Douglas Herculette STOL Transport

circle-5 · 21 December 2014

The Douglas Herculette was a STOL transport project, using an all-new utility fuselage grafted onto a modified NAA OV-10 Bronco airframe. Herculette was generally comparable to the IAI Arava. Designer John E. "Johnnie" Rapillo was Douglas Long Beach project manager for the PD-808 business jet and one of the managers on the DC-8 airliner program, among others. I believe the Herculette transport was mostly targeted at the civilian market.

Photo shows a Douglas factory model of the Herculette.

Jemiba · 21 December 2014

Thanks for sharing !
AFAIK, the Bronco transport should have had clamshell doors in the rear fuselage.
Any indication, that the Herculette would have had them, too ?

thonthon42 · 21 December 2014

Photo shows a Douglas factory model of the Herculette.
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Very intersting !

But it seems the wings were different from rectangular low aspect ratio wings of Bronco.

@+++

Tonton

Stargazer · 21 December 2014

Yes, thonthon42 is right, the wing shape is decidedly different from those of the OV-10, but besides that the project bears remarkable resemblance to the planned transport versions of the Bronco.

circle-5 · 31 December 2014

Jemiba said:
AFAIK, the Bronco transport should have had clamshell doors in the rear fuselage.
Any indication, that the Herculette would have had them, too ?

The rear portion of the Herculette fuselage appears to be a one-piece assembly, which probably hinged to starboard (there is enough clearance on either side to open such a door beyond 90 deg., for full cross-section, straight-in loading access).
The view from the rear panoramic window would have been spectacular... Attached are a couple more photos of the model.

Douglas Herculette STOL Transport

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