McDonnell XH-20 Little Henry explained

The McDonnell XH-20 Little Henry was a 1940s American experimental lightweight helicopter designed and built by McDonnell Aircraft.

Development

The McDonnell Model 38 was a lightweight experimental helicopter sponsored by the United States Army Air Force to test the concept of using small ramjets at the tips of the rotor blades. As a functional helicopter it was a simple open-frame steel-tube construction. Allotted the military designation XH-20 the first of two first flew on the 29 August 1947.

Although the XH-20 flew successfully the ramjets were noisy and burnt a large amount of fuel and plans to build a larger two-seat XH-29 were abandoned.

Variants

Data from: U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909

Model 38 XH-20 Little Henry

experimental lightweight helicopter, two built.

Model 79 XH-29 Big Henry

proposed two-seat ramjet-powered development, canceled.^[1]

Operator

• United States Air Force

Aircraft on display

• 46-689 the first XH-20 is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force

Notes and References

1. Web site: McDonnell Model Numbers . July 1, 1974 . . September 3, 2023.

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