A Helo first ...

[Mark Allen M]

... and a great first at that ... USS Consolation (AH-15). Off the Korean Coast, circa 21 December 1951, during the first air evacuation of casualties directly from the battlefield to a hospital ship. A U.S. Air Force Sikorski H-5 helicopter of the 3rd Air Rescue Squadron approaching the ship's newly-installed helicopter deck preparing to land on board. A Sikorski H-5 helicopter. The helo was carrying litter patients on the last leg of an operation in which 37 wounded American and South Korean Marines were evacuated from an airstrip in north central Korea. (U.S. Air Force Photograph)






Vice Admiral and Mrs. Joel T. Boone, USN (MC) Receiving a framed photograph in early 1952, commemorating the first helicopter landing on USS Consolation (AH-15) on or about 21 December 1951. Presenting the photograph is Rear Admiral H. Lamont Pugh, the Surgeon General of the Navy. Photographs Courtesy of Mrs. Joel T. Boone, 1977. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command.

[Mark Allen M]

A little background on the Sikorsky H-5

http://usafhpa.com/2012/07/09/sikorsky-h-5/

The H-5, originally designated the R-5 (H for Helicopter; R for Rotorcraft), was designed to provide a helicopter having greater useful load, endurance, speed, and service ceiling than the R-4. The development of the XR-5 officially began in April 1942 when the British Air Commission ordered two prototype helicopters. The U.S. Army Air Forces (AAF) caught on to the possibilities of an upgraded R-4 and in May 1942 the Air Material Command released funds for the construction of four XR-5′s.

The XR-5 fuselage was more streamlined and slimmer than the R-4 and nearly the entire nose of the helicopter was covered in Plexiglas windows that allowed greater visibility. Initially the three main rotor blades consisted of a laminated wood spar with supporting wooden ribs covered with fabric. These blades were difficult to build, hard to balance and easily damaged by rain.

The first XR-5 of four ordered made its initial flight on August 18, 1943 flown by Sikorsky chief test pilot Les Morris. On September 13, 1943, the XR-5 lifted a pilot, observer, and eight passengers perched on the landing gear fairing and exceeded the military useful load requirement by 600 pounds. Lt. Col. Frank Gregory, head of the AAF helicopter program, was enthusiastic about the XR-5. He considered it more advanced than any other American helicopter developed up to that time. The fifth and final XR-5 ordered was accepted by the AAF and transferred to Wright Field for further development on September 30, 1944. In March 1944, the AAF ordered 26 YR-5As for service testing, and in February 1945, the first YR-5A was delivered. Although the AAF accepted R-5A helicopters before the end of World War II, these never reached operational units. A number of R-5 variants served until after the Korean War.

During its service life, the H-5 was used for rescue and mercy missions throughout the world. It gained its greatest fame, however, during the Korean War when it conducted thousands of medical evacuation (medevac) missions to evacuate wounded personnel from frontline areas and many rescue missions of pilots shot down behind enemy lines

More than 300 H-5s had been built by the time production was halted in 1951.

The YH-5A on display at the U.S. Air Force Museum, one of the 26 ordered in 1944, was obtained from Eglin AFB, Florida, in March 1955.

SPECIFICATIONS
Main rotor diameter: 48 ft.
Tail rotor diameter: 8 ft. 5 in.
Fuselage Length: 41 ft. 2 in.
Height: 12 ft. 11 in.
Weight: 4,815 lbs. loaded
Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-985 of 450 hp.

PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 90 mph.
Cruising speed: 70 mph.
Range: 280 miles
Service Ceiling: 10,000 ft.


Sikorsky H-5G rescue helos in Korea 1952


Sikorsky-H-5-Korea


U.S. Marines wounded at Kari San Mountain being evacuated Via a Marine Sikorsky H-5

[Mark Allen M]

A couple more interested items ...

http://archive.org/stream/NavyMedicineV ... 5/mode/2up
The link above is quite interesting.


Sikorsky ad showing the first landing aboard the USS Consolation hospital ship

[Mark Allen M]

I'm not sure if this is a first, second, third or last, but it's certainly a first for me. Don't know what the result was here. I believe it's a Piasecki model HUP-1 Retriever?


"Seacopter” Makes a landing. The U.S. Navy’s first hull type amphibious helicopter, dubbed ‘Seacopter'

elicopter%20dubbed%20lsquoSeacopter1_zps88wfojst.jpg[/IMG]
"Seacopter” Makes a landing. The U.S. Navy’s first hull type amphibious helicopter, dubbed ‘Seacopter'

[JohnB]

I believe it's a Piasecki model HUP-1 Retriever?

Yes it is.
Amazing how little notice helicopter history gets...and how even long time aviation buffs know relatively little about them.

[sandiego89]

I believe it's a Piasecki model HUP-1 Retriever?

Yes it is.

A HUP with floats is a new one for me. Interesting, had too look that one up. Looks like it may have been a single, on-off demonstrator based on the HUP-2. As desigend the HUP was very much a non-amphibious hull.

From wiki: "Edo tested a HUP-2 with a fiberglass hull and outrigger floats for amphibious operations"- perhaps this is the captioned "seacopter".

From another source: "Another HUP-2 was given a sealed, watertight hull and outrigged twin floats for waterborne tests, presumably as part of the development programme for the Boeing-Vertol 107 / CH-46 helicopter." http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng ... ki_hup.php

[K5DH]

Piasecki H-21s were operated amphibiously in both military and civilian service. They had flotation devices which attached to the landing gear.

[sandiego89]

Piasecki H-21s were operated amphibiously in both military and civilian service. They had flotation devices which attached to the landing gear.

Right. But to be clear to all the HUP and the H-21 are different aircraft. Many early helicopters were fitted with floats at times.

[JohnB]

I agree about the water borne HUP. I think the photo shows the EDO test as mentioned in Wiki by sandiego89.

As far as other tests, some H-21s included a large fairing around the front wheel...so I'd guess that any HUP tests for the 107 had something similar.

[CoastieJohn]

I seen on EBay the other day a pic of inner tube type devices installed on the l/g's of a USCG helo doing early float testing. It still maybe on EBay.