Cessna CH-1 Skyhook
Cessna · United States · first flew 1954 · helicopter
The Cessna CH-1 Skyhook is the only helicopter ever built by Cessna.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 8.97 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single two-bladed main rotor
- Front-mounted engine ahead of the cabin
- Streamlined semi-monocoque airframe resembling a Cessna light aeroplane
A light helicopter with an aeroplane-style streamlined body, the engine in front of the cabin and a two-bladed rotor. Length is the 8.97 m fuselage; overall length was 12.95 m.
Specifications
- The Cessna CH-1 Skyhook has a length of 8.97 m (29 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 10.67 m (35 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 174 km/h (108 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Work began in summer 1952 after Cessna bought the Seibel Helicopter Company. A skeletal test bed first hovered in July 1953 and the prototype first flew in 1954. It received a type certificate on 9 June 1955.
Variants
The CH-1A had four seats. The CH-1B had a Continental FSO-526 engine and the Army bought ten as YH-41 Seneca. The CH-1C was later bought as the UH-41A.
Where you'll see it
It was the first helicopter to land on Pikes Peak, in 1955. A CH-1B set a FAI altitude record of 29,777 ft in 1957, still the highest by a piston-powered helicopter. Production ended in December 1962.
Related aircraft
- Cessna T-37 Tweet
- Cessna XT-37A Tweet
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk
- Cessna 310
- Aero HC-2 Heli Baby
- De Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle
- Nord Norelfe
- Sikorsky S-58
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,226 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.