Cierva CR Twin
| CR Twin | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cierva Grasshopper III on display at the Helicopter Museum (Weston) .
| |
| Role | Utility helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Cierva Autogiro Company / Rotorcraft Ltd |
| Designer | J S Shapiro |
| First flight | 18 August 1969 |
| Number built | 3 |
The Cierva CR Twin (originally designated CR LTH.1 and also known as the Grasshopper III) was a five-seat utility helicopter that first flew in the UK in 1969. It was a joint development between Cierva Autogiro Company and Rotorcraft now a subsidiary of Cierva, based on the dynamic systems of the latter company's Grasshopper design. A new, highly streamlined pod-and-boom fuselage was married to the Grasshopper's coaxial rotor system, and the new aircraft registered G-AWRP first flew on 18 August 1969.
Two further prototypes followed, G-AXFM later in 1969 and G-AZAU in 1971, this latter example fitted with 210 hp
The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare
.
Variants
- CR Twin - prototypes (3 built)
- CR.420 - proposed production variant with 210 hp Continental TSIO-360-A engines (not built)
- CR.640 - proposed production variant with 320 hp Continental Tiara T6-320 engines (not built)
Specifications
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1971-72 [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: One pilot
- Capacity: 4 passengers
- Length: 28 ft 2 in (8.58 m)
- Height: 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m)
- Empty weight: 1,935 lb (878 kg)
- Gross weight: 3.150 lb (1,439 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Continental IO-360 , 135 hp (101 kW) each
- Main rotor diameter: 2 × 33 ft 0 in (10.06 m)
- Main rotor area: 804 sq ft (74.7 m2)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 130 mph (209 km/h, 110 kn)
- Cruise speed: 120 mph (193 km/h, 100 kn)
- Range: 500 mi (804 km, 430 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,400 ft/min (7.1 m/s)
See also
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cierva CR Twin.
- Notes
- ^ Taylor 1971, pp.186-187.
- Bibliography
- Taylor, John W.R., ed. (1971). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1971-72. London: Jane's Yearbooks. ISBN 978-0-354-00094-9.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 255. ISBN 978-0-517-10316-6.
- Simpson, R. W. (1998). Airlife's Helicopters and Rotorcraft. Ramsbury: Airlife Publishing. p. 212. ISBN 978-1-85310-968-3.