McCulloch MC-4

MC-4

Role	Light helicopter
Manufacturer	McCulloch Aircraft Corporation
Designer	Drago Jovanovich
First flight	1951
Primary users	United States Army United States Navy

The McCulloch Model MC-4 was an American tandem-rotor helicopter and was the first helicopter developed by McCulloch Aircraft Corporation, a division of McCulloch Motors Corporation.^[1] It was evaluated by the United States Army as the YH-30 and the United States Navy as the XHUM-1.

Design and development

The MC-4 was a larger version of the earlier Jovanovich JOV-3 tandem-rotor helicopter and was developed by the McCulloch Aircraft Corporation. The JOV-3 was developed by Jovanovich when he headed the Helicopter Engineering and Research Corporation. The JOV-3 first flew in 1948. In 1949 Jovanovich moved to the McCulloch Motors Corporation where an enlarged helicopter the MC-4 first flew in March 1951. It was followed by a similar MC-4C and three evaluation helicopters for the United States Army (as the YH-30). The MC-4C was slightly larger than the MC-4. When the MC-4C was certified in 1953 it was the first tandem-rotor helicopter to be certified in the United States for commercial use. Three examples were evaluated by the United States Army as the YH-30, but the Army's evaluation showed the helicopter to be underpowered.^[1]

The YH-30 had a steel tube framework with a light metal skin, A single 200 hp Franklin piston engine was horizontally mounted amidships and powered two intermeshing tandem rotors. It had a fixed-wheel tricycle landing gear with a castering nosewheel.

No civil or military orders were received and Jovanovich formed his own company, the Jovair Corporation, where he modified the MC-4C as a prototype for a four-seat private helicopter designated the Sedan 4E. The Sedan 4E was powered by 210 hp Franklin 6A-335 engine. A version with a turbocharged engine was designed as the Sedan 4ES and a more basic Sedan 4A for agricultural use. By 1965 a small number of Sedan helicopters were built. In the early 1970s McCulloch regained the rights to the helicopter designs.

Variants

McCulloch MC-4: Prototype with a 165 hp Franklin engine, two built, one for evaluation by the United States Navy.
McCulloch MC-4A: Variant for evaluation by the United States Navy as the XHUM-1, two built.
McCulloch MC-4C: Prototype with a 200 hp Franklin engine, one built and an additional three for United States Army evaluation as the YH-30.
Jovair Sedan 4E: Production civil four-seat version powered by a 210 hp Franklin 6A-335 engine.
Jovair Sedan 4ES: Sedan with a turbocharged 225 hp Franklin engine.
Jovair Sedan 4A: Simplified agricultural version.

Military designations

YH-30: Military version of the MC-4C, three built.
XHUM-1: Two MC-4As for evaluation by the United States Navy, later redesignated HUM-1.

Operators

United States

Survivors

In 2008 two MC-4Cs are still registered in the United States. The Pima Air and Space Museum has a HUM-1, registration N4072K. The Yanks American Air Museum at Chino are restoring a MC-4C to flying condition although they have no plans to fly it. It may be N4071K or N4091K. One of the three YH-30 military prototypes is preserved by the US Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, Alabama. It is c/n 001 and has the military serial 52-5837. As of April 2013 it remains in a storage building and is not on public display.

Media

An MC-4C was used in the 1954 science fiction production Gog.

Specifications (YH-30)

General characteristics

Crew: two
Length: 32 ft 0 in ( m)
Main rotor diameter: 2× 22 ft 0 in ( m)
Height: 9 ft 2 in ( m)
Empty weight: 1200 lb (544 kg)
Gross weight: 2000 lb (907 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Franklin O-335-6 (6A4-200-C6) piston, 200 hp (147.1 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 105 mph (168.98 km/h)
Range: 200 miles (321.86 km)

References

1 2 Harding, Stephen U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947, Airlife Publishing, Ltd. 1990. ISBN 1-85310-102-8

John Andrade, U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909, Midland Counties Publications, 1979, ISBN 0-904597-22-9 (Page 121)
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 2213/2214.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to McCulloch MC-4.

Jovair history

Jovonovich, HERC, McCulloch and Jovair aircraft models

Civilian	J-2 JOV-3 MC-4 MC-4C Sedan 4A Sedan 4E

Military	YH-30

United States helicopter designations, Army/Air Force and Tri-Service systems

Numerical sequence used by USAAC/USAAF/USAF 1941–present; US Army 1948–1956 and 1962–present; US Navy 1962–present

Main sequence
(1941–1962)

Prefix R-, 1941–1948	R-1 R-2 R-3 R-4 R-5 R-6 R-7 R-8 R-9 R-10 R-11 R-12 R-13 R-14 R-15 R-16

Prefix H-, 1948–1962	H-5 H-6 H-9 H-10 H-11 H-12 H-13/J H-15 H-16 H-17 H-18 H-19 H-20 H-21 H-22 H-23 H-24 H-25 H-26 H-27 H-28 H-29 H-30 H-31 H-32 H-33 H-34 H-35 H-36¹ H-37 H-38¹ H-39 H-40 H-41 H-42 H-43 H-44¹ H-45¹

Main joint sequence
(1962–present)

1962 redesignations	OH-13/UH-13J UH-19 CH-21 OH-23 UH-25 CH-34 CH-37 HH-43

New designations	CH-46/HH-46/UH-46 CH-47 UH-48 XH-49 QH-50 XH-51 HH-52 CH-53/HH-53/MH-53/CH-53E/CH-53K CH-54 TH-55 AH-56 TH-57 OH-58 XH-59 UH-60/SH-60/HH-60/HH-60J YUH-61 XCH-62 YAH-63 AH-64 HH-65 RAH-66 TH-67 MH-68 H-69¹ ARH-70 VH-71 UH-72 H-73 to H-89¹ MH-90 H-91¹ VH-92

1962 redesignations
reusing old numbers

¹ Not assigned

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