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The Hiller YH-32 Hornet (company designation HJ-1) is an American ultralight helicopter built by Hiller Aircraft in the early 1950s. It was a small and unique design because it was powered by two Hiller 8RJ2B ramjet engines mounted on the rotor blade tips which weigh each and deliver an equivalent of for a total of . Versions of the HJ-1 Hornet were built for the United States Army and the United States Navy in the early 1950s.

The Hiller Museum identifies the YH-32A, named the Sally Rand, as the first helicopter gunship.

The Hiller HOE-1 became the first production ramjet helicopter, and the Army and Navy flew a small number of these aircraft for a short time to test and evaluate the technology.

The vehicle exhibited powerful lifting capacity, and there was some hope for military uses, but the high noise, poor range, and high night-time visibility of the ramjet flames failed to attract sales.

The first Hiller Hornets were not ready for delivery until late 1954, due to Hiller certificating the aircraft to Civil Aviation Authority standards rather than military specifications.

;XHOE-1

:Three HJ-1s for evaluation by the United States Navy in 1951.

  • 55-4965 – YH-32 in storage at the United States Army Aviation Museum at Fort Novosel in Ozark, Alabama.
  • 55-4969 – YH-32 on static display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.
  • 55-4973 – YH-32 airworthy at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.
  • c/n 15 – YH-32 on display at the Classic Rotors Museum in Ramona, California.
  • Unknown ID – HJ-1 on static display at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, California.
  • Unknown ID – YH-32A on static display at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, California.

Specifications (YH-32)

290x290px|right|3-view line drawing of the Hiller YH-32 Hornet

See also

Notes

Bibliography

  • Andrade, John. U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Hinckley, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979. .
  • Apostolo, Giorgio. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Helicopters. New York: Bonanza Books, 1984. .
  • Display information at Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.
  • Flight page 725 2 November 1956
  • Hiller Aviation Museum: The First 100 Years of Aviation
  • National Air and Space Museum Hiller HOE page
  • Video of Hiller HJ-1 Hornet hovering