FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1956
1956 - 1565.PDF
2 November 1956 723 (Above and tight) Cessna CH-1. Helicopters of the World . . . (Below) de Lackner Aerocycle. using a simplified rotor and control systemin a compact design, is workable, and pro- vides the means for a basic improvement inthe helicopter." They add that control is obtained by a differential thrust betweenthe rotors. Complete elimination of cyclic- pitch control and rotor hinge mechanismsis said to produce powerful damped con- trol about all axes. The four-rotor con-figuration is claimed to confer weight saving, good handling qualities, safer con-trol, reduced vulnerability, drive simplifi- cation and compactness. It is also assertedthat it provides naturally for multiple pod- mounted powerplants and auxiliary aero- (Above) Goodyear GA-400R. (Right) Doman UZ.5-2 (stripped configuration). foils without adding structure. Theairframe can be economically constructed and maintained by utilizing small duplicate,constant-section components. The identi- cal blades are only one-half as long as onan equivalent single rotor; blade droop is reduced by over 65 per cent, with a corre-sponding reduction in necessary height and ground-handling problems. The fuselageis free of powerplants, improving safety and comfort, and allowing flexible use ofits full volume. The flying test-bed is powered by two90 h.p. Continental C-90 engines connected to the rotor drive system by multipleV-belts. Since the four-rotor system relies for its control on equal r.p.m. of all therotors, the rotors are interconnected by shafting and transmission cases, and sincethe configuration requires only differential thrust between the rotors it has been pos-sible to eliminate the conventional cyclic- pitch control system. The controls are,however, arranged so that they appear and function exactly as they would in a smallsingle-rotor, single-engine helicopter. • Rotor diam., 19.4ft; gross weight, 2,200 1b. Model E This designation distinguishesa project for a massive Quadrotor helicop- ter of 42,000 lb gross weight, to carry apayload of 10,900 lb, having a range of 380 statute miles and a maximum forwardspeed of 173 m.p.h. Four Wright R-1820 engines are specified.Convertawings are also studying the application of the Quadrotor concept to alarge flying crane which can be easily dis- assembled for transport. This would beof cruciform layout, with a two-blade rotor at the end of each arm and with a"driver's cab" between the two forward arms. CESSNA AIRCRAFT CO. INC. 5800 Pawnee Road, Wichita IS, Kansas. Murray 6-6681) CH-1 Bearing the U.S. Army designa-tion YH-41, this very clean-lined high- performance helicopter is being offered formilitary and civil use. The makers claim that through the use of an aerodynamicallyclean rotor assembly and a streamlined fuselage, and the fitting of a superchargedContinental FSO-470A engine, the machine has the highest C.A.A.-certificated perfor-mance of all helicopters. Metal construc- tion is used throughout. The primarystructure of the main part of the fuselage is a double-skinned platform, the top ofwhich serves as the floor for the cabin. This section houses the fuel cells and thelower control assemblies, and supports the main rotor transmission, the engine mount-ing and the landing gear. The support structure for the wind shield and windowsalso serves as a structural tie between the front and rear parts of the fuselage. Thetwo main-rotor blades are attached to the hubs by flexible L-section hinges of steelsheet, permitting continuously varying pitch of the blades without recourse topitch-change bearings. The attaching members are made from four sheets ofstainless steel formed into L-shaped angles and nested one above the other.Forward mounting of the engine allows a 360 deg field of view for the passengercompartment, which seats four people. Alternatively, the CH-1 can carry pilot andpassenger and over 500 lb of freight for ranges up to 100 miles; two stretcherpatients and an attendant are another optional load. The skid-type undercarriageuses stainless-steel tension straps in the attaching structure. On normal landingsthe action is very stiff but on hard landings the excess energy is absorbed by plasticdeformation of the stainless-steel straps. Stretching of the links gives a new angularposition to the landing gear struts but does not otherwise affect operation. The ten-sion straps can be used until successive hard landings displace the gear to the pointof introducing ground-clearance problems. Clip-on wheels are provided for groundhandling. • Rotor diam., 35ft; fuselage length, 32ft lin;empty weight, 1,975 lb; gross weight, 3,000 lb;
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
