1976  The Hélicop-jet was an original design helicopter of Mr. Charles Déchaux and employed the so called pressure-jet principle (compressed air from turbine engine was channelled to exhaust nozzles at the tips of the rotor blades and extreme tail). The aircraft had a rotor as used in the Sud Aviation SO-1221 Djinn (qv) and also featured a somewhat unusual twin tail boom configuration and used cabin doors of the Panhard PL-24c car. The first example of the Hélicop-jet had one 250-260hp Turboméca Palouste IV turbine and it made the first flight in December 1976 and trials with this first aircraft showed that only the pilot could be lifted. A second machine received one more powerful 600hp (530hp) Turboméca Astazou IIIA and had a more rounded windshield and first flew 12 December 1984. Both aircraft were built by Ets. Charles Déchaux and for further development, Hélicop-jet Management Co was founded in Canada, but plans for versions with Turboméca TM.319, P&W PT6 and Allison 250 turbine engines were abandoned. The second aircraft became in 2001 part of the collection of CELAG (Centre d’ Études et de Loisirs Aérospatiaux de Grenoble) in Grenoble le Versoud during 2001. Walter van Tilborg   |
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