Nagler / Voljet / Phoenix Helicopters and Projects

[hesham]

From USA,

Nagler helicopters:
the NH-120,NH-140 and NH-160 were a single seat light helicopters the Honcho 100
(cold-jet) tip driven single seat helicopter,was developed into Honcho 200, a two seat
research helicopter with enclosed cabin,the Honcho 202 was a production version of
200, Model-421 was a four seat helicopter and S 11 was four/five seat compound
helicopter.

 

[Jemiba]

Here's a photo of the Nagler NH-160
(from : FlugWelt-60-II"

 

[hesham]

Thank you my dear Jemiba,

The Nagler NH-161 was a developed version of NH-160 with
150 hp McCulloch engine.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930008694_1993008694.pdf

 

[hesham]

Hi,

I spoke about this designer before,Mr. Bruno Nagler,and
about helicopters,and from Aerofiles and Flightglobal sites,
there was NH-1,NH-2,NH-120,NH-140,NH-160,NH-161,
Honcho Model-100 (Honcho Model-193),Honcho Model-200,
Honcho Model-202,VG-1,VG-2 and VG-4.

Also here is anther Helicopters and Projects;

Model-228 Phoenix was homebuilt lightweight helicopter

Model-255 light helicopter with Allison 250-C20B turboshaft engine

Model-205 was a low-cost circulation-control rotor helicopter
proposed to the Naval Air System Command in 1972

Model-217 was a pressure-jet design study using a steam engine
powerplant

Model-276 was a mid-1992 design to investigate the possibilities of
using the pressure-jet principle in an attack helicopter

Model-325 was developed from Model-280

Model-421 was a four seat helicopter

Model S11 was a four/five-seat compound helicopter

For the Voljet Model-280 and Model-281,they appeared in
seperated topic.

American airplanes: Na - Nu

http://hoytstearns.com/NaglerScans/Liberatore1.pdf

http://hoytstearns.com/NaglerScans/Liberatore2.pdf

 

[hesham]

Hi,

here is also the Nagler/Voljet Model-281,it was ultra-heavy
lift helicopter of the pressure-jet configuration.

http://hoytstearns.com/NaglerScans/Liberatore1.pdf

 

[Stargazer]

Wow! Never imagined Nagler had so many projects on the shelf. Thanks hesham for this very interesting topic!

 

[Stargazer]

Aerofiles also speaks of the Nagler Vertigyro, which I'm joining here as an attachment.

EDIT: sorry, you've already mentioned that aircraft and the site!

 

[hesham]

Thank you my dear Stargazer,

and I found the Model-183 in the third section;

http://hoytstearns.com/NaglerScans/Liberatore3.pdf

 

[frank]

Why does this thing look like it uses the forward fuselage, from the main gear forward, of a Piper Colt or TriPacer?

Aerofiles also speaks of the Nagler Vertigyro, which I'm joining here as an attachment.

EDIT: sorry, you've already mentioned that aircraft and the site!

 

[Stargazer]

Probably because it does! Other Nagler projects use components from other types, most obviously the Model 255, which uses an OH-6 Cayuse, and the 325 which seems to be based on a Jet Ranger.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

may be that helicopter was Model-217 ?.

http://books.google.com.eg/books?id=PgEAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA126&dq=phoenix+helicopter&hl=ar&ei=ThK7TOTOGMSCOsSG2I0N&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=true

 

[Stargazer]

Interesting. But what makes you think that the Phoenix Heligyro was a Nagler?

 

[hesham]

Hi,

the Voljet Model-585 NOTAR helicopter.

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[SA315B]

Interesting. But what makes you think that the Phoenix Heligyro was a Nagler?

It definitely is Nagler based; the ad shows the “prototype in hands off hover” and is a photograph that was included in the first Honcho brochure. It was one of the very first prototypes, built on a Benson Gyrocopter frame.

 

[Stargazer]

Yeah. Last time I posted I proceeded to further investigate the matter and discovered that indeed Nagler and Phoenix were related.

Here is the result of my investigations on the subject so far, covering the whole Nagler story:

 

[SA315B]

Bruno also designed for the other side during WW II and made no effort to hide the fact. The concept was flying cavalry and was a sort of back pack affair with two blades and two 2 cycle engines to spin up the blades.

I flew one of the Honcho prototypes and was involved with a company in Central America that was buying the South American rights.

 

[Stargazer]

Fascinating! It's good to hear from an insider... Welcome aboard... Should we call you SA315B or Lama? LOL

I really hope we can hear a few stories and learn a little more about Nagler's oft-neglected contribution to helicopter history.

 

[walter]

Dear Hesham, Stargazer2006 and all others.
Beautiful to see a subject as the Nagler helicopters being spun out and expanded all the time. A small contribution from my side and inviting your comments and/oir remarks.
NH-120: Was registered N74054
Model 130: I have seen it named Convert-A-Plane, as Covertoplane and also as XNH-5
NH-140: May have been the re-engined NH-120
NH-161: This may have been a project to re-engine the NH-160 with a more powerful (85hp de-reated from 120hp) McCullogh.
Model 193: Was this named Honcho 100 or just Honcho? . I think it was built by Nagler Aircraft after Mr. Darrow Thompson had become involved (see the Veriflite article page 84)
Model 200 Yellow Bird: I think the engine was a Continental TC140 (Turboméca Palouste license)
Model 228: The Veriflite article (page 88) mentions that Mr. Nagler started work on this model, but that it was continued by two other companies.
Will sent a separate post on this one.
Best Regards, Walter

 

[walter]

W#ork on the Model 228 Phoenix was started by Mr. Nagler, but reportedly other companies tookover for various reasons.
One surely was the Heligyro Corporation (Scottsdale AZ) and it seems more than than a co-incidence that Nagler Aircraft Corporation was also in Scottsdale. The Veriflite article (page 88) mentions that the Model 228 had a liq The avertisement posted shows

 

[walter]

Sorry, something went wrong.
Work on the Model 228 Phoenix was started by Mr. Nagler, but reportedly other companies took over for various reasons. One of these companies surely was Heligyro Corporation in Scottsdale, Arizona and it seems more than a coincidence that Nagler Aircraft (founded by Mr. Nagler and Mr. Darrow Thompson) was also in Scottsdale. The advertisement posted before shows the Phoenix as a small helicopter with a tail boom. Engine I understand was liquid cooled (outboard?) engine. I never found out whether the Phoenix was actually flown.
The project may later have been continued around 1977/1978 by Eagle Helicopter Corporation of Grand Island, Nebraska and I have a photo showing a rather similar small heli as the Eagle II, but without tail boom and possibly registered N25... (can't read)
I wonder what happened to the Eagle project.
Will try to post the photo of the Eagle II and also an advertisement of Eagle Helicopters, as soon as I figured out how to retrieve them.
Best Regards, Walter
Best regards, Walter

 

[walter]

On the VG-1 have some additional information.
It seems sure that a first aircraft preceded the VG-1. It had been modified from a PA-22 Tri-Pacer and fitted with a (modified) Brantley B-2 rotor flew in 1960. It had an entirely new tail with a small vertical fin and a horizontal tail plane with vertical end plates. This aircraft was registered N598X and (assuming the engine drove a compressor), it was only tested as pure helicopter.
The VG-1 (N5395Z) with a different tail group first flew in January 1964 and I understand it was modified from a PA-22 Colt rather than from a Tri=Pacer.
Best Regards, Walter

 

[Stargazer]

Thank you so much Walter for these great updates! Can't wait to see your pic of the Eagle!

 

[Stargazer]

Walter sent me the Eagle material by e-mail for me to resize it and share it here. I've included a couple of other pics for comparison.

As you can see in images one and two below, the Eagle was not just a spinoff of the Phoenix, it simply WAS the Phoenix under a new name. Both ads use the exact same illustration, with only the stars removed on the tail (see images six and seven for the entire original ads).

Third image is a cutaway profile view of the Phoenix.

Fourth image shows a model depicted as an Eagle II, which seems to have a shorter frame than the first model.

Fifth image shows the "demo 1976" Eagle helicopter, obviously prior to the acquisition of the Nagler design, which has nothing in common with it.

Sixth and seventh images are the original Phoenix and Eagle ads.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

a more info about Phoenix.

 

[Stargazer]

Thanks, hesham. That's from Jane's, of course... but what year?

 

[hesham]

My dear Stargazer,

the year was 1977-1978.

 

[Grey Havoc]

So the Phoenix/Eagle never entered series production?

 

[Stargazer]

All Nagler-related projects (including Vertigyro, Voljet and Phoenix) consolidated into this one topic. Hope this helps!

Also see the Nagler designations thread: http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,12502.0

And: http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,9786.msg90411.html#msg90411

 

[Stingray]

This thread started by Jim Bryant (illustrator of Bruno Nagler's designs) might be interesting:

http://stingraysrotorforum.activeboard.com/t50134245/voljet-prototype-photos-and-honcho-concepts/

 

[hesham]

This thread started by Jim Bryant (illustrator of Bruno Nagler's designs) might be interesting:

http://stingraysrotorforum.activeboard.com/t50134245/voljet-prototype-photos-and-honcho-concepts/

We can put them here my dear Stingray.

 

[Stingray]

Thanks, Hesham.

 

[hesham]

Hi,


NH-170 was an enclosed two seat side-by-side helicopter design,with a shrouded
lower counter-torque rotor.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagler_NH-160

 

[Jemiba]

From Aero, October 1964, the Nagler Vertigyro VG-2, described as a kind of
series version of the VG-1, powered by an engine with 220 hp, length 5.46 m,
rotor diameter 10.97 , weight 740 kg, speed 240 km/h and a range of 400 km.

 

[hesham]

Great find my dear Jemiba.

 

[Stargazer]

Sweet! General configuration reminds me more of the G & A (Pitcairn) GA-44 or XO-61.

 

[Jemiba]

NH-170 was an enclosed two seat side-by-side helicopter design,with a shrouded
lower counter-torque rotor.

Indeed, blurry, but nevertheless a drawing from vertiflite, July 1956:

 

[hesham]

Great find my dear Jemiba.

 

[hesham]

From Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1974-75.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

here is a two unknown Nagler designs,and Model-190 (fourth drawing).

http://archive.aviationweek.com/image/spread/19530622/15/2
http://archive.aviationweek.com/image/spread/19580901/30/2