Firestone XR-9
| Firestone XR-9 | |
|---|---|
 Firestone XR-9B |
|
| Type: | helicopter |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
March 1946 |
| Number of pieces: |
2 |
The Firestone XR-9 (factory designation Model 45) was a light helicopter made by the US American manufacturer Firestone Aircraft Company in the 1940s. After two prototypes had been tested, the project was discontinued.
history
The predecessor companies of the Firestone Aircraft Company go back to the Pitcairn Aircraft Company , which was renamed Pitcairn-Larsen Autogiro Company in 1938 and AGA Aviation Corporation in 1940. In 1942 AGA Aviation was renamed G & A Aircraft Inc., which was continued as a subsidiary of Firestone Tire & Rubber Company from 1943 . Firestone also acquired around 200 patents that dealt with the further development of rotary wing technology. In 1946 G&A Aircraft finally became the Firestone Aircraft Company.
In collaboration with the United States Army Air Forces Air Technical Service Command , G&A Aircraft began developing a single-seat helicopter in 1943, which was given the United States Army Air Forces designation XR-9. The helicopter, which was conventionally designed with a fuselage nacelle and a slim tail boom with tail rotor, was to be equipped with a 126 hp Lycoming XO-290-5 boxer engine. This basic design, designated by the factory as Model 45B , was not built, just like the XR-9A (Model 45C), which differed only in a two-blade rotor from the XR-9 projected with a three-blade rotor.
The XR-9B (Model 45C, USAAF serial no. 46-001) was actually built, again with a three-blade rotor and an O-290-7 drive. The crew consisted of two people who sat behind one another on tandem seats. After the first flight in March 1946, it was delivered to the USAAF. The XR-9B was renamed to XH-9B in 1948 according to the naming system valid from that point in time . In the same year Firestone completed and flew a civil prototype (Model 45D, aircraft registration number NX58457). This variant differed from the military version by having a wider fuselage with two seats next to each other. The testing of both helicopters was not followed by any series orders.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| length | 8.23 m |
| Rotor diameter | 8.53 m |
| height | 2.60 m |
| Rotor area of the main rotor |
57.20 m² |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 794 kg |
| Cruising speed | approx. 130 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 3050 m |
| Engines | a Lycoming O-290 -7 four-cylinder boxer engine with an output of 135 PS (100 kW) |
See also
literature
- Airplanes from A – Z. In: AERO - The illustrated compilation of aviation. 78, Cavendish, 1985, p. 2180.
- John M. Andrade: US Military Aircraft Designations and Serials , Midland Counties Publications, 1979, pp. 118, p. 162
Web links
- Brief historical overview on aviastar.org
- Ray Merriam: World War II Journal # 15: US Warplanes of World War II, Volume 1 Merriam Press, 2002. ISBN 1-5763-8167-6 .