VZ-1 Pawnee

Infobox Aircraft
name = Hiller Flying Platform
type = direct lift rotor aircraft
manufacturer =Hiller Aircraft Corporation



caption =
designer =
first flight =
introduced =
retired =
status =Experimental
primary user = United States Army
more users =
produced =
number built = 6
unit cost =
variants with their own articles = The Hiller VZ-1 Pawnee (US military designation, earlier Army designation: HO-1) was a unique direct lift rotor aircraft, using a counter-rotating ducted fan inside a platform that the single pilot stood upon for lift, and controlled by the pilot shifting their body weight around to tilt the platform. The platform was developed starting in 1953 under an Office of Naval Research R&D contract to Hiller Aircraft Corporation, and flew successfully starting in 1955.

Design and development

The original concept had been developed by Charles Horton Zimmerman in the late 1940s. Further elaboration followed, both by Hiller and the De Lackner Company.

There were two main models, the ONR model, and a somewhat larger VZ-1 Pawnee model produced in 1956 for the US Army. Three of each model were built as prototypes. Neither of the variants was put into production.

The smaller models used two engines, each a 44 hp Nelson H-59 engine. The larger models used three of the aforementioned engine and had an extended duct area. The largest variant had ineffective "kinesthetic control" and instead had the operator seated on a platform controlling the flight with conventional helicopter controls. [ Winchester 2005, pp. 130–131.]

Testing and evaluation

Due to aerodynamic effects in the duct within which the propellers rotate, the platform was dynamically stable even though the pilot and center of gravity of the platform were fairly high up. In testing, the prototypes flew well enough but the US Army judged them to be impractical as combat vehicles as they were small, limited in speed and only barely flew out of the ground cushion effect. [ Winchester 2005, p. 130.]

Two of the six prototypes are known to survive today: one ONR smaller model at the Hiller Aviation Museum in California, and one VZ-1 Pawnee model at the National Air and Space Museum. This latter craft was formerly on loan to the Pima Air Museum.

pecifications (VZ-1 Pawnee)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=
crew=one
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 8 ft 4 in (diameter)
length alt= 2.5 m
span main=
span alt=
height main= 7 ft
height alt= 2.1 m
area main=
area alt=
airfoil=
empty weight main= 370 lb
empty weight alt= 167.8 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=
engine (prop)= 2 x Nelson H-56 piston engines
type of prop=
number of props=6
power main= 40 hp
power alt= 30 kW
power original=
max speed main= 16 mph
max speed alt= 26 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main= 32.8 ft
ceiling alt= 10 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
* standard combat weapons for a US soldier
avionics=

Popular culture

The craft's unique design has led to its incorporation in various video games.Fact|date=August 2008

[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/skinhorse/series.php?view=archive&chapter=32976 Cameo appearance] of "Hiller Flying Platform" in Shaenon K. Garrity and Jeffrey Channing Wells' webcomic Skin Horse.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Winchester, Jim. "The World's Worst Aircraft: From Pioneering Failures to Multimillion Dollar Disasters". London: Amber Books Ltd., 2005. ISBN 1-904687-34-2.

External links

* [http://www.roweaviation.com/documents/hiller-flying-platform.html Information on the Hiller Flying Platform, plus a video documentary]
* [http://www.hiller.org/flying-platform.shtml Hiller Aviation Museum article on Platform]
* [http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/hiller_vz1.htm National Air and Space Museum article on Platform]

ee also

aircontent
related=
similar aircraft=
lists=
see also=