Brantly B-1
Brantly Helicopter Corporation · United States · first flew 1946 · helicopter
The Brantly B-1 was an innovative American light helicopter featuring coaxial contra-rotating rotors, making it one of the few US designs of its era to dispense entirely with a tail rotor.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | compact egg-shaped fuselage pod |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- coaxial contra-rotating three-blade rotors
- no tail rotor — offset torque via coaxial system
- compact egg-shaped fuselage pod
Coaxial three-blade rotor stack over a boxy, narrow fuselage pod with fixed skids. The absence of any tail rotor immediately distinguishes it from most light helicopters of the period.
Specifications
- The Brantly B-1 has a length of 5.5 m (18 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 7.2 m (24 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 132 km/h (82 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Newby O. Brantly began work on a coaxial helicopter in the early 1940s, and the B-1 flew for the first time in 1946. The coaxial arrangement eliminated tail-rotor torque compensation but introduced mechanical complexity in the rotor hub. The design informed subsequent Brantly work, though the company's production success came with the later two-bladed teetering-rotor B-2.
Variants
The B-1 remained a prototype/development aircraft; Brantly moved to the conventional tail-rotor B-2 for production.
Where you'll see it
Never entered commercial or military service; operated as a development testbed. The follow-on B-2 achieved certification and sales.
Related aircraft
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