Transport helicopter design by American Helicopter Co.

boxkite

ACCESS: Top Secret
Senior Member
Joined
12 July 2006
Messages
884
Reaction score
379
Around the time American Helicopter Co. was bought by Fairchild (April 1954), the company worked on a transport helo for the US Army (payload 3 tonnes). At the tips of the four rotor blades have to be so-called 'power packages' (pulso jets).

What happened to this design? Any idea of the model number?

SOURCE: aero 5/1954 (scan from a Xerox copy :( )
 

Attachments

  • American Helicopter Company.JPG
    American Helicopter Company.JPG
    286.8 KB · Views: 727
Pulse jets or ram jets? I can't see a helo using pulse jets. They have enough vibration as it is.
 
The writer of the article says pulse jets ('Pulsodüsentriebwerke') - ???
 
My dear boxkite,

The logically series to this company made that helicopter as A-9,
but I am not sure.
 
Boxkite,
The same illustration as yours appeared in Air Pictorial ,June 1954.
Caption as follows:
An American Helicopter (Fairchild) concept for a 8.000 lb payload military
helicopter to meet U.S.Army TransportationCorps requirements.
"Offical support" has been received for a complete preliminary designs study
and development of suitable pulse-jet powerplants.

So far the text.Nothing of a designation.Maybe its only an early concept illustration.
'Helicopters and Autogiro's of the World' , Paul Lambermont & Anthony Pirie- Cassel .London 1958
does not mention this designs in the American Helicopter Company type list.
 
So far the text.Nothing of a designation.Maybe its only an early concept illustration.
'Helicopters and Autogiro's of the World' , Paul Lambermont & Anthony Pirie- Cassel .London 1958
does not mention this designs in the American Helicopter Company type list.

... and that's a really good book. Highly recommended for helicopter enthusiasts! The 2nd revised & enlarged edition was published in 1970, but I believe there is no further edition.
 
boxkite said:
Around the time American Helicopter Co. was bought by Fairchild (April 1954), the company worked on a transport helo for the US Army (payload 3 tonnes). At the tips of the four rotor blades have to be so-called 'power packages' (pulso jets).

What happened to this design? Any idea of the model number?

SOURCE: aero 5/1954 (scan from a Xerox copy :( )

This image depicts the American Helicopter/Fairchild M-175 "Transporter" design.


Perhaps this topic could be merged with http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=6758.0 ??
 
A better copy of this illustration by R.G. Smith, along with press release text.
 

Attachments

  • Fairchild Helicrane 2.jpg
    Fairchild Helicrane 2.jpg
    259.4 KB · Views: 533
  • Fairchild Helicrane 1.jpg
    Fairchild Helicrane 1.jpg
    76.8 KB · Views: 481
Excellent! Thanks for sharing. Tell me something: where did you get the name "Helicrane" from, circle-5? It doesn't appear on the picture or the press release. Thanks for your answer!
 
Stargazer2006 said:
Excellent! Thanks for sharing. Tell me something: where did you get the name "Helicrane" from, circle-5? It doesn't appear on the picture or the press release. Thanks for your answer!

I don't know. It was listed under that name in my files, but that doesn't mean much. I just don't remember, so ignore the name until it can be corroborated by another source.
 
From the decade involved, and given what's known about the design, I'd suspect that they were planning to use so-called 'valveless' pulse jets, which can be both quite compact and pretty fuel efficient (especially in comparison to most pulse jets, then or now).
 
Stargazer2006 said:
boxkite said:
Around the time American Helicopter Co. was bought by Fairchild (April 1954), the company worked on a transport helo for the US Army (payload 3 tonnes). At the tips of the four rotor blades have to be so-called 'power packages' (pulso jets).

What happened to this design? Any idea of the model number?

SOURCE: aero 5/1954 (scan from a Xerox copy :( )

This image depicts the American Helicopter/Fairchild M-175 "Transporter" design.


Perhaps this topic could be merged with http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=6758.0 ??

It is not correct;

that's because,the Model-175 has a tail-rotor,three main blades,slender
body and single pilot.
 

Attachments

  • AHC_Model-175_01.jpg
    AHC_Model-175_01.jpg
    55.9 KB · Views: 245
  • AHC_Model-175_02.jpg
    AHC_Model-175_02.jpg
    140.6 KB · Views: 238
hesham said:
Stargazer2006 said:
boxkite said:
that's because,the Model-175 has a tail-rotor,three main blades,slender
body and single pilot.


Yes my dear Jemiba,


and the Model-159A had a one rotor blade,Model-159B had a twin engined mounted at the fuselage
and Model-159C had a one rotor blade on each wing and can be folded at forward flight.
 
Where the heck did you get the Model 159 from, hesham? The 159 was a projected stowable rotor convertiplane, but the only type I see discussed here is the Model 175...
 
Indeed, calling the Model 159 a "transport hlicopter" probably would mean stretching that term quite far. It was
a proposal as a response to a request by the Air Material Command from 1950 and probably meant as a kind of
proof-of concept demonstrator. The number of crew isn't mentioned in the vertiflite article, but with a gross weight
of just 1,360 kg, empty weight of 960 kg and fuel load of 360 kg, its transport capacity would have hardly been
noteworthy ! ;)

BTW, as we still have no general thread about projects drawn by the American Helicopter Company, I think, we should
modify this threads title.
 

Attachments

  • AHC_mod-159_01.jpg
    AHC_mod-159_01.jpg
    86.4 KB · Views: 310
  • AHC_mod-159_02.jpg
    AHC_mod-159_02.jpg
    53.6 KB · Views: 303
Hi,


I repeat the same drawings which sent by my dear Jens to M-159,but from
anther source and more clearance.
 

Attachments

  • American Helicopter Company Model 159 (pic 03 different layout).GIF
    American Helicopter Company Model 159 (pic 03 different layout).GIF
    138.1 KB · Views: 213
  • American Helicopter Company Model 159 (pic 02).GIF
    American Helicopter Company Model 159 (pic 02).GIF
    44.4 KB · Views: 220
  • American Helicopter Company Model 159 (pic 01).GIF
    American Helicopter Company Model 159 (pic 01).GIF
    79.8 KB · Views: 226

Attachments

  • American Helicopter Model 175 cutaway profile.jpg
    American Helicopter Model 175 cutaway profile.jpg
    186.4 KB · Views: 83
  • American Helicopter Model 175 illustration.jpg
    American Helicopter Model 175 illustration.jpg
    553.9 KB · Views: 104
The number of crew isn't mentioned in the vertiflite article, but with a gross weight
of just 1,360 kg, empty weight of 960 kg and fuel load of 360 kg, its transport capacity would have hardly been
noteworthy !

No need to mention the number of crew, because w/ 40 kg left in the equation it could be only one really small person.
 
Back
Top Bottom