Piasecki H-16 Transporter

H-16 / PV-15 Transporter

The US Air Force prototype Piasecki YH-16A Transporter. The program was abandoned after the crash of the second prototype
Role	Tandem-rotor transport helicopter
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Piasecki Helicopter
First flight	23 October 1953
Number built	2

The Piasecki H-16 Transporter (company designation PV-15) was a tandem-rotor transport or rescue helicopter designed by Frank Piasecki and built by Piasecki Helicopter. The prototypes were evaluated by the US Air Force and US Army, but the crash of the second test aircraft led to cancelling the project.

Design and development

Given the company designation PV-15, the tandem-rotor helicopter was designed by company founder Frank Piasecki.^[1]

Operational history

Crash

On 5 January 1956, the second YH-16 test aircraft crashed while returning to Philadelphia from a test flight over New Jersey.^[2] The cause of the crash was later determined to be the aft slip ring, which carried flight data from the instrumented rotor blades to the data recorders in the cabin. The slip ring bearings seized, and the resultant torque load severed the instrumentation standpipe inside the aft rotor shaft. A segment of this steel standpipe tilted over and came into contact with the interior of the aluminum rotor shaft, scribing a deepening groove into it. The rotor shaft eventually failed in flight, which in turn led to the aft blades and forward blades desynchronizing and colliding.

The aircraft was a total loss; the two test pilots, Harold Peterson and George Callahan, were killed. This led to the cancellation not only of the YH-16, but also the planned 69-passenger YH-16B version.^[3]

Variants

Another view of the first YH-16A prototype

XH-16A: Powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2180-A Twin Hornet radial engines and room for 43 troops, one built later converted to a YH-16B.
YH-16A: Powered by two Allison T38-A-10 1,800 shp turboshaft engines; previously designated XH-27.
YH-16B: Prototype XH-16A re-engined with two Allison T56-A-5 2,100 shp turboshaft engines.

Specifications (YH-16B)

Data from U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947^[4]

General characteristics

Crew: 3 (2 pilots and flight engineer^[5])
Capacity: 47 troops or 38 stretchers and 5 attendants
Length: 77 ft 7 in (23.65 m)
Height: 25 ft 0 in (7.62 m)
Empty weight: 25,450 lb (11,544 kg)
Gross weight: 45,700 lb (20,729 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Allison T56-A-5 turboshafts, 2,100 shp (1,600 kW) each
Main rotor diameter: 2× 82 ft (25 m)
Main rotor area: 10,562 sq ft (981.2 m²)

Performance

Maximum speed: 156 mph (251 km/h; 136 kn)
Cruise speed: 125 mph (109 kn; 201 km/h)
Range: 216 mi (188 nmi; 348 km)
Service ceiling: 15,600 ft (4,755 m)

References

↑ Flying Magazine: 40. January 1954. Missing or empty |title= (help)
↑ Piasecki Helicopter Corporation newsletter, January 1956
↑ Harding, Stephen (1997). U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947. Atglen, PA, USA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd. p. 202. ISBN 076430190X. LCCN 96-69996.
↑ Harding 1990, p. 264.
↑ Bridgman 1955, pp. 302–303.

Bridgman, Leonard (1955). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1955–56. New York: The McGraw-Hill Book Company.
Harding, Stephen (1997). U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-102-8.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Piasecki H-16 Transporter.

Piasecki H-16 page
"Biggest Transport Helicopter Cruises 150 Miles Per Hour." Popular Mechanics, January 1954, p. 119, bottom of page.

Piasecki Helicopter/Vertol/Piasecki Aircraft

Piasecki/Vertol helicopters	PV-2 PV-3/HRP PV-14 PV-15 PV-17 H-16 H-21 H-25/HUP

Piasecki Aircraft	16H PA-39 VZ-8/PA-59 PA-97 X-49

United States helicopter designations, Army/Air Force and Tri-Service systems

Numerical sequence used by USAAC/USAAF/USAF 1941–present; US Army 1948–1956 and 1962–present; US Navy 1962–present

Main sequence
(1941–1962)

Prefix R-, 1941–1948	R-1 R-2 R-3 R-4 R-5 R-6 R-7 R-8 R-9 R-10 R-11 R-12 R-13 R-14 R-15 R-16

Prefix H-, 1948–1962	H-5 H-6 H-9 H-10 H-11 H-12 H-13/J H-15 H-16 H-17 H-18 H-19 H-20 H-21 H-22 H-23 H-24 H-25 H-26 H-27 H-28 H-29 H-30 H-31 H-32 H-33 H-34 H-35 H-36¹ H-37 H-38¹ H-39 H-40 H-41 H-42 H-43 H-44¹ H-45¹

Main joint sequence
(1962–present)

1962 redesignations	OH-13/UH-13J UH-19 CH-21 OH-23 UH-25 CH-34 CH-37 HH-43

New designations	CH-46/HH-46/UH-46 CH-47 UH-48 XH-49 QH-50 XH-51 HH-52 CH-53/HH-53/MH-53/CH-53E/CH-53K CH-54 TH-55 AH-56 TH-57 OH-58 XH-59 UH-60/SH-60/HH-60/HH-60J YUH-61 XCH-62 YAH-63 AH-64 HH-65 RAH-66 TH-67 MH-68 H-69¹ ARH-70 VH-71 UH-72 H-73 to H-91¹ VH-92

1962 redesignations
reusing old numbers

¹ Not assigned

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