Piasecki H-21 Shawnee
Piasecki Helicopter Corporation · United States · first flew 1952 · transport aircraft
The Piasecki H-21 Shawnee was a tandem-rotor transport helicopter nicknamed the 'Flying Banana' for its distinctive kinked fuselage, powered by a single Wright R-1820 radial engine driving both rotors. It served the US Army and Air Force as a troop carrier and rescue aircraft.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Forward-swept rear fuselage humped over aft rotor |
| T — Tail | No tailplane |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Tandem-rotor 'flying banana' silhouette
- Forward-swept rear fuselage humped over aft rotor
- First US Army helicopter deployed to Vietnam in numbers
The strongly kinked or humped fuselage with two large rotor systems fore and aft is the defining feature; no tail rotor, with the aft rotor mounted on a raised pylon at the tail.
Specifications
- The Piasecki H-21 Shawnee has a length of 26.2 m (86 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 13.41 m (44 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 204 km/h (127 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
First flown in April 1952, the H-21 entered US Air Force service as the H-21A for Arctic rescue and the US Army as the H-21B/C for troop transport. It was among the first helicopters deployed to South Vietnam in 1961–62, where it flew airmobile operations before the UH-1 Iroquois took over.
Variants
H-21A was the USAF rescue variant; H-21B and C were Army troop carriers; the Canadian CH-21 served as the H-21B under a different designation. West Germany also operated it.
Where you'll see it
Served USAF, US Army, Canada, West Germany, and France (in Algeria); operated in Arctic, combat, and disaster-relief roles. Phased out in US service by the mid-1960s as turbine-powered helicopters arrived.
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