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Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0362.PDF
378 FLIGHT, 21 March 1958 Lett and above, Fiat 7002. Helicopters off the World ITALY Costruzioni Aeronautiche Giovanni Agusta Cascina Costa, Gallarate.Agusta-Bell 47 Since 1952 this Italian company has held European manufactur-ing rights for various versions of the Bell Model 47, and since 1955 has deliveredconsiderable quantities of Model 47Gs and G-2s. The latest product is the 47JRanger. All these types are dealt with under theheading of the parent company. Societa Per Azioni Fiat Corso Giovanni Agnelli 200, Turin.Fiat 7002 The Fiat 7002 medium-size, general-purpose helicopter promises togive a ratio of empty weight to useful load of 1:1.33. The main rotor is driven bycompressed-air jets at the blade tips, sup- plied from a specially developed turbo-generator. This type of "cold jet" propulsion waschosen by Fiat on the grounds of lightness, constructional simplicity, low initial cost,high reliability, long overhaul life, and low maintenance and operating costs. The Above and below, NHI H-3 Kolibrie. compressed air is supplied by a Fiat 4700turbo-generator in which the turbine- driven air compressor is operated by aprimary hot-gas generator based on the Fiat 4002 turbojet. The air compressor andthe primary engine are mechanically independent, resulting in free-turbineadvantages and permitting the optimum compression ratio for the best pneumatictransmission efficiency to be selected. The absence of reaction torque would haveallowed the abolition of the tail rotor, since directional control could be obtained bymeans of a rudder. In order to ensure complete manoeuvrability at low forwardspeeds and in vertical autorotation, how- ever, a small ducted tail rotor, mechanic-ally driven by the main rotor, is employed. In general construction as well as instructure the machine is based on the con- cept of flexibility for a number of militaryand civil applications. The two main-rotor blades have leading edges and spars madefrom stainless steel welded sheets and incorporating air ducts to the tips. Therotor hub is of the tilting type, the blades being connected by steel strips which bearcentrifugal loads and permit blade-pitch variations. Constructed from light-alloy sheet, thefuselage consists of three main sections which house respectively the cockpit, themain cabin, and the vertically mounted powerplant. A short tail beam carries theducted tail rotor and a tailplane. The upper portion of the fuselage centre-sectionembodies the attachments of the main rotor hub, and the fuel tanks. The landinggear is of the skid type. Normal loads envisaged for the 7002 are(1) one pilot and six passengers, (2) one pilot, one assistant and two stretchers (twoadditional stretcher litters can be mounted externally), and (3) one pilot and 90 cu ftof freight. Adaptation for other specialized purposes such as rescue or agriculturalwork is possible, and full dual control is fitted. Specially developed for use in a cold-jetdrive helicopter, the 4700 compressed-air generator is of the free-turbine type,having a prime mover consisting of com- pressor, combustor and turbine whichgenerates gas to be fed to an independent power turbine. This latter turbine drivesthe power air compressor. Vertical mount- ing of the engine reduces the length of thecompressed-air duct. • Rotor diam., 39.4ft; fuselage length, 20.1ft;empty weight, 1,320 lb; normal gross weight, 3,085 lb; cruising speed (est.), 84 m.p.h.;service ceiling (est.), 11,150ft; range (est.), 190 miles. Lualdi L-55 This new Italian light helicopter incorporates certain Hiller features but is largely of original design. A two-seater, it is powered with a Lycoming O-360 engine of 180 h.p. • Rotor diam., 32.8ft; gross weight, 2,200 lb;max. speed, 94 m.p.h.; endurance, 3 hr. NETHERLANDS Nederlandse Helicopter Industrie N.V. Vliegveld Zestienhoven, Rotterdam, W.2. NHI H-3 Kolibrie The NHI Kolibrie(humming-bird) ramjet helicopter is now coming off the production line after some2£ years and 500 hr of flight testing. The NHI ramjets have also passed the 150-hrtype test of the Rijksluchtvaartdienst (Civil Aviation Board) which covers theU.S. and British requirements. Like the Friendship, the Kolibrie is a nationaleffort. Design and development were carried out with the help of the Nether-lands Aircraft Development Board (NIV) at Delft and the National AeronauticalResearch Centre (NLL) at Amsterdam; while the manufacture is divided betweenAviolanda (airframe), Kromhout (ramjets and rotor head) and Fokker (Redux-bonded metal rotor blades). The rotor design is simple and unusual,allowing a direct hanging-stick control without dampers. A see-saw hinge is used,with a leaf-spring blade root replacing flapping hinges and torsional bearings.The blade eg has been kept ahead of the lift centre so that the rotor is self-adjustingand the aircraft is highly stable. Further unconventional features are the over-sizerotor and almost twin-engine safety. Because the rotor is 300 per cent "over-size" it stores sufficient kinetic energy to eliminate the unsafe hovering altitude. Itis claimed that ten seconds are available in which to change to autorotation, whileeye-witnesses report that it is possible to land—then take off again to ten feet with-out engines. Out-of-balance loads with one engine stopped are so small in relationto the rotor inertia that the Kolibrie can be brought in on one engine. The kineticenergy in the rotor can further be used, on the "jump-start" principle, to give a briefemergency climb rate of 2,000ft/min. Designed principally for agriculturalwork, the Kolibrie's ramjets burn domestic paraffin, thus greatly reducing fuel costsand offsetting high consumption. The air- frame is brief indeed, being no more thana connecting link between rotor, crew and the four standard tanks that can be filledwith fuel or spray liquid. The single- bladed tail rotor is for directional controlonly and, should it stop, full pedal move- ment operates a trim rudder which willkeep the helicopter straight against rotor- bearing friction at full power. • Rotor diam., 33ft; length, 13ft lOin; emptyweight, 530 lb; gross weight (civil), 1,435 lb; gross weight (military), 1,545 lb; max. speed,70 m.p.h.; max. cruising speed, 60 m.p.h.; rate of climb at 30 m.p.h., l,200ft/min; endurance(pilot only), 1 hr. (This review is continued on page 389, after special features in photogravure section.)
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