| Curtiss-Bleecker Helicopter | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Helicopter |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company |
| Designer | Maitland B. Bleecker |
| First flight | 1926 |
| Number built | 1 |
The Curtiss-Bleecker Helicopter was an American prototype rotary wing aircraft, introduced in 1926. The thrust of the aircraft was distributed from a central mounted engine through shafts to propellers mounted on each rotor blade.
The Bleecker Helicopter was designed by Maitland B. Bleecker, a junior engineer from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The aircraft was constructed by Curtiss Wright for $250,000 over the course of four years at Garden City.[1]
The aircraft featured a rotary wing design with a single engine. Each rotor, painted silver and yellow, had an individual propeller for thrust and a trailing control surface called a "stabovator" to change pitch of the rotor. The aircraft was controlled by a stick that operated like a modern helicopter collective control. Yaw was controlled with a "Spin Vane" that used downwash from the rotor to pivot the aircraft with foot pedals.[1]
Testing on the Bleecker Helicopter was stopped after the failure of a drive shaft on a test flight in 1929.[2] By 1933 the project was abandoned following vibrational issues in further tests.[3]
Data from NASA[citation needed]
General characteristics
Performance
