From an information panel on site:
The enterprising American Frank N. Piasecki, exempted from military service because of his outstanding skills as an aeronautical engineer, started his company in 1943 and developed a single rotor helicopter, the PV-2. Test flying the machine, he became the first american to obtain a helicopter pilot's licence.
Piasecki's next endeavour was a tandem-rotor heavy-duty transport helicopter, the PV-3 that went into service in 1945 with the United-Sates Navy as the HRP-1 Rescuer. The Piasecki PV-18 was developed to suit a USN requirement for a carrier-based utility helicopter for search and rescue, evacuation work, and general transportation, and the series was designated the HUP by the U.S. Navy.
The first production machine of this type and an appreciable advance over contemporary helicopter designs, it established the practicality of the tandem-rotor helicopter. Curved upward at the back and to keep the rotors from interfering with each other, this odd-looking machine became known as the flying banana.
Equipped with a hydraulic lift and reinforced floors for heavy loads, a large rescue hatch, hydraulically-boosted controls and an auto-pilot in the HUP-2 and -3 versions, the HUP series was a significant advance in small helicopter design. Production ended in 1954 after 399 were built. The Piasecki Helicopter Corp. was later reorganized as the Vertol Corp. (for vertical takeoff and landing) and the type is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Vertol HUP-3.
The Royal Canadian Navy obtained three HUP-3 in 1954 for ambulance and light cargo duties. They served with helicopter Squadron HU-21, which flew from the land-based HMCS Shearwater, RVN carriers, and occasionally survey ships.
They were used for search and rescue and in some survey and general transportation work. The first rescue mission occurred in October 1954 when a HUP-3 in gale-force winds and poor visibility, flew to St. Paul's Island in the Cabot Strait to give aid to the lighthouse keeper injured in a dynamite explosion. The pilot, Lt. W.E. James, was decorated for his courageous flight in such hazardous conditions.
The Museum's HUP-3 served with helicopter Squadron HU-21 from 1954-1964. It was purchased by the Canadian War Museum from Crown Assets Corp. in 1965.
The following is from the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum's website:
Piasecki HUP-3
A U.S., single-engine utility helicopter designed and built by Piasecki Helicopter Corporation between 1948 and 1954
Known as Retriever in the U.S. Navy and H-25 Army Mule in the U.S. Army; also nicknamed "the hupmobile" and "the shoe"
Operated from carriers for search-and-rescue missions and general transportation
Featured an electrically operated door and a pilot-operated winch
Three were flown by RCN from HMCS Labrador (reporting on ice conditions and surveying northern waters)
First flight was in 1949
Artifact no.:
1967.0687
Manufacturer:
Piasecki Helicopter Corporation
Manufacturer Location:
United States
Manufacture Date:
1954
Registration no.:
51-16623 (RCN)
Acquisition Date:
1965
History:
The HUP-3 was built to a US Navy requirement for a carrier-based helicopter for search-and-rescue and general transportation. Seventy similar aircraft went to the US Army under the designation H-25A. Considered too small, 50 were transferred to the US Navy as the HUP-3. The Royal Canadian Navy received three HUP-3s in 1954. Operating from HMCS Labrador in northern Canadian waters, they reported on ice conditions and conducted hydrographic and oceanographic surveys. The RCN HUP-3s were retired in 1964.
This aircraft was the last of a line of pioneer helicopters developed under the Piasecki name. Early versions of the HUP were called the “hupmobile” or “shoe”, because of their distinctive shape. A prototype performed the first known loop by a helicopter. A large cargo door in the side of the fuselage could accommodate a stretcher and hoist for rescue work. A floor hatch allowed 180-kg (400-lb) loads to be winched up into the cabin.
Current Location:
Helicopters Exhibition, Canada Aviation and Space Museum
Provenance:
Purchase
This HUP-3 was manufactured in May 1954 by Piasecki Helicopter Corporation in Norton, Pennsylvania. Built as a model H-25A Army Mule for the U.S. Army, it was immediately modified (door and winch were installed) for use by the Royal Canadian Navy.
The helicopter was flown to Halifax on May 18 to begin service with helicopter squadron HU-21 in June 1954. During its career, the HUP-3 was used for search-and-rescue operations and training duties, and was deployed aboard HMCS Labrador.
The HUP-3 was retired in 1964 and purchased by the Museum on February 24, 1965. It was restored by Boeing Canada in Arnprior, Ontario between May 1981 and November 1982.
Technical Information:
Rotor diameter 10.7 m (35 ft)
Length 9.8 m (32 ft)
Height 3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Weight, Empty 1,874 kg (4,132 lb)
Weight, Gross 2,608 kg (5,750 lb)
Cruising Speed 129 km/h (80 mph)
Max Speed 161 km/h (100 mph)
Rate of Climb 305 m (1,000 ft) /min
Service Ceiling 3,050 m (10,000 ft)
Range 644 km (400 mi)
Power Plant one Continental R-975-46, 550 hp, radial engine
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