With its distinctive hump, the H-34 is one of the most recognizable helicopters. It was among the last of the piston-engine ones, but in Algeria and Vietnam pioneered new roles for helicopters in war: troop assault, gunship, and cargo hauling. How do you make a helicopter bigger? Piasecki/Boeing used twin rotors at the front and back of the helicopter, driven by a single engine in the back. (Like a flying banana.) Sikorsky kept the rotor in the middle of the aircraft, at its center of gravity, and placed the engine in the front. Although these are 1950s designs, the patterns continue. Sikorsk
With its distinctive hump, the H-34 is one of the most recognizable helicopters. It was among the last of the piston-engine ones, but in Algeria and Vietnam pioneered new roles for helicopters in war: troop assault, gunship, and cargo hauling. How do you make a helicopter bigger? Piasecki/Boeing used twin rotors at the front and back of the helicopter, driven by a single engine in the back. (Like a flying banana.) Sikorsky kept the rotor in the middle of the aircraft, at its center of gravity, and placed the engine in the front. Although these are 1950s designs, the patterns continue. Sikorsky’s H-34, SH-3, and the CH-53 retained the single-rotor, and Piasecki/Boeing’s H-46 and H-47 had two. One change with the H-34 design is tail-dragger rear fuselage and landing gear. To lighten the aircraft, parts of the H-34’s skin were made of magnesium, which corrodes in salt air, so the Navy and Marines had to wash it often. Also, magnesium burns easily, and the crew is quite vulnerable sitting 15’ above the engine.
Size: 1980px × 1262px
Photo credit: © ART Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 18-270mm, a580, aircraft, dslr, helicopters, ication, image, photo, photograpgh, pzd, sony, tamron
