| Mid-Jet | |
|---|---|
| Role | Experimental helicopterType of aircraft |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Bensen Aircraft |
| Designer | Igor Bensen |
| First flight | 1953 |
| Number built | 1 |
The Bensen Mid-Jet (a pun on "Midget jet") was a small helicopter developed by Igor Bensen in the United States in the early 1950s in the hope of attracting the interest of the United States Navy. It was a single-seat, open framework machine based on the B-5 rotor kite with small, gasoline- or fuel oil-burning ramjets mounted as tipjets on the rotor blades. Tests carried out in 1954 showed it to be able to lift four times its own weight and cruise at 75 mph (120 km/h).
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: One pilot
- Height: 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
- Empty weight: 100 lb (45 kg)
- Gross weight: 500 lb (227 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × ramjets , equivalent to 20 hp (15 kW) each
- Main rotor diameter: 15 ft 0 in (4.57 m)
- Main rotor area: 176 sq ft (16.4 m)
Performance
- Cruise speed: 75 mph (120 km/h, 65 kn)
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
- "Helicopter With Five Pound Ramjet Engines to Fly 80 Miles Per Hour". Popular Mechanics. June 1954. p. 138. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
- Lambermont, Paul Marcel (1958). Helicopters and Autogyros of the World.
External links
| Bensen aircraft | |
|---|---|