Mustang whirlybird: Hughes' XH-17

Flight Journal, Apr 2001 by Moore, Gale

IN THE COCKPIT PROFILE

"Would you like to see the XH-17 helicopter?" Clyde Jones asked during my visit.

Those words sent chills through me. The primary reason I had come for an interview was to see the helicopter that was being secretly built in the inner sanctum of the Hughes facility.

"Yes; I would like to see it."'

I had never tested an experimental helicopter, or any aircraft, for that matter. During WW 11, 1 piloted B-17s and B-29s. After the War, I joined Los Angeles Airways and flew U.S. airmail in Sikorsky S-51 helicopters. A coworker told me that Hughes Tool Co. in Culver City, California, was seeking a test pilot for an unconventional helicopter, and that piqued my interest. Testing an experimental helicopter for Hughes would be the ultimate challenge to my flying ability. I felt confident regarding my helicopter proficiency, although apprehensive because of my lack of flight-test experience.

In mid-April 1952, I drove to Hughes Aircraft Division for an interview with Clyde Jones, director of engineering. I found him quite friendly as he plied me with questions relating to my experience.

"Sir, I have over twenty-five hundred hours flying, seventeen thousand landings and takeoffs and have experienced over one hundred power-off practice autorotation landings while flying the Sikorsky S-51 helicopter."

"Have you flown any helicopter with hydraulic controls?"

"No," I said, and he then showed me the subject of our discussions.

We entered a three-story structure longer than a football field. In 1946, the construction of the HK-1 Hughes Spruce Goose flying boat had been completed in this building. At the far end of this cavernous room was the largest helicopter I had ever seen-the largest ever built! Its size even made the building appear small.

"It is thirty-one feet high and has a rotor diameter of one hundred and thirty feet," Clyde said.

The size of this monster enthralled me. The rotors were thirty percent longer than a B-17's wingspan and nearly as long as a B-29's. I stood speechless. The cockpit soared fifteen feet above the floor. I had had no clue that Hughes, or anyone else for that matter, had built a helicopter this size.

"Would you like to sit in the cockpit?" Clyde offered.

A strange feeling overwhelmed me-a feeling I hadn't experienced for some time. It was fear. I was deathly afraid of heights-a trait more common among pilots than many would assumeand the fear seemed more hazardous than flight-testing. Hesitantly, I worked my way up the long ladder attached to the landing gear and then swung onto a platform before entering the cockpit. With courage now, I slipped into the pilot seat. The controls felt normal to me, except for the short collective stick, which seemed unusual compared with the long cyclic stick.

As I scanned the cockpit, I began to feel more comfortable. I was sitting above the world, as if I were freewheeling a double-tiered cab of an 18-wheeler on a highway while seeing over all obstructions. I noted several unfamiliar instruments on the panel, such as horizontal stabilizer position indicator, pylon warning light, mean coning angle and tilt indicators. They seemed to me to be more like "forewarning of disaster indicators." Could this be an omen?

So much to learn! I felt uneasy: this was nothing like the simple helicopters I flew. At that moment, little did I realize the eye-openers I would be exposed to. I climbed down then turned to look up at the ladder. I had to smile. Fear of heights still seemed more difficult to cope with than flight-testing.

"Would you be interested in testing the XH-17?" he asked.

"Yes, I would." I responded before giving the question full consideration. I immediately thought, "You're pretty gutsy, Moore."

Driving home, I had mixed feelings. This giant would require considerable cockpit time to study all the systems. Its size alone could cause unknown problems. The following day, I received a call from Mr. Jones.

"If you still want the job, we have selected you to test the XH-17," he offered.

"Great," I answered. I was overjoyed but, again, with mixed emotions.

I couldn't help but wonder why I was chosen over a CAA test pilot and another pilot at Los Angeles Airways who had more helicopter experience. I was eager to tell my wife, who was not as excited, probably owing to the hazards associated with being a test pilot. I honestly don't know which emotion was stronger-thrill or apprehension. It was a tossup, but I knew the thrill needed encouragement and the fear needed to be challenged.

At age 31, I thrust myself into a new adventure that was both exciting and hazardous, but it was all coupled with a feeling of accomplishment. It would also fulfill a longtime personal dream by giving me the opportunity to meet one of my heroes-Howard Hughes.

On my first day at Hughes, I discovered I had taken a bull by the horns. The helicopter was originally an experimental, scraped-together project proposed for ground-testing only. Kellett Aircraft built the XH-17 under contract with the Air Force to investigate the pressure jet cycle power system for heavy-lift helicopters. Two jet engines provided compressed air to the tips of the blades. Each tip had four burners, and when injected with fuel and ignited, their exhaust provided a total of 3,296 pounds of thrust to drive the rotor blades.