avia.wikisort.org - Helicopter

The McDonnell XH-20 Little Henry was a 1940s American experimental lightweight helicopter designed and built by McDonnell Aircraft.[1]

XH-20 Little Henry
Role	Experimental ramjet-rotor powered helicopter
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	McDonnell Aircraft
First flight	29 August 1947
Primary user	United States Air Force
Number built	2

Development

The McDonnell Model 38 was a lightweight experimental helicopter sponsored by the United States Army Air Force to test the concept of using small ramjets at the tips of the rotor blades.[1] As a functional helicopter it was a simple open-frame steel-tube construction.[1] Allotted the military designation XH-20 the first of two first flew on the 29 August 1947.[1]

Although the XH-20 flew successfully the ramjets were noisy and burnt a large amount of fuel and plans to build a larger two-seat XH-29 were abandoned.

Variants

Data from: U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909[2]

XH-29

XH-20

McDonnell Model 38

experimental lightweight helicopter, two built.

McDonnell Model 79

a proposed two-seat development, cancelled.

Operator

 United States

• United States Air Force

Aircraft on display

• 46-689 the first XH-20 is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force

Specifications

Data from [1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
• Height: 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
• Empty weight: 290 lb (132 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × McDonnell Ramjets
• Main rotor diameter: 20 ft (6.1 m)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 50 mph (80 km/h, 43 kn)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Fairey Ultra-light Helicopter
• Hiller YH-32 Hornet
• Sud-Ouest Djinn

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of the United States

References

Media related to McDonnell XH-20 at Wikimedia Commons

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