Hiller ROE Rotorcycle

The Hiller ROE Rotorcycle is a single-seat ultralight helicopter designed in 1953 for a military requirement.^[1] A total of 12 were produced for the United States Marine Corps. And in 1954, the Hiller Helicopters was selected by the US Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics to build this design of a one-man, foldable, self-rescue and observation helicopter.^[2] It featured a two-blade rotor system. Its original empty weight was 290 lb (132 kg).^[3]

Hiller ROE
A YROE-1 hovering in front of the Ames Hangar on 6 November 1963
Role	ultralight helicopter
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Hiller Aircraft Saunders-Roe
First flight	November 1956
Introduction	1957
Retired	1961
Primary user	United States Marine Corps
Number built	12

Development

The helicopter folded up and could be carried on a sled-like carrier by two people or could be air-dropped to pilots trapped behind enemy lines. The Marines did not accept the YROE due to its low performance, vulnerability to small-arms fire and the lack of visual references on the structure. This problem could cause the pilot to experience spatial disorientation at all but very low altitudes.^[1] The YROE or ROE never saw military service.^[4]

In 1954, the United States Navy′s Bureau of Aeronautics selected Hiller to build its proposed design of a one-man helicopter. The XROE Rotocycle completed flight testing in mid-1957.^[5]

It was demonstrated at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, for military and other government officials in early April 1958.^[6]

Production was by Saunders-Roe, which made five for the United States Marine Corps and five for Helicop-Air of Paris.^[7]

A Porsche engine of 62 hp (46 kW) developed for the YROE completed trials by 1961.^[8]

Variants

XROE-1

2 prototypes built as Model 1033 at the Hiller Helicopter Plant in Palo Alto, California^[4]

The first flight in November 1956^[9]

YROE-1

5 test versions built by British Saunders-Roe company
One donated to the Smithsonian Institution after completion of its testing in 1961^[9]

ROE-1

5 production built by Saunders-Roe (built ten production models, including the five YROE-1s)^[9]

Specifications

Data from NASM : Hiller YROE-1 Rotorcycle,^[9] Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59^[10]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
• Height: 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
• Empty weight: 309 lb (140 kg)
• Gross weight: 562 lb (255 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 9.1 US gal (8 imp gal; 34 L)^{[citation needed]}
• Powerplant: 1 × Nelson H-63 4-cylinder air-cooled 2-stroke horizontally-opposed piston engine, 40 hp (30 kW) ^[3]
  

(later 43 hp (32 kW) Nelson YO-65-2)

• Main rotor diameter: 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m)
• Main rotor area: 268.8 sq ft (24.97 m²) 2-bladed main rotor
  
• Blade section: NACA 0015^[11]

Performance

• Maximum speed: 70 mph (110 km/h, 61 kn)
• Cruise speed: 52 mph (84 km/h, 45 kn)
• Range: 166 mi (267 km, 144 nmi) with 170 lb (77 kg) pilot and 86 lb (39 kg) of fuel^[2]
• Service ceiling: 13,200 ft (4,000 m)
  
• Hover ceiling IGE: 9,200 ft (2,804 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,160 ft/min (5.9 m/s)

Survivors

• XROE-1, on display at Hiller Aviation Museum, San Carlos, California
• YROE-1, ser. no. 4021, on display at Hiller Aviation Museum
• YROE-1, on display at National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC
• YROE-1, N4230U, ser. no. 4024, El Cajon, California^[12]
• YROE-1, N777MV, ser. no. 4020, Minicopter Inc., Saginaw, Texas^[13]
• YROE-1, third one in production on display at Evergreen Aviation Museum^[14]
• XROE-1, repainted in blue, powered by a Rotax 503 and renamed "fantacopter", in working order at Bois-la-Pierre, France.^[15]

See also

• Aviation portal

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Gyrodyne RON Rotorcycle
• Hoppi-Copter

References

Notes

1. NASM: Hiller YROE-1 Rotorcycle
2. Hiller Museum: Rotocycle Archived 2009-08-14 at the Wayback Machine
3. Apostolo, p. 68
4. Helicópteros:The Site
5. "Helicopters of the World: USA", Flight: 693, 15 May 1959
6. "Rotorcycle on View Here", The Washington Post and Times-Herald, Washington, D.C., Tuesday 1 April 1958, Volume 81, Number 117, page A8.
7. "From All Quarters" (PDF), Flight: 610, 11 May 1961
8. "VTOL International Survey", Flight: 638, 11 May 1961
9. "Hiller YROE-1 Rotorcycle". National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
10. Bridgman, Leonard, ed. (1958). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59. London: Jane's All the World's Aircraft Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 315.
11. Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
12. AirportData: N4230U
13. AirportData: N777MV
14. "SkyControl: YROE-1". Archived from the original on 2009-10-28. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
15. "Hiller XROE-1". Archived from the original on 2008-11-14. Retrieved 2011-01-09.

Bibliography

• Apostolo, Giorgio. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Helicopters. New York: Bonanza Books. 1984. ISBN 978-0-517-43935-7.

External links

• Hiller Aviation Museum: The First 100 Years of Aviation
• NASA: FLIGHT TESTS OF A ONE-MAN HELICOPTER AND A COMPARISON OF ITS HANDLING QUALITIES WITH THOSE OF LARGER VTOL AIRCRAFT
• Photo: XROE-1 at Hiller Aviation Museum
• Photo: YROE-1 (s/n 4021 at Hiller Aviation Museum