Piasecki PA-97 Heli-Stat
Piasecki Aircraft Corporation · United States · first flew 1986 · transport aircraft
The Piasecki PA-97 Heli-Stat was an extraordinary experimental hybrid aircraft combining a surplus US Navy ZPG-2W non-rigid airship envelope with four Sikorsky H-34 helicopters to create a heavy-lift vehicle.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 4 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 104.57 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | No tailplane |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Four surplus Sikorsky H-34 helicopters attached to a non-rigid blimp envelope
- Extraordinary hybrid heavy-lift vehicle — part airship, part helicopter
- Only example crashed in 1986 during trials; no further development
Unmistakeable: a large non-rigid blimp envelope with four piston/turbine helicopters suspended beneath it at the corners of a rigid truss frame — no other aircraft resembles it.
Specifications
- The Piasecki PA-97 Heli-Stat has a length of 104.57 m (343 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 38 m (125 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 56 km/h (35 mph).
- Typical crew: 4.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Conceived by Frank Piasecki and funded by the US Forest Service for timber extraction, the Heli-Stat first flew in 1986. It was designed to lift up to 34,000 kg of logs. The sole prototype was destroyed in a crash on 1 July 1986 when the airship envelope collapsed during a tethered test, killing one crew member.
Variants
Single prototype only; the programme was cancelled after the accident.
Where you'll see it
Never entered operational service; the accident ended the programme before any forestry work commenced.
Related aircraft
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