Silvercraft SH-4
Silvercraft SpA · Italy · first flew 1963 · helicopter
The Silvercraft SH-4 is an Italian three-seat light helicopter designed and built by Silvercraft SpA.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 7.65 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Two-blade main rotor of about 9 m diameter and a tail rotor
- Skid landing gear
- High-set tubular corrugated tailboom
A small skid-equipped helicopter with a two-blade main rotor and a high-set tubular tailboom, seating a pilot and two passengers.
Specifications
- The Silvercraft SH-4 has a length of 7.65 m (25 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 9.03 m (30 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 161 km/h (100 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was the first Italian-designed helicopter to gain Italian and FAA certification. The prototype first flew in October 1963, with financial and technical help from SIAI-Marchetti, and it was a conventional design with a Franklin flat-six engine.
Variants
The SH-4 was the standard version, with the SH-4A for agricultural work, the Lycoming-powered SH-4L and the turbine-powered SH-4T. An upgraded development, the SH-200, flew only as a prototype.
Where you'll see it
Twenty-one were built, and the Italian Air Force evaluated the type. Some were fitted to carry 200 litres of chemicals for crop spraying.
Related aircraft
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