Dornier Do 132
Do 132 | |
---|---|
Do 132 mockup | |
Role | Utility helicopter |
Manufacturer | Dornier |
Status | Canceled project |
The Dornier Do 132 was a utility helicopter under development in Germany in the late 1960s. While the design was a conventional pod-and-boom layout, the propulsion system was unusual in that it used a turbine engine, not to drive the rotor directly, but to provide a source of hot gas that was fed through the rotor shaft, along the blades, and out through tip jets. The intention was to eliminate the weight and mechanical complexity of a gearbox and an anti-torque system for the tail.
This engine system underwent extensive static tests while a full-size mockup was built to prove the aerodynamics in a wind tunnel. Ultimately, however, the programme was cancelled in 1969 before a prototype was actually constructed.
Specifications (as designed)
General characteristics
- Crew: one (pilot)
- Capacity: three passengers
- Length: 7.50 m (24 ft 7 in)
- Main rotor diameter: 10.70 m (35 ft 1 in)
- Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 2 in)
- Main rotor area: 89.9 m2 (968 ft2)
- Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-A20 (acting as gas generator only), 430 kW (580 hp)
Performance
- Cruising speed: 220 km/h (140 mph)
- Range: 450 km (280 miles)
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dornier aircraft. |
- Taylor, John W. R., ed. (1969). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1969–70. London: Sampson Low Marston & Co. Ltd.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 331.
- EADS website