Transport helicopter design by American Helicopter Co.

[boxkite]

Around the time American Helicopter Co. was bought by Fairchild (April 1954), the company worked on a transport helo for the US Army (payload 3 tonnes). At the tips of the four rotor blades have to be so-called 'power packages' (pulso jets).

What happened to this design? Any idea of the model number?

SOURCE: aero 5/1954 (scan from a Xerox copy )

 

[frank]

Pulse jets or ram jets? I can't see a helo using pulse jets. They have enough vibration as it is.

 

[boxkite]

The writer of the article says pulse jets ('Pulsodüsentriebwerke') - ???

 

[hesham]

My dear boxkite,

The logically series to this company made that helicopter as A-9,
but I am not sure.

 

[lark]

Boxkite,
The same illustration as yours appeared in Air Pictorial ,June 1954.
Caption as follows:
An American Helicopter (Fairchild) concept for a 8.000 lb payload military
helicopter to meet U.S.Army TransportationCorps requirements.
"Offical support" has been received for a complete preliminary designs study
and development of suitable pulse-jet powerplants.

So far the text.Nothing of a designation.Maybe its only an early concept illustration.
'Helicopters and Autogiro's of the World' , Paul Lambermont & Anthony Pirie- Cassel .London 1958
does not mention this designs in the American Helicopter Company type list.

 

[boxkite]

So far the text.Nothing of a designation.Maybe its only an early concept illustration.
'Helicopters and Autogiro's of the World' , Paul Lambermont & Anthony Pirie- Cassel .London 1958
does not mention this designs in the American Helicopter Company type list.

... and that's a really good book. Highly recommended for helicopter enthusiasts! The 2nd revised & enlarged edition was published in 1970, but I believe there is no further edition.

 

[lark]

Boxkite victor... the honour is yours

 

[Stargazer]

Around the time American Helicopter Co. was bought by Fairchild (April 1954), the company worked on a transport helo for the US Army (payload 3 tonnes). At the tips of the four rotor blades have to be so-called 'power packages' (pulso jets).

What happened to this design? Any idea of the model number?

SOURCE: aero 5/1954 (scan from a Xerox copy )

This image depicts the American Helicopter/Fairchild M-175 "Transporter" design.


Perhaps this topic could be merged with http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=6758.0 ??

 

[circle-5]

A better copy of this illustration by R.G. Smith, along with press release text.

 

[Stargazer]

Excellent! Thanks for sharing. Tell me something: where did you get the name "Helicrane" from, circle-5? It doesn't appear on the picture or the press release. Thanks for your answer!

 

[circle-5]

Excellent! Thanks for sharing. Tell me something: where did you get the name "Helicrane" from, circle-5? It doesn't appear on the picture or the press release. Thanks for your answer!

I don't know. It was listed under that name in my files, but that doesn't mean much. I just don't remember, so ignore the name until it can be corroborated by another source.

 

[Grey Havoc]

From the decade involved, and given what's known about the design, I'd suspect that they were planning to use so-called 'valveless' pulse jets, which can be both quite compact and pretty fuel efficient (especially in comparison to most pulse jets, then or now).

 

[hesham]

Around the time American Helicopter Co. was bought by Fairchild (April 1954), the company worked on a transport helo for the US Army (payload 3 tonnes). At the tips of the four rotor blades have to be so-called 'power packages' (pulso jets).

What happened to this design? Any idea of the model number?

SOURCE: aero 5/1954 (scan from a Xerox copy )

This image depicts the American Helicopter/Fairchild M-175 "Transporter" design.


Perhaps this topic could be merged with http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=6758.0 ??

It is not correct;

that's because,the Model-175 has a tail-rotor,three main blades,slender
body and single pilot.

 

[Jemiba]

Browsing through isues of the vertiflite magazine, I came across the article mentioned by boxkite
here http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,6758.0.html and thought, an artist's
impression and a side view of the Model 175 may e helpful indetermining the differences between
the two helis.

 

[hesham]

that's because,the Model-175 has a tail-rotor,three main blades,slender
body and single pilot.

Yes my dear Jemiba,


and the Model-159A had a one rotor blade,Model-159B had a twin engined mounted at the fuselage
and Model-159C had a one rotor blade on each wing and can be folded at forward flight.

 

[Stargazer]

Where the heck did you get the Model 159 from, hesham? The 159 was a projected stowable rotor convertiplane, but the only type I see discussed here is the Model 175...

 

[Jemiba]

Indeed, calling the Model 159 a "transport hlicopter" probably would mean stretching that term quite far. It was
a proposal as a response to a request by the Air Material Command from 1950 and probably meant as a kind of
proof-of concept demonstrator. The number of crew isn't mentioned in the vertiflite article, but with a gross weight
of just 1,360 kg, empty weight of 960 kg and fuel load of 360 kg, its transport capacity would have hardly been
noteworthy !

BTW, as we still have no general thread about projects drawn by the American Helicopter Company, I think, we should
modify this threads title.

 

[hesham]

Hi,


I repeat the same drawings which sent by my dear Jens to M-159,but from
anther source and more clearance.

 

[Stargazer]

Browsing through isues of the vertiflite magazine, I came across the article mentioned by boxkite
here http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,6758.0.html and thought, an artist's
impression and a side view of the Model 175 may e helpful indetermining the differences between
the two helis.

Better quality scans of the same two pictures...

 

[hesham]

From Flying 1954-7,

a clearer view.

 

[hesham]

From Air Pictorial 1954.

 

[Armin Derer]

The number of crew isn't mentioned in the vertiflite article, but with a gross weight
of just 1,360 kg, empty weight of 960 kg and fuel load of 360 kg, its transport capacity would have hardly been
noteworthy !

No need to mention the number of crew, because w/ 40 kg left in the equation it could be only one really small person.