Helicopter heroes It was 50 years ago that a prototype helicopter first flew and a legend was born—the CH-47 By Mike Lombardi

urrently serving on the front lines The advantage of this unique design Just as earlier Chinooks proved of the global fight against terror- allows for low load-per-rotor area, elimi- themselves in wartime, the D model Cism, the CH-47 Chinook is the nates the need for a tail rotor, increases has played a key role for U.S. and epitome of the innovative tandem-rotor lift and stability, and provides a large allied troops in the deserts of Iraq helicopter designs produced through range for center of gravity. and the mountains of Afghanistan. the genius of helicopter pioneer Frank The HRP was followed by the U.S. The highly modified MH-47 series is Piasecki, founder of the company that Navy HUP/UH-25, the first helicopter to operated by the U.S. Army Special would later develop into the Boeing incorporate overlapping tandem rotors, Operations Forces. operations near Philadelphia. and the U.S. Air Force CH-21, a long- When the Chinook first flew in 1961 The CH-47, having been continuously range helicopter transport designed for Boeing Magazine wrote: “There is a modernized, has provided unmatched use in the Arctic. saying in the aviation industry that you capability for U.S. and allied troops since Piasecki stepped down in 1955 as can tell a winner by its appearance. The hard work and dedication of the Boeing its introduction 50 years ago this month. chairman of his company, which then If it looks good, chances are it will be Philadelphia team have created an aircraft First flown on Sept. 21, 1961, the became Vertol Aircraft Corp. The engi- good. If this is true, then the Boeing YCH-1B prototype for what would later neering team established by Piasecki Vertol HC-1B, now in production for that is truly a joy to fly. be known as the CH-47 was originally continued to the next generation of the U.S. Army, has a great future.” – Jeffrey Bender, chief pilot for H-47 Programs, and a design of the Vertol Helicopter Co. of tandem-rotor helicopters and achieved Indeed. It’s a future that will extend Mark Schwerke, chief pilot for H-47 Production Flight Test Philadelphia, a company that traced its success with the introduction of proto- well into the 21st century, with Boeing history to 1943 when Piasecki established types that would lead to the CH-46 employees near Philadelphia now build- PHOTOS: (Above) A CH-47 Chinook is the P-V Engineering Forum after flying Sea Knight and CH-47 Chinook. ing the latest model of the Chinook, the shown conducting exercises in Afghani- the United States’ second successful In 1960, The Boeing Company, CH-47F (See July 2011 Frontiers). stan. U.S. ARMY (Insets, from top) The forerunner of the Chinook, the XHRP-X, helicopter—the PV-2. In 1946, the com- looking to expand into vertical flight, The world’s premier large helicopter the world’s first successful tandem-rotor pany became Piasecki Helicopter Corp. purchased Vertol and provided financial is the longest production program in helicopter; the Model 234 Commercial The Chinook’s roots actually go back resources and expertise to support pro- Boeing history and one of the longest Chinook carries 44 passengers in an to 1945 when the U.S. Navy ordered duction of the Sea Knight and Chinook. in aviation history. Its longevity and interior similar to a Boeing commercial a large rescue and transport helicopter The U.S. Army took delivery of its first success are a tribute to the men and jet; one job that only a Chinook can do is providing transport and resupply to and Piasecki and his team developed Chinook in August 1962, and within three women of Boeing Philadelphia and the otherwise inaccessible mountaintop n a tandem-rotor helicopter capable of years CH-47s flew into combat accom- pioneering spirit of Frank Piasecki. firebases. Boeing archives carrying 10 passengers. panying the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division [email protected] Known as the HRP, it was the largest when it deployed to Vietnam in 1965. helicopter in the world at the time and In 1978, Boeing introduced the represented the first successful use of CH-47D, a modernization program that the tandem-rotor design. Nicknamed the converted 472 earlier model Chinooks “Flying Banana,” the HRP originated the into an essentially new CH-47 fleet with distinct banana shape of tandem-rotor upgraded power plants and transmission helicopters that served as a foundation systems that could handle nearly twice for the design of the CH-47. the original lift capacity of the CH-47A.

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