Piasecki Helicopter
Encyclopedia
The Piasecki Helicopter Corporation was a designer and manufacturer of helicopter
s located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. The company was renamed Vertol Aircraft Corporation in the mid-1950s. It was acquired by Boeing in 1960 and subsequently renamed Boeing Vertol.
The Piasecki Helicopter Corporation was founded in 1940
by Frank Piasecki
as the P-V Engineering Forum. It first become known as Piasecki Helicopter in 1946
. The PV-2
was the second helicopter flown in the United States
(following Igor Sikorsky
's VS-300), and was designed and flown by Frank Piasecki in 1943
.
Piasecki designed and successfully sold a series of tandem rotor
helicopters to the US Navy , starting with the HRP-1 of 1944
. The HRP-1 was nicknamed the "flying banana" because of the upward angle of the aft fuselage that ensured the large rotors did not hit each other in flight, and because the Coast Guard painted the aircraft yellow. The name would later be applied to other Piasecki helicopters of similar design. In 1949, Piasecki provided the H-21 Workhorse to the USAF, an improved, all-metal derivative of the HRP-1. Piasecki's tandem-rotor helicopters flew higher than competing single rotor designs, and offered a smoother ride.
In 1946, to fund expansion, Piasecki sold 51% interest in the company to Laurance Rockefeller and Felix du Pont Jr. for $500,000. A conflict eventually developed and in March 1955 Piasecki was removed from leadership of the company. Four months later, Piasecki left to form a new company, Piasecki Aircraft Corporation
to pursue the development of compound helicopters and other rotorcraft. In two successive special stockholders' meetings the board then changed the name of Piasecki Helicopter to Vertol (vertical take-off and landing) Aircraft Corporation and amended the bylaws to bar Piasecki's re-election as a director, on the grounds that he was running a rival company. The company was acquired by Boeing
in 1960 and renamed Boeing Vertol. It became the Boeing Helicopter Division
in 1987.
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. The company was renamed Vertol Aircraft Corporation in the mid-1950s. It was acquired by Boeing in 1960 and subsequently renamed Boeing Vertol.
History
1940 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1940:- Events :* The worlds first high-performance, purpose-built night fighter, the British Bristol Beaufighter, enters combat.* The Consolidated Aircraft Corporation absorbs the Hall Aluminum Aircraft Corporation....
by Frank Piasecki
Frank Piasecki
Frank Piasecki was an American engineer and helicopter aviation pioneer. Piasecki pioneered tandem rotor helicopter designs and created the compound helicopter concept of vectored thrust using a ducted propeller.-Biography:...
as the P-V Engineering Forum. It first become known as Piasecki Helicopter in 1946
1946 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1946:- Events :* The American Section of the International League of Aviators resurrects the National Trophy, a Harmon Trophy awarded from 1926 to 1938 to the outstanding aviator of the year in each of the 21 member countries of the now-defunct League...
. The PV-2
P-V Engineering Forum PV-2
-External links:* at the National Air and Space Museum* * rare photo of PV-2 in flight...
was the second helicopter flown in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(following Igor Sikorsky
Igor Sikorsky
Igor Sikorsky , born Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian American pioneer of aviation in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft...
's VS-300), and was designed and flown by Frank Piasecki in 1943
1943 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1943:-Events:* Watanabe Iron Works transfers its aircraft manufacturing business to a new subsidiary, the Kyushu Airplane Company Ltd.-January:...
.
Piasecki designed and successfully sold a series of tandem rotor
Tandem rotor
Tandem rotor helicopters have two large horizontal rotor assemblies mounted one in front of the other. Currently this configuration is mainly used for large cargo helicopters....
helicopters to the US Navy , starting with the HRP-1 of 1944
1944 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1944:-January:* United States Coast Guard pilot Lieutenant, junior grade, Stewart Graham makes the first helicopter flight from a merchant ship in convoy in the North Atlantic Ocean...
. The HRP-1 was nicknamed the "flying banana" because of the upward angle of the aft fuselage that ensured the large rotors did not hit each other in flight, and because the Coast Guard painted the aircraft yellow. The name would later be applied to other Piasecki helicopters of similar design. In 1949, Piasecki provided the H-21 Workhorse to the USAF, an improved, all-metal derivative of the HRP-1. Piasecki's tandem-rotor helicopters flew higher than competing single rotor designs, and offered a smoother ride.
In 1946, to fund expansion, Piasecki sold 51% interest in the company to Laurance Rockefeller and Felix du Pont Jr. for $500,000. A conflict eventually developed and in March 1955 Piasecki was removed from leadership of the company. Four months later, Piasecki left to form a new company, Piasecki Aircraft Corporation
Piasecki Aircraft
Piasecki Aircraft Corporation was founded by American vertical flight pioneer, the late Frank Piasecki, to continue pursuing the development of compound helicopters and other advanced rotorcraft.-History:...
to pursue the development of compound helicopters and other rotorcraft. In two successive special stockholders' meetings the board then changed the name of Piasecki Helicopter to Vertol (vertical take-off and landing) Aircraft Corporation and amended the bylaws to bar Piasecki's re-election as a director, on the grounds that he was running a rival company. The company was acquired by Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
in 1960 and renamed Boeing Vertol. It became the Boeing Helicopter Division
Boeing Helicopters
Boeing Rotorcraft Systems is a US aircraft manufacturer, now part of Boeing Defense, Space & Security...
in 1987.
Products
- Piasecki PV-2
- Piasecki PV-3 HRP Rescuer
- Piasecki PV-15 H-16 TransporterPiasecki H-16-External links:* *...
- Piasecki PV-18 H-25/HUP Retriever
- Piasecki PV-22 H-21 Workhorse/Shawnee