HTM Skytrac
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| Skytrac, Skyrider | |
|---|---|
| Type | Utility helicopter |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Wagner, HTM |
| Maiden flight | July 1965 |
The HTM Skytrac (originally known as the Wagner Skytrac) was a light utility helicopter developed in Germany in the 1960s and 70s. A late version was known as the Skyrider. Despite achieving certification from the German aviation authorities and firm orders from customers, the type was never produced in series.
Development commenced in the mid 1960s as an offshoot of the Wagner firm's attempts to develop a roadable helicopter, and utilised the same coaxial dynamic components that had been developed for that project. The Skytrac featured a narrow single-seat cabin at one end of a box-like "keel" structure, a horizontally-mounted Franklin flat-6 engine at the other end, and the transmission and rotor mast between them. The pilot's seat was enclosed by a sliding, bubble canopy. The prototype flew in this form in July 1965, and was followed by a second machine with pontoons and a V-tail at the end of a boom for improved directional control. The third prototype had three seats in a more conventional cabin structure, and was fitted with spray bars and chemical tanks for demonstration of the type's potential as an agricultural machine. Certification of the design was achieved in 1969.
In 1971, the newly-formed HTM took over the manufacture and marketing of the Skytrac, announcing in mid 1972 that a production line was being established at Jesenwang with the intention of producing 35 machines by the end of 1973, all of which had found buyers. After this initial batch, HTM planned to sell licences to produce the design in batches of 30 machines each. None of this was to come to pass, however, as HTM was unable to finance the production of the first batch of aircraft.
The final development was the Skyrider, which enclosed the Skytrac into a full fuselage with seating for four. Mockups of this configuration were displayed at the Hanover and Cannes airshows in 1972, and a prototype was flown in February 1974. It was possible to convert the basic Skytrac into a Skyrider in a matter of only a few hours' work. By the following year, however, HTM was out of business, and no further examples were ever constructed.
[edit] Specifications (Skytrac)
General characteristics
- Crew: One pilot
- Capacity: 2 passengers
- Length: 4.00 m (13 ft 2 in)
- Main rotor diameter: 10.40 m (34 ft 1 in)
- Height: 3.80 m (12 ft 6 in)
- Main rotor area: 84.9 m² (914 ft²)
- Empty weight: 850 kg (1,870 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Franklin 6AS-335-B, 195 kW (260 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 160 km/h (100 mph)
- Range: 400 km (250 miles)
- Service ceiling: 3,500 m (11,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 2.0 m/s (400 ft/min)
[edit] References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 512.
- Simpson, R. W. (1998). Airlife's Helicopters and Rotorcraft. Ramsbury: Airlife Publishing, 234-35.
- "Versatile VTOL" (1 June 1972). Flight International: 804.
- "Skytrac into production" (10 August 1972). Flight International: 184.
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