Project Lysander

MIflyer · Feb 16, 2021

In the book War Pilot the author, who flew P-38's in WWII, was told to take his crew and their H-19 helicopter from AK back to the Sikorsky factory for modifications. It was winter and flying as far south as possible was preferable; they were told they could choose their own route. So they went down the coast to southern Calif and then through the southern US and back up the East coast to CT. It took them a while to do it and when they arrived at the Sikorsky plant were congratulated and presented with an award for having made the longest helicopter trip in history.

I think I would have been insane by then.

SaparotRob · Feb 16, 2021

MIflyer said:
In the book War Pilot the author, who flew P-38's in WWII, was told to take his crew and their H-19 helicopter from AK back to the Sikorsky factory for modifications. It was winter and flying as far south as possible was preferable; they were told they could choose their own route. So they went down the coast to southern Calif and then through the southern US and back up the East coast to CT. It took them a while to do it and when they arrived at the Sikorsky plant were congratulated and presented with an award for having made the longest helicopter trip in history.

I think I would have been insane by then.

These are my kind of aviation stories.

tyrodtom · Feb 16, 2021

The first non stop helicopter transatlantic fight following the Lindberg flight path was in 1967.
A Sikorsky HH-3.
It took just a few hours less than Lindberg, and 9 inflight refuelings .

pbehn · Feb 16, 2021

MIflyer said:
In the book War Pilot the author, who flew P-38's in WWII, was told to take his crew and their H-19 helicopter from AK back to the Sikorsky factory for modifications. It was winter and flying as far south as possible was preferable; they were told they could choose their own route. So they went down the coast to southern Calif and then through the southern US and back up the East coast to CT. It took them a while to do it and when they arrived at the Sikorsky plant were congratulated and presented with an award for having made the longest helicopter trip in history.

I think I would have been insane by then.

Winkle Brown and his colleague A. Martindale were just handed the manual the Sikorsky A4B to and told to get on with flying them.

pbehn · Feb 16, 2021

If it is a proper Lysander project there will be a turret option.

Airframes · Feb 16, 2021

Hmm, helicopters.
Anything where the wing(s) fly faster than the fuselage ( and only one retaining nut !!) just can't be right - ask Karl about his favourite aircraft, the Wessex !!

pbehn · Feb 16, 2021

Airframes said:
Hmm, helicopters.
Anything where the wing(s) fly faster than the fuselage ( and only one retaining nut !!) just can't be right - ask Karl about his favourite aircraft, the Wessex !!

I think the average speed of the wings is similar to the average speed of other parts of the contraption, on average, generally speaking, in most cases.

MIflyer · Feb 16, 2021

pbehn said:
Winkle Brown and his colleague A. Martindale were just handed the manual the Sikorsky A4B to and told to get on with flying them.

Yes, they were supposed to attend the Helicopter Pilot school but first they had to go get those from the Americans and fly them back to their base.

The H-5 like the one as seen in Bridges At Toko Ri was quite limited in capability. On occasions in Korea they had to leave the "observer/medic" on the ground in the combat area in order to be able to fly the wounded back to the MASH unit they supported. And the author of War Pilot supported a MASH unit with a surgeon nicknamed Hawkeye.

A friend of mine who was in the USAAF at the end of WWII said that he and another guy watched one of the first helicopters take off after which the guy said to him, "I would not be too scared to fly in one of those, but I would be too embarrassed."

pbehn · Feb 16, 2021

MIflyer said:
Yes, they were supposed to attend the Helicopter Pilot school but first they had to go get those from the Americans and fly them back to their base.

The H-5 like the one as seen in Bridges At Toko Ri was quite limited in capability. On occasions in Korea they had to leave the "observer/medic" on the ground in the combat area in order to be able to fly the wounded back to the MASH unit they supported. And the author of War Pilot supported a MASH unit with a surgeon nicknamed Hawkeye.

A friend of mine who was in the USAAF at the end of WWII said that he and another guy watched one of the first helicopters take off after which the guy said to him, "I would not be too scared to fly in one of those, but I would be too embarrassed."

To me it just shows how special those people were, how many pilots could go from fixed wing to flying a helicopter across country just by reading a manual and playing about at hovering?

BobB · Feb 16, 2021

They need the Goodyear Inflatoplane!

MIflyer · Feb 17, 2021

At one time the USAF was looking into having ejection seats turn into a powered gyrocopter, so the pilot could fly at least part of the way back, or at least to a safer area to be picked up.

FLYBOYJ · Feb 17, 2021

Going back to the OP - I have reservations about this concept. In my experience in dealing with the USAF and tail dragger aircraft/ operations, unless they dedicate a serious and comprehensive training program for pilots who will fly these "featherweight airlift missions" and fully understand operational risks, I see this ending in disaster. I think those who came up with this at the Air Force Research Laboratory were enamored with seeing the STOL performance of the Super and Top Cub and probably think that some of the feats accomplished by these aircraft can be done easily.

MiTasol · Feb 18, 2021

Helicopters do not fly

They beat the air into submission

MIflyer · Feb 19, 2021

I have flown in helicopters a few times and have concluded they do not fly. They jump up and down until they get far enough off course to miss the ground.

FLYBOYJ · Feb 19, 2021

And as they fly they tend to self-destruct after a while.

SaparotRob · Feb 19, 2021

I've read somewhere long ago that airplanes want to fly. Helicopters want to crash.

MIflyer · Feb 19, 2021

I recall a video I saw on TV when I lived in CA. A man had bought a Hughes 269 and was getting lessons. One day he was waiting for his instructor and decided to just hover a bit. Pretty quickly he knocked off the tail rotor and things went downhill VERY fast after that. The person with the videocamera dropped it and ran, so we did not get to see all the pieces flying around.

SaparotRob · Feb 19, 2021

Not quite up to Winkle Brown's standards?

tyrodtom · Feb 19, 2021

MIflyer said:
I recall a video I saw on TV when I lived in CA. A man had bought a Hughes 269 and was getting lessons. One day he was waiting for his instructor and decided to just hover a bit. Pretty quickly he knocked off the tail rotor and things went downhill VERY fast after that. The person with the videocamera dropped it and ran, so we did not get to see all the pieces flying around.

I've got about 90 hours in a Hughes 269/TH-55.
They're not the easiest chopper to fly, and hovering is about the hardest part of rotary flight to master.
If you lose the tail rotor while hovering, the cure is to cut the power and plant the skids immediately, otherwise you're in deep dodo.

Project Lysander

1st Lieutenant

Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII

Senior Master Sergeant

Colonel

Colonel

Benevolens Magister

Colonel

1st Lieutenant

Colonel

Airman 1st Class

1st Lieutenant

"THE GREAT GAZOO"

1st Lieutenant

1st Lieutenant

"THE GREAT GAZOO"

Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII

1st Lieutenant

Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII

Senior Master Sergeant

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