Monte-Copter Model 15 Tri-Phibian amphibious cold-cycle helicopter prototype....

[Caravellarella]

Dear Boys and Girls, here is an article in French about the Monte-Copter Model 15 Tri-phibian amphibious helicopter prototype which had a cold-cycle rotor......

The article comes from the 6th January 1961 issue of Les Ailes......

Terry (Caravellarella)

 

[Stargazer]

Thanks, Terry... You've made my day!!!

 

[Caravellarella]

Thanks, Terry... You've made my day!!!

Thanks Stéphane ;D

 

[Arjen]

Source: "Jane's all the world's Aircraft 1962-63"

 

[Nik]

Looks like something Disney's Imagineers dreamed up to go with the monorail...

 

[Stargazer]

A bad scan but interesting info:

Maurice Ramme, a founder of the American Helicopter Society and the 87th licensed commercial pilot in the United States, died in December 1995. His helicopter experience began in 1948 when he served as test pilot for Hoppi Copter in Seattle.
There he tested and promoted a counter rotating, one man, back pack helicopter which looked like something out of "Buck Rogers." Mr. Ramme also tested Hoppi's one man, tricyc1e landing gear) counter rotating helicopter which was the forerunner of many of today's ultra light machines. While teaching turbine theory at Edison TechniCal Institute he learned that gas turbine air might be used to power a helicopter. In 1953, Mr. Ramme formed MonteCopter, Inc. to develop one of the first air driven rotor helicopters in the
United States. His prototypes include the Model 10, the first helicopter to fly using boundary layer slots as the only means of propelling the rotors, the Model 12, the first twin turbine pressure jet helicopter in the U.S., and the Model 15 Triphibian, capable of operating on land, sea or in the air.

 

[Bill Walker]

When I joined Trident Aircraft at Victoria, BC in 1976 the hulk of the Monte-Copter Model 15 was stored in a corner of our hanger at Victoria International Airport. We shared the hanger with an elderly gentleman who rebuilt wrecked light aircraft, and he told me that he in turn had rented storage space to a Canadian company that owned the design rights. He gave me a phone number of the company, but the number had been disconnected (I wanted to send them a resume ;D). The hulk left the building one weekend about a year later.

From memory, it was just a fibreglass shell, with no engine or rotors. I think it was a very faded pink and white, may have been red and white at one time. I regret that I never took any photos of it at the time.

 

[Triton]

Color photos of Monte-Copter Model 15 Tri-Phibian.

Source:
http://xplanes.tumblr.com/post/183858219/the-monte-copter-model-15-triphibian-circa-1960
http://xplanes.tumblr.com/page/92

Perhaps a photo editing demigod might want to correct the faded colors?

 

[Bill Walker]

Actually, the first photo is about the colour I remember from 1976.

 

[Stargazer]

Another picture of the Tri-Phibian:

 

[Jemiba]

In Aero France, April 1959, I found photos ot the Monte-Copter 12 and 14, mentioned in Stéphanes post,
data only for the 14:
Two seats, rotor diameter 9,75 m, length 9,75 m, width 5 m, heighht 2,60 m, empty weight 455 kg, TOW 635 kg.

 

[Stargazer]

Great find Jens!

 

[Stingray]

In Aero France, April 1959, I found photos ot the Monte-Copter 12 and 14, mentioned in Stéphanes post,
data only for the 14:
Two seats, rotor diameter 9,75 m, length 9,75 m, width 5 m, heighht 2,60 m, empty weight 455 kg, TOW 635 kg.

The "Model 14" seen here was actually the earlier Model 10A prototype before it was rebuilt into the Model 12.

 

[Stingray]

The original Model 10, before removal of wings and canopy as Model 10A in Jemiba's post:

 

[Arjen]

Did some editing in GIMP. Not sure about the results.
<edit>replaced second picture with slightly bigger one

 

[Stargazer]

Another profile view of the Triphibian from RAF Flying Review in 1960:

 

[martinbayer]

Reminds me of this concept: https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/shangdeng-multipurpose-vehicle.35839/

 

[MMDriver]

Here is a beautiful battery-operated tin toy clearly based on the Monte-Copter. The toy was made by Bandai in Japan, sometime in the 1960s. I haven't established the exact year of manufacture yet.

 

[martinbayer]

Here is a beautiful battery-operated tin toy clearly based on the Monte-Copter. The toy was made by Bandai in Japan, sometime in the 1960s. I haven't established the exact year of manufacture yet.

Huh - that even closer to the Fliewatüüt concept than the Shandeng design!

 

[Platt-LePage Aircraft]

Here is a beautiful battery-operated tin toy clearly based on the Monte-Copter. The toy was made by Bandai in Japan, sometime in the 1960s. I haven't established the exact year of manufacture yet.

Japanese plastic model kit manufacturer Marusan was said to have made a plastic kit of the Tri-Phibian in 1/24 scale, long ago.
Good Luck finding one...

 

[MMDriver]

Japanese plastic model kit manufacturer Marusan was said to have made a plastic kit of the Tri-Phibian in 1/24 scale, long ago.
Good Luck finding one...

They are very hard to find indeed. I do not have one but hope to get lucky someday. There are two variants of the Marusan kit that I've seen.

 

[Platt-LePage Aircraft]

They are very hard to find indeed. I do not have one but hope to get lucky someday. There are two variants of the Marusan kit that I've seen.

Very nice to see one photographed, I've heard about the kit going back to the early days of Kit Collectors Clearing House.I've seen the boxart of the Otaki Doman many years ago. I just have the Helicopter for Industry / Helicopter Models Inc. Kaman HOK-1 box art left to see.

 

[MMDriver]

Very nice to see one photographed, I've heard about the kit going back to the early days of Kit Collectors Clearing House.I've seen the boxart of the Otaki Doman many years ago. I just have the Helicopter for Industry / Helicopter Models Inc. Kaman HOK-1 box art left to see.

I have never seen a Helicopters for Industry Kaman HOK-1 - that is news to me.

 

[JS23]

Can’t help but notice the lack of counter-torque. Just trim the rudder to compensate, I guess?

 

[MMDriver]

Can’t help but notice the lack of counter-torque. Just trim the rudder to compensate, I guess?

I cheated and let AI answer for me...

"The Monte-Copter 12 (and its successor, the Model 15) did not have a tail rotor or mechanical counter-torque system because its main rotor was driven by "cold-jet" tip nozzles. Since the rotor was spun by compressed air—not a mechanical drive shaft connected to the fuselage—the engine did not transfer reaction torque to the airframe."