and
it powered by four engined.


http://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1956/1956%20-%201567.pdf

 

[hesham]

Hi,

The Sikorsky coaxial-rotor project and anther project to Eurocopter.


http://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/2004/2004-09%20-%201249.pdf

 

[hesham]

Hi,

The pender VTOL aircraft project;
http://www.google.com/patents?id=hCw7AAAAEBAJ&pg=PP2&dq=NTG+aircraft#PPP2,M1

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Hesham

PLEASE do not post every random patent you can find. Patent drawings which are registered to a company like Lockheed can be interesting as possible insights into actual projects and technologies they developed. Patents taken out by random inventors/lunatics are too far off topic in my opinion.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

I can't determine if it was a really project for Douglas as tandem
rotor helicopter or not really project !;
http://www.google.com/patents?id=cp5yAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA2&dq=tandem+wing+airplane&num=100#PPA2,M1

 

[hesham]

Hi,

I don't know what was those helicopters ?.
http://www.flightglobal.com/PDFArchive/View/1973/1973%20-%201400.html?search=aircraft%20project%201978

 

[Barrington Bond]

I think they are a Jetranger and Cayuse subtly altered for the advert for whatever purpose I do not know.

Regards,
Barry

 

[Jemiba]

A Gyronautics Inc.project for a compound helicopter/autogyro. Powered
by a 180hp Lycoming, the rotor is tipjet driven during take-off and landing.
The downwards tilted wing acts as landing gear.
(from aero 1962)

 

[hesham]

Hi,

for ebay site,the Sikorsky DS-160 flying crane helicopter with twin
engined,Vought L12HLH jet flap flying crane from 1969 and Lockheed
CL-977-16 composite helicopter.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Three-unbuilt-large-helicopter-project-diagrams_W0QQitemZ250230416551QQihZ015QQcategoryZ104059QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

 

[Antonio]

Hesham,

dynascott is orionblamblam

Regards,

Antonio

 

[Orionblamblam]

Now regularly-available:

http://www.up-ship.com/drawndoc/drawndocsale.htm

 

[Jemiba]

I've searched for quite a while and, yes, it was mentioned in a LOH thread before,
but I think, this thread is better suited. From FlugRevue 4/1981, a photo of a model of
the Hughes Model 2000.

 

[hesham]

Great find my dear Jemiba,

there is also the Hughes Model-1000,still unknown,thank you my dear.
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,2948.msg23696/highlight,hughes+1000.html#msg23696

 

[hesham]

My dear Maveric sent this Hughes helicopter unknown project,but I think,
may be it was Model-1000;


http://stingraysrotorforum.activeboard.com/t39111599/hughes-helicopters/?page=last#lastPostAnchor

 

[Stargazer]

From the March 1963 issue of Flying, the Rotorwing Sportsman autogyro:

 

[Stargazer]

Found this helicopter in an old Soviet book. It is described as the "Scove helicopter", although I'm not positive about how this should be spelt, nor am I 100% sure it was actually an American project. Help, anyone?

 

[The Artist]

There was also plenties of ramjet powered helicopters in the 50's, best known beeing the XH-20 Little Henry. Good article in le Fana around 2000... I have to post some pics and perfs...

I came across this while sifting through some boxed scrap-files at the museum. Tried shooting it on a copy stand today but it's not the best. Will try to get a good scan later.

Mike

 

[Stargazer]

Very interesting. To the best of my knowledge there never was a Little Henry flown with that fuselage, only the tubular XH-20. This could be the mockup for a proposed civilian version that never came to be.

 

[hesham]

Hi,


the Hughes company intended to develop a medium size helicopter with low-pressure
gas-jet engine,similar to Hunting Percival P.74 and P.105,I hope to know this design.


Air Pictorial 12/1955

 

[Bill Walker]

That is the work that probably led to the XV-9A, Hughes Model 385, although it was a hot-cycle by the time it flew in 1964.

 

[hesham]

May be you are right Bill,


and I hope to get that early design,there was a design called Model-285,but who knows ?;


http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,4875.msg160998.html#msg160998

 

[Avimimus]

Hesham

PLEASE do not post every random patent you can find. Patent drawings which are registered to a company like Lockheed can be interesting as possible insights into actual projects and technologies they developed. Patents taken out by random inventors/lunatics are too far off topic in my opinion.

Maybe we should have a second topic in the patents section?

 

[allysonca]

From my collection in the front is a factory made Grumman Ducted fan helicopter (my fav in the collection) and in the back right side a large Lear helicopter proposal.

 

[hesham]

Amazing project Allysonca,


many thanks for sharing us,and in the same picture,what was this ?.