The McDonnell XHJH Whirlaway, aka McDonnell Model 65, was a 1940s American

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

designed and built by

McDonnell Aircraft Corporation The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company was founded on July 6, 1939, by James Smith McDonnell, and was best known for its military fighters, including the F-4 Phantom I ...

for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and was the largest helicopter at the time, as well as the first successful twin-engined twin-rotor helicopter in the world.

Design and development

In 1944, the United States Navy issued a requirement for a large rescue helicopter with capacity for ten occupants. The design was originally designated XHJD-1; shortly after flying it was re-designated the XHJH-1. It was derived from the single-engined, twin rotor

Platt-LePage XR-1 The Platt-LePage XR-1, also known by the company designation PL-3,Francillon 1990, p.49. was an early American transverse rotors helicopter, built by the Platt-LePage Aircraft Company of Eddystone, Pennsylvania. The winner of a United States Ar ...

. James McDonnell had invested in that company in 1942 and some of his engineers had been working there, gaining experience of helicopter design and production techniques. McDonnell took control of the company in June 1944. The XHJH-1 first flew two months later. It had twin side-by-side rotors at the end of pylon wings which turned in opposite directions. Each rotor was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-14B Wasp Junior engine.

Variants

;XHJD-1 :Original United States Navy designation. ;XHJH-1 :Designation changed before first flight.

Aircraft on display

The sole XHJH-1 is held by the

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...

Specifications

References

External links