Rotorcraft XR-11 (XH-11)

[EEP1A]

This posting is regarding the Rotorcraft XR-11 (XH-11).

Attached picture is the only photo I could find. (Source: ‘Military Helicopters of the World’ by Norman Polmer and Floyd D. Kennedy, Jr., Arms and Armour Press, 1981)
There is one illustration of this helicopter at <a href="http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/arch/collections/ufo_past.cfm">Smithonian web site.</a>

One Rotorcraft XR-11 was built for evaluation by the USAAF. The helicopter had contra-rotating, intermeshing rotor blades with the hubs of the three-bladed rotors 12 feet 4 inches apart. It had a welded steel tubular construction with fabric covering.
Built around 1945-46, the helicopter had 1 pilot, 1 observer, one Continental A-100 (O-188?) of 100hp, length 15”, height 7”2’, empty weight 900lb, gross weight 1350lb. (Source; ‘Military Helicopters of the World’ etc.)

Soon the designation of the helicopter was changed to XH-11 but the project was cancelled.

From the photo you can read the serial number at the tail to be “59478” and the above mentioned book describe that the serial number of the helicopter was 45-9478. 　
But I think there is a possibility that the number was 45-59478 because there were many examples that the complete fiscal year were omitted from the number written at the plane. Unfortunately the official serial number document lists both as cancelled.

I would greatly appreciate any additional drawing, photo or illustration of this project and information regarding the serial number.

 

[avia.russian.ee]

Very interesting photo.
I've never known about this helicopter.

"Rotorcraft had acquired rights to the rigid rotor designs of the Landgraf Helicopter Company and built an experimental machine known as the XH-II Dragonfly which used the Landgraf rotor system mounted in tandem - but so closely positioned that they overlapped. This was eventually abandoned"
(from Airlife's Helicopter and Rotorcraft)

But I have a question about other Rotorcraft design.

I scanned this photo from one book, probably Lambermont, where it was signed as "Rotorcraft Pinwheel".
What designation do you think is it ?
I've found some info on aerofiles.com but even they don't know exactly what is it.

"Unknown model (Jos Heyman coll)

19?? = Flying A-frame as pictured; no specs or data. Perhaps was a prototype for RH-1."

 

[Sentinel Chicken]

It looks a lot like some of the light helo concepts from the 1960s that were intended to provide ejecting aircrew with some means of controlled landing and possibly escape from enemy territory.

 

[boxkite]

I scanned this photo from one book, probably Lambermont, where it was signed as "Rotorcraft Pinwheel".
What designation do you think is it ?
I've found some info on aerofiles.com but even they don't know exactly what is it.

"Unknown model (Jos Heyman coll)

19?? = Flying A-frame as pictured; no specs or data. Perhaps was a prototype for RH-1."

Actually, this picture is captioned RH-1 Pinwheel in Lambermont’s book, but it’s much different from the other RH-1 pictures I know. ???

pic # 1 -> Lüpke: “Gasturbinen und Strahlantriebe für Hubschrauber“
pic # 2 -> Taylor: “Helicopters” (abc series/1960)
pic # 3 -> “50 einsitzige und unbemannte Hub- und Tragschrauber“ (Zuerl-Verlag)

 

[dan_inbox]

[quote author=avia.russian.ee]
What designation do you think is it ?[/quote]
Hiller XROE-1.
This is what I have about it:

In 1953, the U. S. Navy, on behalf of the U. S. Marine Corps, announced a competition to design and build a one-man helicopter. The aircraft had to be man-portable, small and compact in storage but quick to assemble by one person. Aircrews would carry this tiny aircraft with them on every mission and if forced down, fly it to friendly territory. Marine Corps leaders also hoped the aircraft might give individual infantrymen air mobility for special tactical missions.
Hiller won the contract and developed an innovative machine designated the XROE-1. The firm also appended the name 'Rotorcycle' to the new aircraft. Since Stanley Hiller flew his first helicopter, the XH-44 Hiller-Copter (see NASM collection), in 1944, the young inventor had earned a reputation for unique and innovative approaches to vertical flight. Hiller's experimental research division had developed and flown the ramjet-powered HOE-1 and the Model 1031 Flying Platform.

The Rotorcycle was so stable that Hiller expected a non-pilot to fly it after only 8 hours of instruction. For its diminutive size, the helicopter had excellent performance except in range. The fuel tank held 9.1 liters (2.4 gals) of gasoline, enough to fly 64 km (40 miles) in calm weather at a cruise speed of 84 kph (52 mph). A person could bolt floats onto the standard, tripod-strut landing gear for operations on smooth water. The center-of-gravity range was extremely limited, prohibiting a lightweight pilot from flying without a small bucket filled with ballast and suspended from the front landing gear strut to safely balance the Rotorcycle.

Hiller constructed a non-flying prototype for structural tests and one flight-test model. The XROE-1 first flew in November 1956. The Rotorcycle performed well and impressed Marine Corps officers who ordered five YROE-1 rotorcraft for evaluation. Hiller did not have the capacity to build these aircraft because the Hiller UH-12/H-23 scout utility helicopter program had consumed all manufacturing capacity. The British manufacturer, Saunders-Roe, built the five Marine Corps Rotorcycles under license to Hiller, and built an additional five Rotorcycles for sale overseas. The firm finished all ten by 1961.

I hope this helps.

 

[Vahe Demirjian]

[quote author=avia.russian.ee]
What designation do you think is it ?

Hiller XROE-1.
This is what I have about it:

In 1953, the U. S. Navy, on behalf of the U. S. Marine Corps, announced a competition to design and build a one-man helicopter. The aircraft had to be man-portable, small and compact in storage but quick to assemble by one person. Aircrews would carry this tiny aircraft with them on every mission and if forced down, fly it to friendly territory. Marine Corps leaders also hoped the aircraft might give individual infantrymen air mobility for special tactical missions.
Hiller won the contract and developed an innovative machine designated the XROE-1. The firm also appended the name 'Rotorcycle' to the new aircraft. Since Stanley Hiller flew his first helicopter, the XH-44 Hiller-Copter (see NASM collection), in 1944, the young inventor had earned a reputation for unique and innovative approaches to vertical flight. Hiller's experimental research division had developed and flown the ramjet-powered HOE-1 and the Model 1031 Flying Platform.

The Rotorcycle was so stable that Hiller expected a non-pilot to fly it after only 8 hours of instruction. For its diminutive size, the helicopter had excellent performance except in range. The fuel tank held 9.1 liters (2.4 gals) of gasoline, enough to fly 64 km (40 miles) in calm weather at a cruise speed of 84 kph (52 mph). A person could bolt floats onto the standard, tripod-strut landing gear for operations on smooth water. The center-of-gravity range was extremely limited, prohibiting a lightweight pilot from flying without a small bucket filled with ballast and suspended from the front landing gear strut to safely balance the Rotorcycle.

Hiller constructed a non-flying prototype for structural tests and one flight-test model. The XROE-1 first flew in November 1956. The Rotorcycle performed well and impressed Marine Corps officers who ordered five YROE-1 rotorcraft for evaluation. Hiller did not have the capacity to build these aircraft because the Hiller UH-12/H-23 scout utility helicopter program had consumed all manufacturing capacity. The British manufacturer, Saunders-Roe, built the five Marine Corps Rotorcycles under license to Hiller, and built an additional five Rotorcycles for sale overseas. The firm finished all ten by 1961.

I hope this helps.
[/QUOTE]
The ROE-1 was a different rotorcraft than the XH-11 and RH-1, and flew much later, as did the RH-1 (see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiller_ROE_Rotorcycle and http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/rotorcraft_pinwheel.php).