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 |
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.
Data from: U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909[2]
Data from [1]
General characteristics
Performance
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
Media related to McDonnell XH-20 at Wikimedia Commons