Sikorsky CH-37A Mojave
As the helicopter matured, the US Marine Corps issued a requirement in 1951 for a helicopter capable of carrying an entire platoon of infantry. This was a tall order: the helicopters in common use at the time carried less than ten passengers. Sikorsky won the contract with its S-60 design, which was designated HR2S-1 in USMC service. After the HR2S-1 entered service in 1956, the US Army evaluated and bought it as the CH-37 Mojave.
Though the Mojave was capable of carrying a full platoon, Sikorsky anticipated that it would be used for cargo purposes as well. With this in mind, the two engines--a first for Sikorsky--were moved into pods outboard of the fuselage, leaving the interior open for cargo that could be loaded through the clamshell doors in the nose. The US Navy modified two as experimental airborne early warning helicopters, but were not put into production due to its slow speed.
Though the Mojave was a sound design. they were obsolete almost as soon as they entered service: it used piston engines for powerplant. Turboshaft-equipped helicopters were far more fuel efficient and lighter; as a result, turboshaft UH-1 Iroquois and CH-47 Chinooks could carry almost as much as the CH-37 at half the cost. The Mojave did enjoy a small resurgence in the twilight of its career, when several were deployed to Vietnam as heavy lift helicopters, but even these were quickly replaced by the turboshaft-powered Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe/Skycrane. Of 154 CH-34s produced, six remain in museums.
I was surprised to see this Mojave, 58-10999, parked behind the Evergreen Aviation Museum in an out-of-the-way spot, with little advertisement. Not unusually, information on this CH-37A is sparse: it served with the 19th Aviation Company in South Korea for awhile after 1959, then disappears from the public record before it served with the Alabama National Guard from 1970 to 1979, when it was retired. It was sent to MASDC and then to a scrapyard, where 58-10999 remained until 2000, when the Evergreen Air and Space Museum acquired it. It would take over a decade to get 58-10999 back together, but it was placed on display in 2011.
Though hideous, the Mojave is a unique helicopter, and well worth the effort to get a picture--though it was so huge I couldn't get the whole thing in the shot.
Sikorsky CH-37A Mojave
As the helicopter matured, the US Marine Corps issued a requirement in 1951 for a helicopter capable of carrying an entire platoon of infantry. This was a tall order: the helicopters in common use at the time carried less than ten passengers. Sikorsky won the contract with its S-60 design, which was designated HR2S-1 in USMC service. After the HR2S-1 entered service in 1956, the US Army evaluated and bought it as the CH-37 Mojave.
Though the Mojave was capable of carrying a full platoon, Sikorsky anticipated that it would be used for cargo purposes as well. With this in mind, the two engines--a first for Sikorsky--were moved into pods outboard of the fuselage, leaving the interior open for cargo that could be loaded through the clamshell doors in the nose. The US Navy modified two as experimental airborne early warning helicopters, but were not put into production due to its slow speed.
Though the Mojave was a sound design. they were obsolete almost as soon as they entered service: it used piston engines for powerplant. Turboshaft-equipped helicopters were far more fuel efficient and lighter; as a result, turboshaft UH-1 Iroquois and CH-47 Chinooks could carry almost as much as the CH-37 at half the cost. The Mojave did enjoy a small resurgence in the twilight of its career, when several were deployed to Vietnam as heavy lift helicopters, but even these were quickly replaced by the turboshaft-powered Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe/Skycrane. Of 154 CH-34s produced, six remain in museums.
I was surprised to see this Mojave, 58-10999, parked behind the Evergreen Aviation Museum in an out-of-the-way spot, with little advertisement. Not unusually, information on this CH-37A is sparse: it served with the 19th Aviation Company in South Korea for awhile after 1959, then disappears from the public record before it served with the Alabama National Guard from 1970 to 1979, when it was retired. It was sent to MASDC and then to a scrapyard, where 58-10999 remained until 2000, when the Evergreen Air and Space Museum acquired it. It would take over a decade to get 58-10999 back together, but it was placed on display in 2011.
Though hideous, the Mojave is a unique helicopter, and well worth the effort to get a picture--though it was so huge I couldn't get the whole thing in the shot.