We Just Found Footage Of Possibly The Ugliest Helicopter Ever-But It Was Useful

We Just Found Footage Of Possibly The Ugliest Helicopter Ever-But It Was Useful

The Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave is an American large heavy-lift helicopter of the 1950s. what was then the largest and most powerful helicopter in the Western world first took to the air at the Sikorsky Plant in Stratford, Connecticut.

Due to its universally-acknowledged ugly appearance, the Mojave was also known by the nicknames of “Duce”, “Cross-Eye”, and “Cross-Eyed Monster”.

Built by Sikorsky, the Mojave was a heavy-lift helicopter and at the time of its inception the largest rotorcraft in the West. It used a warbird’s favourite engine, the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp for power, enabling it o lift up to 11,000 pounds.

Due to its ability to lift heavy loads, the Mojave was used to recover downed aircraft. During its service, they recovered almost $8 million worth of equipment. Four of these aircraft were used successfully in Vietnam for the purpose of recovering downed aircraft.

Over 150 of the helicopters were built until they were retired in the late 1960s. During that time, the United States Army and Marine Corps used them due to its ability to transport 26 troops into war zones. With its front-facing hatch, it could also deliver a small vehicle to a drop zone if needed.

We’ve included a neat video below that shows the Mojave in action. It’s an extremely intricate aircraft for its time, that’s for sure.

 

Power to the Mojave line was served through 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-54 “Double Wasp” radial piston engines developing 2,100 horsepower each. Maximum speeds reached 130 miles per hour while cruising speeds were typically in the 115 miles per hour range.

Operational reach was out to 145 miles with a listed service ceiling of 8,700 feet. Rate-of-climb was a useful 910 feet per minute.

The S-56 was replaced by the CH-47 Chinook by Boeing. A total of 154 were built, with only five surviving to the present day.

 

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