Helicopters and rotor blades

[WBWilder]

I can't find a post about this and I'm not sure where to ask, but this seems the logical place.

I'm noticing some of the Huey helicopters in the choice of units have 3 rotor blades and sometimes 4.

In all my reading and picture perusing, I've never seen a Huey with more than two rotor blades. But then I don't know it all and it may be that I have missed this point.

Did some UH-1 helicopters come with 3 or 4 rotor blades?

Any Huey experts out there to clarify?

WB

[Pyros]

WB,

The UH-1Y Iroquois (Huey) has a common four-bladed, composite, hingeless, bearingless main rotor.

cheers,
Pyros

[Weeble]

Technically the Huey has always had four 'blades', two of aerofoil section, and two shorter counter-weight balances at right angles to them. This was just Bell's patent system though. As Pyros said the new USMC UH-1Y has the same 'proper' four bladed rotor as the AH-1Z version of the AH1-W SuperCobra.

I've never seen a 3 bladed Huey version though (except in crash photos!)

See:

http://my.core.com/~campholloway/stage1.html

P10 lower right!

Andy "Weeble" Weaver

[WBWilder]

Live and learn! Thanks for the responses. It is so strange that I've never see a photo of a Huey with four blades. I have seen the smaller blades Weeble speaks of.

Back in the plastic modeling days, I did a number of Hueys, transport and gunship types.

Oh well, I'm clear on this now. Forgive my ignorance and thanks for the answers.

WB

[WBWilder]

Not casting doubt on anyone here. I am convinced you all kow whereof you speak, but I have searched and searched and have yet to find a picture of a four bladed (all four blades equal length from their connecting point with the rotor drive).

Would someone find me a picture like that? Then this tiny question mark in my head would go away. I was mistaken about seeing a three bladed prop in the game so I am most likely wrong here. Just help ease my mind. Thank you.

Talk to me, vets. Have you seen one?
Wild Bill

[Pyros]

WB,


"...New four-bladed all-composite, ballistically tolerant main and tail rotor systems are the most noticeable changes that have been made...."

Here is a link for the BELL company:
UH-1Y



cheers,
Pyros

[WBWilder]

Thank you Pyros. I knew you guys had one around somewhere.

Interesting. I'll visit the site. Boy, that is a shiny one.

WB

[WBWilder]

I've done some more research on this matter. I don't mean to major on minors but I've written Bell Helicopters (the site you included, Pyros, thanks), the 1st Cavalry Division web sites and gotten some replies.

All the vets I've corresponded with corroborate my thinking. Another web site on the Huey does the same.

Here for example they state clearly that their were two rotor blades.

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/uh-1.htm

"Bell (model 205A-1) UH-1H (1967-1986) was identical to the UH-1D but was equipped with an upgraded engine that allowed transport of up to 13 troops. The UH-1H has a two-bladed semi-rigid seesaw bonded all metal main rotor and a two-bladed rigid delta hinge bonded all metal tail rotor."

The same article also mentions four blades but as a new thing, an improvement.

"The goal of the USMC H-1 Upgrades Program is to achieve a platform that meets the growing needs of the Marine Corps. The 4BW and 4BN will be an upgraded version of the current AH-1W and UH-1N Helicopters. The 4BW and 4BN will share a common engine, Auxiliary Power Unit, four-bladed main and tail rotor system, transmission, drive train, and tail boom. The purpose of these modifications is to achieve commonality in both aircraft, thereby reducing logistical support, maintenance workload, and training requirements. The replacement of the two bladed rotor system with a common four bladed rotor system will achieve improved performance, reliability, and maintainability."

I've attached a 3 dimensional of the Huey as I remember it.

To my understanding, the Army has pretty much relegated the Huey to obselescence, though the Marine Corps still uses them

I've also written Bell Corporation but no reply as yet.

Anyway, enough said. I won't pursue this any further. If I want a two-bladed Huey, there are some in the game under the USMC. No big deal to purchase US Army ones and then switch them out.

Wild Bill

[WBWilder]

Final word, I promise. This is from the head of the 1st Cavalry Association.

----- Original Message -----
From: 1st Cav. Div. Assn.
To: Wild Bill
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 1:50 PM
Subject: RE: The Huey

--------------------
Wild Bill,

All of the Huey’s used at LZ X-Ray and LZ Albany had two blades.

First Team!
Dennis
-----------------------
WIld Bill

[Double_Deuce]

Just to add my 2 cents. I see that the UH-1E's in the USMC OOB and the UH-1B's in the US Army OOB appear to be like the ones Weeble mentioned (the 2 real blades and the 2 small counterbalances). Looking further it seems ALL the UH-1D models show a 4 blade graphic icon.