JOHAN VISSCHEDIJK COLLECTION
No. 7304. Déchaux Hélicop-Jet
Photographed at the Paris Air Show, Le Bourget, Paris, France, June 1977, source unknown

Déchaux Hélicop-Jet

01/31/2008. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "The four/five-seat 'cold-jet' tip-driven light helicopter was designed and built by Charles Déchaux. The first prototype, registered F-WZAI (c/n 1) was first flown at Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, in December 1976. A single 250 hp Turboméca Palouste IV shaft-turbine drove an air generator that supplied compressed air to the rotor tip-drive nozzles, and had a residual exhaust thrust of 88 lb (40 kg). Heavily underpowered, it was able to carry only its pilot.

The second prototype was powered by a 600 hp Turboméca Aztazou IIIA shaft-turbine, and registered as F-WZJO (c/n 2), first flew December 12, 1984. Despite the increase in power, test flights at the Aérodrome de Cerny-La Ferté-Alais proved it was still underpowered, and subsequently all test flights were suspended, the prototype stored and the planned production never came to fruition.

The second prototype was donated for preservation to CELAC (Centre d'Études et de Loisirs Aérospatiaux de Grenoble, Center of Aerospace Studies and Leisure at Grenoble) on July 25, 2001."


Created January 31, 2008