Scheutzow Bee
| Bee | |
|---|---|
| Role | Utility helicopter |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Scheutzow Helicopter Corporation |
| Designer | Webb Scheutzow[1] |
| First flight | 26 January 1967[1] |
| Number built | 4[1] |
The Scheutzow Model B or Scheutzow Bee was a two-seat utility helicopter developed in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s.[1][2]
Development
[edit]The aircraft was designed by Webb Scheutzow around a new type of rotorhead that he had developed, the FLEXIHUB.[1] In this system, the two main rotor blades were mounted in rubber bushes, reducing vibration and requiring no lubrication.[1][3] The design was otherwise entirely conventional, consisting of a cabin with two seats arranged side-by-side, a centrally-mounted engine and rotor mast, and an open-truss tail boom of triangular section that carried a two-blade tail rotor.[1][4] The undercarriage consisted of skids.[4] The frame was constructed of welded steel tube[4] and the cabin was constructed of sheet metal.[4][5] Power was transmitted from the engine to the rotor by a series of belts, eliminating the need for a gearbox[6] and minimizing cabin noise.[4]
The prototype (registration N564A) first flew on 26 January 1967[1] and Scheutzow initially planned to have flight testing for type certification completed by the end of the year.[5] At the time, Scheutzow hoped to sell the helicopter for somewhere in the region of $10,000–$12,000,[5] although the following year, the estimated price rose to $16,700.[6] Scheutzow still hoped that the helicopter would be in production the following year and planned to build 191 examples in 1969.[6] However, the flight test program to obtain type certification did not commence until 1971.[4] Certification tests were almost complete by the end of 1973, at which point funding ran out.[4] Testing resumed again in February 1975[4] and the Bee was certified in May 1976.[7] Development was abandoned during the 1970s after only four examples were built.[1]
Specifications
[edit]Data from Taylor, J.W.R. (1977), p.399
General characteristics
- Crew: one pilot
- Capacity: 1 passenger
- Length: 31 ft 2 in (9.50 m)
- Height: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
- Empty weight: 1,135 lb (514 kg)
- Gross weight: 1,685 lb (764 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming IVO-360-A1A , 180 hp (134 kW)
- Main rotor diameter: 27 ft 0 in (8.23 m)
- Main rotor area: 573 sq ft (53.2 m2)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 94 mph (150 km/h, 82 kn)
- Range: 175 mi (280 km, 152 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 13,000 ft (1,960 m)
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- Federal Aviation Administration (1976) Type Certificate Data Sheet No. HIGL. Washington, DC: Federal Aviation Administration.
- "Low-cost Helicopter?". Flight International: 263. 16 February 1967. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
- "Low-cost Helicopter". Flight International: 824a. 30 May 1968. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
- Scheutzow, Wilbur J. (1966) U.S. Patent No. 3,231,222. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
- Simpson, Rod (1998). Airlife's Helicopters and Rotorcraft. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing. p. 232.
- Taylor, John W. R. (1977). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1977–78. London: Jane's Yearbooks. pp. 398–99.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 793.