Hughes 300
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| Hughes 300 | |
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| Hughes TH-55 Osage | |
| Type | Light utility and trainer helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Hughes Helicopters |
| Maiden flight | October 1956 |
| Primary user | United States Army |
| Variants | Schweizer 300C |
The Model 269/300 family of piston-powered light utility helicopters were produced by Hughes, and later by Schweizer, over a period of almost 50 years.
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[edit] History
The Model 269 was Hughes' first successful helicopter design. Built in 1956, the two-seater entered production in 1957. Five examples were evaluated in 1958 by the US Army as the YHO-2 for scout and observation roles.[1] [2] Deliveries of the Model 269A commercial version began in 1961.
In 1964, US Army adopted the Hughes 269A under the designation TH-55A Osage as its standard training helicopter.[2] By 1969, 792 had been delivered, and by the time of their withdrawal in 1998, over 60,000 Army pilots had been trained on the TH-55.[1] The TH-55 was replaced in the late 1990s by the TH-67 Creek.
Hughes introduced the slightly-larger three-seat Hughes 269B in 1964, which it marketed as the Hughes 300.
The 300 was followed from 1969 by the improved Hughes 300C (sometimes 269C), which introduced a more powerful 140kW (190hp) Lycoming HIO-360 engine and increased diameter rotor, giving a payload increase of 45%, plus overall perfromance improvements.[1] The 300C first flew in August 1969, and remains in production, essentially unchanged, as the Schweizer 300C.
Schweizer began building the 300C under license from Hughes in 1983.[3] In 1986, Schweizer aqcuired all rights to the helicopter from McDonnell Douglas, who had purchased Hughes Helicopters in 1984, and renamed it McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems. While Schweizer made over 250 minor improvements, the basic design has been left unchanged.
In addition to the US Army, Hughes delivered TH-55/269/300s to other military customers.[1] The TH-55J was a licensed-built version from Kawasaki, while the 300C was built in smal numbers as the NH-300C by Italian firm Breda Nardi.
[edit] Specifications (TH-55)
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.Source:
Data from Modern Military Aircraft [2]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Payload: lb (kg)
- Length: (overall) 28 ft 11 in (8.8 m)
- Rotor diameter: 25 ft 3 in (7.7 m)
- Height: 8 ft 3 in (2.5 m)
- Empty weight: 1008 lb (457 kg)
- Loaded weight: 1850 lb (839 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Lycoming HIO-360-B1A 6 cylinder, horizontally opposed, 180 hp ()
Performance
- Never exceed speed: kts (mph)
- Maximum speed: kts (mph)
- Cruise speed: kts (75 mph)
- Range: nm (204 miles)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Frawley, Gerard: The International Directiory of Military Aircraft, page 148. Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 2002. ISBN 1-875671-55-2
- ^ a b c Gunston, Bill: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the World's Modern Military Aircraft, page 205. Crescent Books, New York, NY USA, ca. 1978. ISBN 0-517-22477-1
- ^ Frawley, Gerard: The International Directiory of Civil Aircraft, 2003-2004, page 190. Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 2003. ISBN 1-875671-58-7
