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The Incredible Story of the QH-50 DASH The First Unmanned Turns 50 By Samuel S. Evans

and later Norfolk, New York University. Although it took him Virginia, where his 8 years of part time studies, when he family owned several graduated, he carried a Bachelor’s Degree restaurants. At the in Aeronautical Engineering and had age of seven, his soloed in a Stearman biplane. While in father was asked to college, he also worked part time for five return to Greece to years at manufacturer Curtiss- run the family olive Wright in Brooklyn. Upon graduation he farm. Moving from moved to their factory where they made America to a one P-40B Warhawks. room, dirt floored In 1945, he went to work for Bell cabin on a 40 acre olive farm was a traumatic event for Peter. He vowed to return to America. At the age of ten, Peter broke his leg in an accident involving QH-50C on the USS Andersen in the Gulf of Tonkin, August a farm cart. The 1964. broken leg resulted n Sunday, September 26, 2010, in a serious infection, Peter P. Papadakos and his wife, which almost cost him his life. The OBarbara, arrived at after driving resulting reduction in mobility caused over 2500 miles from their home in . The him to focus more on his school studies bulk of the load in the bed of their Ford than farm work. He excelled in school and F250 pick-up and in the specially never lost his dream to return to America. constructed trailer it pulled was a After completing his high school disassembled QH-50D DASH (Drone Anti- education in Greece in 1933, he informed Submarine Helicopter); but packed all his father he was returning to to pursue around the components and parts that his dream of becoming a pilot and would assemble into a fully restored designing his own . He moved to unmanned aerial were decades of New York and worked in a relative’s Greek DS-1757, a QH-50D, was installed in Penn State’s history. This particular QH-50 was restaurant to pay for his tuition to attend Hammond Building on September 30th. Navy Bureau Number (you can’t have a “tail number” with no tail) DS-1757. Judging from its log book, it had a rather bland past. It entered the service with the Navy in 1969 and with only a few hours to its credit and some limited time deployed at sea, it was mothballed with the rest of the QH-50 fleet in 1970. However, the story behind the development and deployment of the QH-50 DASH is much larger than this lone aircraft. The Founder he story of the QH-50 starts with its founder, Peter J. Papadakos. Born in T 1914, the senior Papadakos spent his early years in America. As a young child, Peter grew up in Portland, Oregon,

36 VERTIFLITE Spring 2011 The Gyrodyne GCA-2B was the first US compound helicopter. The DSN-1 (later QH-50A) was an unmanned version of the YRON-1. First unmanned shipboard landing was on December 7, 1960.

, as well as a 95 hp engine on compound helicopter. each side powering a for During this time, the non-compound forward thrust. Peter used this aircraft to Model 2C was developed, and, eventually, win over investors at air shows, while he a miniaturized version, called the continued to improve the design. Rotorcycle. The Rotorcycle answered a With new funds from investors, he requirement for a small purchased 500 acres of land on the North helicopter to be loaded into a tube for air- Shore of Long Island, New York. He drop to a downed airman behind enemy converted a former flower nursery into a lines. The intent was the pilot would facility for manufacturing aircraft and “snap” the helicopter together and fly to The YRON Rotorcyle was a one-Marine aircraft parts. The former bulb storage friendly lines. As the development of the reconnaissance helicopter. Peter J. Papadakos is facility became the main building for Rotorcycle was completed in 1957, after shaking the pilot’s hand. engineering, drafting and machine shop the Korean conflict had ended, the work. To keep his company working vehicle did not go into production. Aircraft, working on the P-39 Airacobra, Peter’s machine shop took on work for However, the Rotorcycle did introduce a and two years later moved to Grumman Republic and Grumman. Peter even sold critical innovation. It incorporated a new to work on rocket guidance systems. off surplus flower bulbs when business means for yaw control; the tip brake. This Peter founded Gyrodyne Company of was slow. Peter also used innovative pay simple innovation solved the issue of lack America (GCA) in 1946 with the intent to techniques in order to entice skilled of yaw control in low speed , produce a helicopter with better machinists to stay with his company. Most which was a problem for coaxial performance than any of the time. In of the 50 or so part time employees held up to this point. This concept, 1949, he learned of the bankruptcy of other jobs while working at Gyrodyne in which improved directional control Bendix Helicopter and was able to exchange for company stock; they made characteristics, consisted of very small purchase the company with $5,000 he $5.00 an hour, which was borrowed from a friend. Bendix paid out in shares at $5 Helicopter had developed a one-man per share. coaxial helicopter, the Bendix Model K, At the facilities now but had attempted to control yaw using called “Flowerfield,” downwash on the vertical tail. Bendix’s Gyrodyne engineers lack of success in controlling this continued to improve the helicopter resulted in the loss of 2B. At one point they government contracts and their eventual literally cut the Model 2 in bankruptcy. Peter believed he could fix half to make the control problem and bought Bendix. improvements, without He consolidated Bendix assets and Peter’s knowledge. In leased a in Massapequa, New York June 1951, Gyrodyne and converted the 5-seat Model J into the received its first contract Gyrodyne GCA-2B compound helicopter. from the U.S. Navy Bureau This aircraft had a gross weight of 5400 lb of to and was powered by a 450 horsepower investigate the flying qualities of the A DSN-1 (QH-50A) on a hover fixture at Gyrodyne in 1965.

Vol. 57, No. 1 37 the Navy’s 240 Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) . Because of its flexible platform and available payload, through the years the QH-50 took on many alternate missions. One such critical mission in the was its use as an airborne observation and reconnaissance platform. The QH-50 “Snoopy” was loaded with real-time television cameras, transmitters and transponders. This configuration made it useful for replacing Marine recon and spotter teams that were normally sent ashore. The use of “Snoopy” undoubtedly saved many Marine’s lives. The DASH program was quite successful in accomplishing its intended purpose of extending the life cycle of WWII era destroyers. It gave another decade of life to the important, but aging, destroyers at a critical point in history. As with any weapon system, QH-50C, loaded with Mark 44 Warshot torpedoes, lifting off from a deck. changes in technology, employment flap at the end of each blade that could The turbine-powered QH-50 allowed concepts or even foes, can certainly be deployed or retracted by inputs to a the Navy to extend the guarded influence program longevity. With long rod running through the rotor blade. perimeter of its ships from the growing operations in Vietnam draining The ability to easily and rapidly adjust fleet of Soviet fast-attack submarines, production funds, DASH operations on the blades allowed for much- which numbered over 300 by the mid- ceased fleet-wide in November 1970. improved yaw control. Mr. Papadakos 1950s. Using torpedoes mounted on the Although the QH-50 was the basis of later stated that the tip brake “made the QH-50, Navy destroyers could counter a numerous experimental programs to coaxial possible” for Gyrodyne. submarine threat before it could come mount reconnaissance, surveillance and within striking distance of a U.S. naval even weapons systems on this platform, it Growth of Gyrodyne ship or convoy. The QH-50 was named the never found a new large-scale Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH) employment mission. n an attempt to find a mission for the Eventually all remaining QH-50s were Rotorcycle, it was modified to make it and the DASH program was born, making its operational appearance with the U.S. transferred to Naval Air Station China Imore robust to make it useful as a Lake and White Sands Missile Range for Marine reconnaissance vehicle. It went Navy fleet in 1962. DASH received its approval of large scale production after use as target drones. There the drones through several engine iterations, finally continued their service by improving next settling on one developed by Dr. President John F. Kennedy watched a Ferdinand Porsche himself, the Porsche DASH demonstration YO-95. At 4500 rpm, the 72 horsepower aboard ship during a engine created adequate to carry a Navy firepower Marine with weapons and gear for a demonstration off recon mission. The Marines bought a the West Coast in dozen of the YRON-1 Rotorcycles to test June 1963. The and fly. helicopter took off in In 1960, the design was modified to be moderate seas from flown remotely; the QH-50 drone its parent destroyer helicopter was born. As the value of the and delivered a QH-50 became apparent, Gyrodyne close quickly became a major defense enough for the contractor, with over 700 employees. presidential party to Peter no longer had to make components see. Later in 1963, himself in the machine shop and his role Secretary of Defense changed from machinist to a more Robert McNamara traditional role as company approved budgeting owner/manager, with Gyrodyne for enough QH-50 producing as many as 100 aircraft per aircraft to provide year. two plus one backup DS-1694, a QH-50D with the Snoopy sensor package, at Gyrodyne in New aircraft for each of York before heading to Vietnam.

38 VERTIFLITE Spring 2011 Navy equipment innovation, motivation and proliferation. across the United Through his efforts we learned many States. With word of lessons in the development of VTOL UAV the impending helicopters, bringing the aviation world demise of the final the first operational unmanned QH-50 inventory, the helicopter, the first reusable attack UAV, Gyrodyne Historical the first USN destroyer-based-helicopter Foundation took on system, the largest deployed UAV system one final mission. (758 aircraft on 165 ships), and the only They were able to nuclear-qualified UAV ever built (the work with the Army Mk.57 nuclear depth bomb). Through the to obtain enough efforts of his son these lessons have been airframes and parts brought to light for generations to learn to preserve a few in the future. more QH-50s for historical purposes About Gyrodyne and save them from n incredible amount of information on Peter P. Papadakos with DS-1757 in Las Vegas, prior to making the trip to being range targets. the DASH story can be found at the Penn State. Over the next two IGyrodyne Helicopter Historical years, Peter P. lovingly Foundation website: generation anti-aircraft missiles and air and painstakingly restored these aircraft www.gyrodynehelicopters.com. All defense systems. The U.S. Army used the to pristine condition. The first he photos are courtesy of the Gyrodyne QH-50 extensively in Stinger and delivered to Penn State University’s Helicopter Historical Foundation. All Sergeant York testing and evaluation. Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence. rights reserved. Finally in 1996, the U.S. Army took control The second awaits delivery (pending of the remaining assets and flew them in completion of its tests until May 2006. The few QH-50s that exhibit space) to remained at that time were scheduled for the Smithsonian final delivery to the ranges at Fort Irwin, National Air and California where they would serve their Space Museum. last days as ground targets. With the delivery of these Preservation of a Legacy QH-50 aircraft t the time of Peter J. Papadakos’ ends a largely death in 1992, the QH-50 program unheralded, yet Awas mostly ended, but the highly successful influence of his life reached well beyond and important just the QH-50. The hospital he died in development in was built on land next to Flowerfield. He the had donated this property decades industry. Perhaps earlier to build the State University of their association New York, Stony Brook and was with submarines recognized by then-Governor Nelson – “the silent Rockefeller, who appointed him a trustee service” – did not of the university. SUNY Stony Brook as allow for the DS-1289, a QH-50C, was also restored in 2010 and will eventually be on well as its medical center flourishes today clearly deserved display at the National Air and Space Museum. as a result of his generosity. accolades for Perhaps his greatest legacy was his being arguably the first vertical son, Peter P. Papadakos. Peter, the son, unmanned aerial , developed, About the Author flown and operationally deployed 50 recognized the need to capture the amuel S. Evans is a research associate years before similar UAVs that have important history behind his father’s life at The State University achieved such high acclaim today. That work and founded the Gyrodyne Vertical Lift Research Center of such an innovative and revolutionary S Helicopter Historical Foundation. Up to Excellence, with expertise in flight vehicle was developed and deployed by a the official end of the military’s dynamics, military operations, logistics, man motivated by the promise of association with the QH-50 in 2006, Peter and Health and Usage Monitoring America makes this history even more and an energetic team of former Navy Systems (HUMS). He is a retired Army special. That this important legacy is DASH-men had been working to obtain colonel and former Army aviator. and restore remaining QH-50 helicopters brought to light by the equally for display in museums across the hardworking and motivated son of this country. Due to their efforts, QH-50s can aviation pioneer completes this story. be viewed in eight museums featuring Much thanks to Peter J. Papadakos for his

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