McCulloch MC-4
| MC-4 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Role | Light helicopter |
| Manufacturer | McCulloch Aircraft Corporation |
| Designer | Drago Jovanovich |
| First flight | 1951 |
| Primary users | United States Army United States Navy |
The McCulloch Model MC-4 was an American tandem-rotor helicopter and was the first helicopter developed by McCulloch Aircraft Corporation, a division of McCulloch Motors Corporation.[1] It was evaluated by the United States Army as the YH-30 and the United States Navy as the XHUM-1.
Contents
Design and development
The MC-4 was a larger version of the earlier Jovanovich JOV-3 tandem-rotor helicopter and was developed by the McCulloch Aircraft Corporation. The JOV-3 was developed by Jovanovich when he headed the Helicopter Engineering and Research Corporation. The JOV-3 first flew in 1948. In 1949 Jovanovich moved to the McCulloch Motors Corporation where an enlarged helicopter the MC-4 first flew in March 1951. It was followed by a similar MC-4C and three evaluation helicopters for the United States Army (as the YH-30). The MC-4C was slightly larger than the MC-4. When the MC-4C was certified in 1953 it was the first tandem-rotor helicopter to be certified in the United States for commercial use. Three examples were evaluated by the United States Army as the YH-30, but the Army's evaluation showed the helicopter to be underpowered.[1]
The YH-30 had a steel tube framework with a light metal skin, A single 200 hp Franklin piston engine was horizontally mounted amidships and powered two intermeshing tandem rotors. It had a fixed-wheel tricycle landing gear with a castering nosewheel.
No civil or military orders were received and Jovanovich formed his own company, the Jovair Corporation, where he modified the MC-4C as a prototype for a four-seat private helicopter designated the Sedan 4E. The Sedan 4E was powered by 210 hp Franklin 6A-335 engine. A version with a turbocharged engine was designed as the Sedan 4ES and a more basic Sedan 4A for agricultural use. By 1965 a small number of Sedan helicopters were built. In the early 1970s McCulloch regained the rights to the helicopter designs.
Variants
- McCulloch MC-4
- Prototype with a 165 hp Franklin engine, two built, one for evaluation by the United States Navy.
- McCulloch MC-4A
- Variant for evaluation by the United States Navy as the XHUM-1, two built.
- McCulloch MC-4C
- Prototype with a 200 hp Franklin engine, one built and an additional three for United States Army evaluation as the YH-30.
- Jovair Sedan 4E
- Production civil four-seat version powered by a 210 hp Franklin 6A-335 engine.
- Jovair Sedan 4ES
- Sedan with a turbocharged 225 hp Franklin engine.
- Jovair Sedan 4A
- Simplified agricultural version.
Military designations
- YH-30
- Military version of the MC-4C, three built.
- XHUM-1
- Two MC-4As for evaluation by the United States Navy, later redesignated HUM-1.
Operators
Survivors
In 2008 two MC-4Cs are still registered in the United States. The Pima Air and Space Museum has a HUM-1, registration N4072K. The Yanks American Air Museum at Chino are restoring a MC-4C to flying condition although they have no plans to fly it. It may be N4071K or N4091K. One of the three YH-30 military prototypes is preserved by the US Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, Alabama. It is c/n 001 and has the military serial 52-5837. As of April 2013 it remains in a storage building and is not on public display.
Media
An MC-4C was used in the 1954 science fiction production Gog.
Specifications (YH-30)
General characteristics
- Crew: two
- Length: 32 ft 0 in ( m)
- Main rotor diameter: 2× 22 ft 0 in ( m)
- Height: 9 ft 2 in ( m)
- Empty weight: 1200 lb (544 kg)
- Gross weight: 2000 lb (907 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Franklin O-335-6 (6A4-200-C6) piston, 200 hp (147.1 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 105 mph (168.98 km/h)
- Range: 200 miles (321.86 km)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Harding, Stephen U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947, Airlife Publishing, Ltd. 1990. ISBN 1-85310-102-8
- John Andrade, U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909, Midland Counties Publications, 1979, ISBN 0-904597-22-9 (Page 121)
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 2213/2214.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to McCulloch MC-4. |
