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PRESS RELEASE, June 26, 2000

Wichita Falls, Texas: Monday, June 26, 2000

Edited by Rod Anderson

Revised by Jay Carter (05/25/02)

CarterCopters, L.L.C. of Wichita Falls, Texas, is proud to announce its design study for a revolutionary VTOL aircraft. Called the CarterCopter Heliplane Transport, the rotorcraft takes off, hovers and lands like a helicopter. At speeds above 100 MPH, the CCH-T converts to a CC high-technology gyroplane by unloading its rotor onto very efficient high-aspect ratio wings and (in the process) slows its rotor to minimize profile drag and maximize flight efficiency.

The CCH-T would be the largest rotorcraft ever flown. Its size, design and capabilities are impressive by any standard. The aircraft is taller than a four-story building. The main wheels are six feet tall, the two props are 24 feet in diameter and the rotor is one-half the length of a football field. A fully loaded Greyhound bus can be driven up its ramp and parked inside (with room to spare), and then flown away - straight up. Once airborne, the CCH-T converts into a CC gyroplane with flight efficiencies equivalent to fixed-wing aircraft. The CCH-T is designed to cruise at 450 MPH at 30,000 ft altitude and carry a 45,000 lb payload for 1500 miles with a 45-minute fuel reserve.

Range and gross weight can easily be increased. For Example, when the CCH-T is operated as a short takeoff and landing aircraft (STOL as opposed to VTOL), its max gross weight (MGW) at 8,000 ft. density altitude increases from 155,000 lbs. up to 200,000 lbs. (see Graphs under index for more details). With an additional 25,000 lbs of fuel, the range increases to 2,400 miles. A VTO without hovering at higher density altitudes is possible by using stored energy in the high-inertia rotor to provide the additional HP required until the aircraft accelerates to its minimum flight speed.

The Heliplane design represents a new class of aircraft, not just the size transport portrayed in the study. The same, patented CC technology can be used to build a Heliplane of almost any size. The CCH-T is comparable in payload and speed to the most advanced C-130J-30 Hercules, with almost twice the cargo compartment volume. Even larger Heliplanes are possible. At the opposite end of the scale, a Heliplane less than one-third the size of the CC gyroplane prototype (4500 lb MGW) can be built for military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs.

The only new technology used to design the CCH-T has been flying on the CC gyroplane prototype since September 1998. The CC prototype was built as a proof-of-concept demonstrator for both the CC ultra-high-inertia rotor and the control system interface between the rotor and wings. Other innovations on the prototype include the CC high efficiency prop with a computerized prop controller, and the extreme-energy absorbing landing gear. On the CCH-T, the 24-ft diameter 4-bladed version of the same prop will produce over 40,000 lbs of static thrust (per prop x 2 props). The CCH-T version of the same landing gear will be able to absorb landing impacts up to 50 feet per second without damage to the aircraft or occupants.

CarterCopters, L.L.C. is a R&D company. Our goal is to license proven, patented technology. Our first aircraft, the CC gyroplane prototype, was partially funded by grants from NASA under their Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program. We are indebted for this financial assistance. To build and flight test a similar size prototype of the Heliplane, we need to locate additional financial resources. If other grant programs or financial opportunities are available to help us advance our R&D program, we would greatly appreciate learning about them. To aid in this quest, we will be happy to brief interested government, military, aerospace and other organizations. Representatives of these organizations are invited to visit us in Wichita Falls and see our operation first hand.

INDEX

Drawings - 3 Views with brief specs and features

Isometric views provided by Karl Loveridge

Specifications, features, and flight operations

Comparison table of CC Heliplane to the C-130, Bell's proposed Quad Tilt Rotor, Boeing's Chinook, and Russia's Mi-26 Helicopter (world's largest)

Graphs - Gross weight vs. altitude for hover OGE. Range vs. Payload for various takeoff modes and rolling takeoffs of 150 & 300 ft.

Spreadsheet - Performance analysis, assumptions and C-130 comparisons