Forgotten Rotors... now with H-37 Mojaves

[Scott Rose]

Just added the initial data for the Sikorsky H-37 Mojave/HR2S

http://forgottenrotors.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/sikorsky_CH37_mojave.html



Any information or images can be added to this thread and I'll see about adding it to the section.

[Larry Kraus]

Here are some pages from the HR2S-1 Flight Manual. That was the Marine Corps equivalent to the Army H-37.

9EED2006-BB7E-4587-9DBC-AF54D78B5305 by tanker622001, on Flickr

8D85206D-8D4B-42F0-9FCE-CA7DB0466169 by tanker622001, on Flickr

10D97E4A-2CA8-416F-9F49-B575FFB43EC3 by tanker622001, on Flickr

46B7A2E9-B096-45BB-B384-53E390427B79 by tanker622001, on Flickr

85FB0B2D-F0BC-4728-891F-9D780E0A0262 by tanker622001, on Flickr

A6AC2D79-5B94-4644-B816-AE7D0652298C by tanker622001, on Flickr

E5A6E4E8-D434-49C0-BD8C-5C09470BA737 by tanker622001, on Flickr

6D776A46-F920-471B-B188-18A957530685 by tanker622001, on Flickr

8D96A950-7F1A-478F-BDFE-0EE229AA9A3D by tanker622001, on Flickr

D3638012-D4A9-4C24-AB54-3F2F56BA9A76 by tanker622001, on Flickr

[Scott Rose]

Thanks Larry!

[Larry Kraus]

You are more than welcome Scott. I actually spent half a day in class on adjusting the valves on the R-2800 engines on an Army H-37 when I was going through the Aircraft Engine Repairman school at Ft. Eustis in early 1968 because there were still H-37s in Germany. I went straight to Vietnam after school and never touched a recip in the Army outside of school.

The nose ramp was probably the most distinctive feature of the H-37/HR2S. Hare the pages from the HR2S-1 Manual covering the operation of the nose doors.

D722ECF7-411B-4C56-B8AB-8AEF8EA5E1AF by tanker622001, on Flickr

7712FC86-90F9-4AA4-B7E9-AC233D51339E by tanker622001, on Flickr

12608BAA-8069-40E8-BAF9-48E4DD1BC7AD by tanker622001, on Flickr

821FBFDE-1976-466B-ACB8-A9B4B201952F by tanker622001, on Flickr

CC9C6600-4689-46DB-80B0-2B0D6AE4D767 by tanker622001, on Flickr

F9CA8099-3303-462A-B80D-99853317864D by tanker622001, on Flickr

1A8709D8-DE69-4001-9E0F-A273E2FF1C1A by tanker622001, on Flickr

[K5DH]

Scott, I have four photos of 54-0999 (N14463) that I shot at New Castle County Airport (KILG) back in 1984. They are scans of 35mm prints. How can I get them to you? I don't have access to an online photo repository anymore.

[Scott Rose]

Scott, I have four photos of 54-0999 (N14463) that I shot at New Castle County Airport (KILG) back in 1984. They are scans of 35mm prints. How can I get them to you? I don't have access to an online photo repository anymore.

Hi Dean,

You can send them to


Thanks!

[sandiego89]

Thanks Scott and Larry, I have a soft spot for the Mojave and is must stop every time I go by the aviation pavilion at the Army Transportation Museum at Ft. Eustis. A very interesting, complex layout, and the nose doors are intriguing, and a face only mother could love.

Anyone ever hear one fly or run up? Imagine quite loud?

[JohnB]

Back then n the early '70s, Keystone Helicopters out of Pennsylvania, a early external lift outfit, said they had one and were going to fly it.
I don't think it ever happened.
Anyone know different?

IIRC, their airframe became a dive attraction in a local quarry.

Neat illustration from the manual of one unloading a M422 Mighty Mite, a lightweight Jeep-like thing built by AMC (before they bought Jeep in the early '70s).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/M422_Mighty_Mite

I think Pima had one, likely a M151, in their H-37 for awhile.

[airnutz]

Back then n the early '70s, Keystone Helicopters out of Pennsylvania, a early external lift outfit, said they had one and were going to fly it.
I don't think it ever happened.
Anyone know different?

IIRC, their airframe became a dive attraction in a local quarry.

John, Keystone actually had about 40 or so Mojaves they purchased with spares when the were demobbed from the military. One of those birds they refurbished and flew to Pensacola to deliver over to the Naval Aviation Museum where it resides today. The Dutch Springs dive attraction hulk is also a Keystone veteran.

[JohnB]

Did they fly any commercially?

[sandiego89]

Did they fly any commercially?

A google search shows one lifting a power transmission tower, with the caption; "A Sikorsky H-37 (S-56) piston-engined heavy-transport helicopter carries a 9200-lb (4173 kg) transmission tower for installation by Appalachian Power Co. in the hills of West Virginia. The aircraft has been acquired by Helicrane Construction Corp (a subsidiary of Keystone Helicopter). of West Chester, PA."

From Vertiflite, January/February 1974 (page 18).

https://gallery.vtol.org/image/1xmz

[airnutz]

Did they fly any commercially?

Commercially? As in passengers? No. They had a limited type certificate which limited them to crew only on board necessary to fly the helicopter. They had removed a lot of the military internals as well as the Lear flight assist system and sealed the clamshells. I used to have a bunch of stuff on Mojave, but lost it in a computer crash years back. Here is a link to a Sikorsky archive article on the Mojave fleshing her story out a bit more ...
http://www.sikorskyarchives.com/S+56%20HR2S-1H-37.php

The Marine website popasmoke.com had some videos but most if not all had no sound to them. IIRC, the Marines used them in 'Nam to recover damaged vehicles in the field, the call sign being, "Junkman". At the bottom of the above link is a youtube vid of the Marines new bird. I remember us dropping my dad off to work at Ft Sill, Ok. and seeing a few of the Army birds on a misty morning flight line...I guess I was about 4. There was also a later contact with a couple visiting at the Grand Prairie, Tx. Air Guard field 'bout 64ish, but I don't recall seeing or hearing them fly. What a beast tho...

[JohnB]

Airnutz...
I know they were not used as passenger carriers.

I did not think they were flying passengers.
I know the rules about limited type certificates.

In this context, Commercial means getting paid.
External lift and firefighting operations are commercial...just like freight lines or AG work. That's why their pilots must have commercial ratings.

[airnutz]

Airnutz...
I know they were not used as passenger carriers.

I did not think they were flying passengers.
I know the rules about limited type certificates.

In this context, Commercial means getting paid.
External lift and firefighting operations are commercial...just like freight lines or AG work. That's why their pilots must have commercial ratings.

Sorry, your question confused me as Keystone was a commercially active company.

[Larry Kraus]

I just dug out my copy of Steve Ginter’s book on the CH-37/HR2S. It is up to the excellent quality that I’ve come to expect from this outfit. I just checked and it’s available’ at least at Ginter Books and probably elsewhere. It’s well worth the asking price.

http://www.ginterbooks.com/NAVAL/NF107.htm

This is the front cover from the order page

78D18B57-B193-4199-AC27-B24639EE9F1A by tanker622001, on Flickr

The back cover

ED137A5E-F0A5-4992-9FE8-75E8CC7C3DE1 by tanker622001, on Flickr