Piasecki H-16 Helicopter 1:96

Plastic model kit for a Piasecki H-16 transport helicopter

• Scale: 1:96
• Dimensions (built): Length 248 mm / Rotor diameter 248 mm
• 59 parts
• Movable rotors and tail ramp
• Clear parts included
• Including rotating display stand and collector's card
• Unbuilt, unpainted
• Paint and glue not included

The H-16 transport helicopter was an early tandem-rotor design developed by Piasecki for transport and rescue missions. Prototypes were evaluated by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army, but a crash of the second test helicopter in 1956 led to the cancellation of the project, and production never began.

It was intended to be the world's largest transport helicopter. The first prototype was unveiled to the public in September 1953. The so-called transporter was originally designed as a long-range rescue helicopter, but its potential load-carrying capacity prompted both the Army and the Air Force to examine its potential for military use.

The H-16 weighed more than twice as much as the largest helicopter in service at the time and could transport 40 soldiers, 32 stretchers, or three jeeps. With a nearly 23.7-meter-long fuselage and a rotor span of 41.1 meters, the transporter had a higher cruising speed than any other helicopter in service. Its total weight was over 15 tons. On January 5, 1956, the second test aircraft of the YH-16 crashed while returning from a test flight over New Jersey to Philadelphia. The cause of the crash was later determined to be seized rear slip-ring bearings. This caused the rotor shaft to fail in flight, which in turn led to the desynchronization of the rear and front rotor blades and their collision. The aircraft was totaled, and the two test pilots were killed. This led not only to the discontinuation of construction of the H-16, but also of the planned 69-passenger version H-16B.