Hiller VZ-1 Pawnee

Hiller Aircraft Company · United States · first flew 1955 · helicopter

The Hiller VZ-1 Pawnee was an experimental one-man flying platform in which the operator sat on a platform above contra-rotating ducted rotors, using conventional helicopter controls. It was developed from an Office of Naval Research contract for the US Army.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, rotary
E — Engines	3 × piston, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	2.54 m fuselage
T — Tail	No tailplane

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Circular flying platform with a ducted-fan assembly
Operator seated on the platform with helicopter-type controls
Three Nelson piston engines drive two contra-rotating rotors

A circular open platform with ducted rotors under the deck and the operator seated on top. It resembles no other aircraft.

Specifications

The Hiller VZ-1 Pawnee has a length of 2.54 m (8 ft).
It has a wingspan of 2.54 m (8 ft).
Its maximum speed is 26 km/h (16 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

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

History

The concept came from Charles Zimmerman in the late 1940s and development began in 1953 under an ONR contract. The platform flew successfully from 1955. The earlier ONR Model 1031-A-1 used two 44 hp Nelson H-59 engines and body-weight control; the VZ-1 Pawnee had three engines, a larger duct and a seated operator. Six prototypes were built, three of each model.

Variants

The smaller ONR Model 1031-A-1 had two engines and a standing pilot using kinesthetic control; the VZ-1 Pawnee had three engines and a seated operator.

Where you'll see it

Neither version entered production; the US Army judged them impractical as combat vehicles because they were small and limited in speed.

Related aircraft

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