Piasecki
PV2
#

Photo: Robert Deering 10/23/2006
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Dulles International Airport (IAD)
Chantilly, Virginia
When Igor Sikorsky began to publicly demonstrate his VS-300 helicopter in 1941, he called it the automobile of the future. This idea quickly captured the public imagination and enthusiastic helicopter designers stepped forward to produce the next aerial version of the Model T. On April 11, 1943, Frank Piasecki became the second American to successfully fly a helicopter of his own design, the Piasecki-Venzie PV-2. He built it with far fewer resources than Sikorsky had available to construct the VS-300, yet the PV-2 flew with an unprecedented smoothness and stability. Ironically, Frank Piasecki intended his first helicopter design to be the forerunner of a revolution in personal transportation, but his company actually evolved into one of the foremost manufacturers of large cargo helicopters sold primarily to the military.

Dimensions:
Rotor Diameter: 7.7 m each (25 ft 2 in)
Length: 7.7 m (25 ft 5.25 in)
Height: 2.36 m (7 ft 9 in)
Weights: Empty, 327 kg (720 lb)
Gross, 454 kg (1,000 lb)

Source: Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum