Helicopters | International Aviation HQ

Why The Mil Mi-4 Was The Most Popular Helicopter of Its Day!

6Oct

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

Helicopters

Why The Mil Mi-4 Was The Most Popular Helicopter of Its Day!

When it comes to Cold War-era Soviet helicopters, very few stand out among the rest. One, however, stands taller than the rest: the Mil Mi-4, which remains the sixth most produced military helicopter ever built - despite having been out of production for over 40 years! Produced between 1952 and 1979, Mil built over 4,000 Mi-4s which went on to become the workhorse of most of the Eastern Bloc's militaries. In many cases, the Mi-4 continued to serve long after the Cold War ended, whilst in others, it was retired long before. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Background In 1947, the Soviet Government established a helicopter research laboratory under the direction of Mikhail Mil, one of the Soviet Union’s foremost experts on autogyros (the precursor...

How The Robinson R66 Became The Most Popular Dangerous Helicopter

7Aug

By Charles Yongzheng1 Comment

Helicopters

How The Robinson R66 Became The Most Popular Dangerous Helicopter

The Robinson R66 is the latest member of the famed Robinson Helicopter dynasty which began with the Robinson R22 in 1979. Much like the R22, the R66 has proved extremely popular, selling over 1,100 times to date. Designed to be their first turbine-powered helicopter (their previous helicopters were piston-powered), the R66 has allowed Robinson Helicopter to take on giants the likes of Eurocopter, Sikorsky and Bell. And not only hold their own, but beat them too! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Robinson R66 In 1973, Frank D. Robinson, a former helicopter engineer for Cessna, McCulloch Aircraft and Bell Helicopters, resigned his position at Hughes Helicopters to pursue his dream of starting his own helicopter manufacturing company. Start...

MD Helicopters MD 500: The Best Helicopter Family Yet?

17Jul

By Alexander PaskNo Comments

Helicopters

MD Helicopters MD 500: The Best Helicopter Family Yet?

Now relegated to the pages of history, Hughes Helicopters was one of the largest helicopter manufacturers of its day. Among their most famous designs is the MD Helicopters MD 500 light helicopter, which originally began life as the Hughes 500. Produced by three different companies (Hughes Helicopters, McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems and MD Helicopters) continuously since 1967, a total of 4,700 Hughes 500s (as it was originally known) have been built to date! Beyond being one of the most produced helicopters in the world, the MD 500 is also one of the most famous, with a name that's known across almost every generation and that's synonymous with the word "helicopter" itself. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-MD Helicopters MD 500 In 19...

AgustaWestland AW169: Leonardo’s Best Helicopter Yet?

3Jul

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

Helicopters

AgustaWestland AW169: Leonardo’s Best Helicopter Yet?

Designed by AgustaWestland and built by its successor company, Leonardo, the AW169 has proven to be one of the most versatile helicopters on the planet (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-AgustaWestland AW169 Development Operational History VIP Transport Air Ambulance Photo courtesy of Alan Wilson via Flickr. Search And Rescue Police Military Photo courtesy of Pete Webber via Flickr. Specifications SpecificationsAW169Length14.65 m (48 ft 1 in)Width2.53 m (8 ft 4 in)Height4.5 m (15 ft)Crew1 - 2Passengers8 - 12Max Speed306 km/h (190 mph; 165 kn)Range820 km (510 mi; 440 nmi)Service Ceiling15,000 ft (4572 m)MTOW4,800 kg (10,582 lb) ...

Robinson R44: The Best Selling Civilian Helicopter Yet!

26Jun

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

Helicopters

Robinson R44: The Best Selling Civilian Helicopter Yet!

Today, Robinson Helicopter Company are famous for producing some of the most popular helicopters ever. Whilst all three of company's helicopters produced to date have been incredibly successful, the Robinson R44 is by far the most popular. Having been produced since 1990, Robinson have produced over 6,500 R44s to date, making it the most popular purpose-built civilian helicopter to date, and sixth most produced helicopter ever! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Robinson R44 Before R44, helicopters were nothing new. Indeed, famed Russian-American engineer, Igor Sikorsky, had flown the first helicopter - his VS-300 design - in May 1940. Following this, several helicopters would be developed by Sikorsky and other engineers for the war effort ...

Robinson R22: The Cheapest Helicopter in The World!

5Jun

By Alexander Pask1 Comment

Helicopters

Robinson R22: The Cheapest Helicopter in The World!

Today, Robinson Helicopter Company are known for producing some of the best helicopters currently around, including the R44 and R66. Yet, both of these helicopters can trace their origins back to another helicopter: The Robinson R22. Despite having been introduced in 1979, and the company having developed two newer helicopters, Robinson continues to produce the R22 today, with nearly 5,000 having been produced since 1979! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Robinson R22 Russian-American engineer, Igor Sikorsky, would begin development of what he called the Sikorsky S-46 in 1938. With the financial backing of Vought Aircraft, Sikorsky would build and fly the S-46 (now called the VS-300) for the first time on May 13 1940. Although Sikorsky was...

Bell 47: The World’s First Civilian Helicopter!

19May

By Charles Yongzheng1 Comment

Helicopters

Bell 47: The World’s First Civilian Helicopter!

Today, Bell is one of the world's major helicopter manufacturers. Although they did not invent the first helicopter (that would be Igor Sikorsky) their first design, the Bell 47, would revolutionize the helicopter manufacturing industry as we know it! Produced between 1946 and 1974, Bell would produce over 5,600 Bell 47s, making it one of the most produced helicopters in recent years. The introduction of the Bell 47 would allow Bell Aircraft to establish itself as one of the world's largest aircraft manufacturers - focusing on helicopters, but also having a fixed-wing aircraft division too (which would be closed in 1966). (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Bell 47 In 1938, Russian-American aerospace engineer, Igor Sikorsky, set out to creat...