JOHAN VISSCHEDIJK COLLECTION
No. 6893. Hiller HJ-1 YH-32 Hornet (55-4963) US Army
Photograph from MAP, taken 1957

Hiller HJ-1 YH-32 Hornet

09/30/2007. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "The single-seat HJ-1 ramjet helicopter of 1950 was the predecessor to the light two-seat observation helicopter ordered by the US Army as the YH-32 Hornet and by the USN as the HOE-1. Two prototypes (53-4663, 53-4664) were built for the Army and after initial testing a further twelve (55-4963 to 55-4974) were ordered; the Navy ordered three (BuNo 138651 to 138653).

A 39 lb (17.7 kg) st Hiller 8RJ2B ramjet was mounted at each tip of the two-bladed rotor. High fuel consumption and low cruise speed restricted the operational envelop to less than 30 minutes or a range of under 35 mls (56 km).

The first YH-32/HOE-1 was flown in 1954, the last was delivered in 1956; five of them are still preserved in museums in the USA."


Created September 30, 2007