Aircraft Gallery
HUP Retriever
SPECIFICATIONS:
Crew: 2 pilots
Capacity: 4 passengers
Length: 56 ft 11 in (17.35 m)
Rotor diameter: 35 ft 0 in (10.67 m)
Height: 13 ft 2 in (4.01 m)
Disc area: 1,924 ft² (179 m²)
Empty weight: 4132 lb (1874 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Continental R-975-46A radial, 550 hp (410 kW)
Maximum speed: 91 knots (105 mph, 169 km/h)
Cruise speed: 70 knots (80 mph, 129 km/h)
Range: 295 nmi (340 mi, 547 km)
Service ceiling: 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
Rate of climb: 1000 ft/min (5.01 m/s)
The HUP Retriever was an early tandem rotor helicopter and entered service in 1949 as a general purpose transport and rescue helicopter operating from carriers and other ships. Powered by the same engine which drove the Sherman tank in World War II, the HUP is notable for having the pilot’s seat on the left, unlike other helicopters, because of the rescue hatch’s location in the cockpit. Superceded by the UH-2 Seasprite in the early 1960s, the HUP’s success inspired further work in tandem rotor designs culminating in the CH-46 Sea Knight.
