Hiller Ten99

Last updated
Hiller Ten99
Hiller Helicopter (3030845194).jpg
Role Experimental helicopter
National origin United States
Manufacturer Hiller Aircraft
First flightJuly 16, 1961 [1]
Number built1

The Hiller Ten99 (also known as the Hiller 1099) was an American 1961 experimental helicopter, created by Hiller Aircraft.

Hiller Aircraft American helicopter manufacturer

Hiller Aircraft Company was founded in 1942 as Hiller Industries by Stanley Hiller to develop helicopters.

Contents

Design and development

The helicopter seated six and was similar to other helicopters by Hiller, but featured a larger, box-shaped cabin. It has four doors, and a set of clamshell doors on its aft side. [2] The aircraft was powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6, and in July 1961, was the first aircraft to have been powered solely by a PT6 engine. The Ten99 was developed for a United States Navy Assault Support Helicopter program. However, the Navy eventually selected the Bell HU-1 instead. [3] A civilian model was proposed, but not produced, and the project was eventually abandoned.

Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 Turboprop aircraft engine family by Pratt & Whitney Canada

The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Its design was started in 1958, it first ran in February 1960, first flew on 30 May 1961, entered service in 1964 and has been continuously updated since. It consists of two basic sections: a gas generator with accessory gearbox and a free power turbine with reduction gearbox, and is often seemingly mounted backwards in an aircraft in so far as the intake is at the rear and the exhaust at the front. Many variants of the PT6 have been produced, not only as turboprops but also for helicopters, land vehicles, hovercraft, boats, as auxiliary power units and for industrial uses. By November 2015, 51,000 had been produced, had logged 400 million flight hours from 1963 to 2016. It is known for its reliability with an in-flight shutdown rate of 1 per 651,126 hours in 2016. The PT6A covers the power range between 580 and 1,940 shp while the PT6B/C are turboshaft variants for helicopters.

Specifications

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965–66 [1]

General characteristics

Notes

  1. 1 2 Taylor, John W R (1966). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1966-67. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. p. 227.
  2. "PS Picture News: Squared-off Helicopter". Popular Science. Bonnier Corporation. 180 (2): 73. February 1962. ISSN   0161-7370.
  3. Fleming, William A.; Richard A. Leyes (1999). The history of North American small gas turbine aircraft engines. AIAA. p. 447. ISBN   978-1-56347-332-6.

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References

International Standard Book Number Unique numeric book identifier

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier which is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.

John William Ransom Taylor, OBE Hon DEng FRAeS FRHistS AFIAA, was a British aviation expert and editor. He edited Jane's All the World's Aircraft for three decades during the Cold War. He retired as editor in 1989, just as the Iron Curtain obscuring the Soviet Bloc's technology started to lift.