One of the fastest civil helicopter, the H155 made by Airbus Helicopter, has a mere top speed of 324 km/h (201 mph). Evidently, helicopters are slow. But, the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation based in Connecticut, aims to change this by churning out fast models such as the X2. Before the X2, there was the S-69, which introduced the Advancing Blade Concept (ABC). It could reach a top speed of 444 km/h (276 mph).
But, its airframe vibrated excessively at fast speeds. Sikorsky abandoned the S-69 model, but recent developments in airframe materials have ignited the manufacturer’s quest for top speeds. The recent X2 model is bred for pure speed. It has two front rotor blades placed in a co-axial configuration and a pusher propeller to drive the X2. During a speed test in September 2010, it reached a top speed of 287 mph (462 km/h). It’s much quieter than the S-69 and can fly at 10,000 feet. Sikorsky has also implemented the ABC concept in the S-97 Raider military helicopter, and in the Eurocopter X3, which has a cruising speed of 264 mph. 2: De Lackner HZ-1 The HZ-1, also known as the “Aerocycle” was a one-man helicopter, made for the average soldier for use in battlefields. It had a small engine, which would drive two rotor propellers. Strangely, the soldier would stand on a platform, directly over the blades. De Lackner refused to include any sort of safety device between the platform and the blades. Therefore, you really had to stay put and avoid falling off during a flight. On the positive side, the controls were simplified. During tests, untrained soldiers could fly the HZ-1 after 5 to 20 minutes of instructions. The prototype made a tethered flight on 22 November 1954 and a free flight in January 1955 at the now-abandoned Brooklyn Army Terminal. In 1956, Fort Eustis in Virginia became the new testing ground for the HZ-1. Captain Selmer Sundby who directed the trials realized that the HZ-1 was difficult to fly. The rotors would kick up small rocks and other debris. It also crashed several times after the entanglement of its rotors. Wind tunnel tests at the Langley Research Center, in Virginia further revealed that the HZ-1 had an uncontrollable pitching motion. Due to the limitations, the Army terminated the project. 1: Boeing CH-47 Chinook It’s an American heavy-lift chopper manufactured by Boeing Rotorcraft Systems. More than 1,200 twin-engine Chinooks have been built since the year 1962. A unit goes for $38.5 million. This badass chopper was named after the Native American Chinook people, who occupied modern-day Washington State. To transport troops and cargo efficiently, it has multiple doors across its fuselage. Using its three external hooks, it can also carry unslung loads. When it made a debut in 1962, it had a top speed of 315 km/h (196 mph ), which was faster than most attack and utility helicopters. It has a payload of 24,000 lb. (10,886 kg), carries a crew of three and has a capacity of 33 to 55 troops. It’s still one of America’s fastest helicopters and has been successful worldwide. For instance, the Long-range version, model 234LR has been used as a commercial transport helicopter by the British Airways Helicopters. It has participated in other secondary missions including search and rescue, disaster relief, firefighting, aircraft recovery, and construction assistance. In 2011, after the Fukushima Nuclear power plant disaster, three Japanese CH-47s were used to cool down reactors using seawater. Thanks for watching! If you liked this video be sure to give it a thumbs up and remember to subscribe!! See you next time!! !
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorJerry Pope is a famous gamer, who spends all his free time with PSP.) Jerry is from Phoenix, Arizona, US. He is also: Web expert. Analyst. Pop culture practitioner. Wannabe tv buff. Freelance bacon ninja. Hardcore social media fanatic. Jerry is a guest writer at Casinoslots Casino Guru website. Therefore, he works at Casinoslots Platform. ArchivesCategories |