McDonnell XH-20 Little Henry

XH-20 Little Henry
Role	Experimental ramjet-rotor powered helicopter
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	McDonnell Aircraft
First flight	29 August 1947
Primary user	United States Air Force
Number built	2

The McDonnell XH-20 Little Henry is a 1940s American experimental lightweight helicopter designed and built by McDonnell Aircraft.^[1]

Development

The McDonnell Model 38 was a lightweight experimental helicopter sponsored by the United States Army Air Force to test the concept of using small ramjets at the tips of the rotor blades.^[1] As a functional helicopter it was a simple open-frame steel-tube construction.^[1] Allotted the military designation XH-20 the first of two first flew on the 29 August 1947.^[1]

Although the XH-20 flew successfully the ramjets were noisy and burnt a large amount of fuel and plans to build a larger two-seat XH-29 were abandoned.

Variants

Data from: U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909^[2]

Model 38 XH-20 Little Henry: experimental lightweight helicopter, two built.
Model 79 XH-29 Big Henry: proposed two-seat ramjet-powered development, canceled.^[3]

Operator

United States

United States Air Force

Aircraft on display

XH-20 at the NMUSAF

46-689 the first XH-20 is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force

Specifications

Data from ^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
Height: 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Empty weight: 290 lb (132 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × McDonnell Ramjets
Main rotor diameter: 20 ft (6.1 m)

Performance

Maximum speed: 50 mph (80 km/h, 43 kn)

References

Media related to McDonnell XH-20 at Wikimedia Commons

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "XH-20 Little Henry Research Helicopter". Boeing. Archived from the original on 2009-12-17. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
^ Andrade, John (1979). U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Midland Counties Publications. pp. 119–121. ISBN 0-904597-22-9.
^ "McDonnell Model Numbers" (PDF). McDonnell Douglas. July 1, 1974. Retrieved September 3, 2023.

[Boeing-1] "XH-20 Little Henry Research Helicopter". Boeing. Archived from the original on 2009-12-17. Retrieved 2009-12-20.

[Andrade-2] Andrade, John (1979). U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Midland Counties Publications. pp. 119–121. ISBN 0-904597-22-9.

[3] "McDonnell Model Numbers" (PDF). McDonnell Douglas. July 1, 1974. Retrieved September 3, 2023.

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