Cierva CR Twin

Cierva Autogiro Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1969 · helicopter

The Cierva CR Twin, originally designated CR LTH.1 and also known as the Grasshopper III, was a five-seat utility helicopter that first flew in the UK in 1969. It was a joint development between Cierva Autogiro Company and Rotorcraft.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, rotary
E — Engines	2 × piston, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Streamlined pod-and-boom fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Coaxial rotor system
Streamlined pod-and-boom fuselage
Twin piston engines

A twin-engined coaxial-rotor helicopter with a pod-and-boom fuselage, 8.58 m long, with coaxial rotors of 10.06 m diameter.

Specifications

The Cierva CR Twin has a length of 8.58 m (28 ft).
It has a wingspan of 10.06 m (33 ft).
Its maximum speed is 209 km/h (130 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

A new streamlined pod-and-boom fuselage was married to the coaxial rotor system of the Grasshopper design. The first prototype, G-AWRP, first flew on 18 August 1969. Financial backing could not be obtained for further development, and the project was abandoned by 1975.

Variants

Three prototypes were built. The CR.420 and CR.640 were proposed production variants with more powerful Continental engines, and neither was built.

Where you'll see it

Two further prototypes followed, G-AXFM later in 1969 and G-AZAU in 1971, the latter with 210 hp Continental IO-360-D engines in place of the Rolls-Royce Continental O-300 units of the first two. The first prototype is preserved at The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare.

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