AMERICAN HELICOPTER Co built the XH-26 light helicopter that drove its rotor by placing AJ-7.5-1 pulsejets at the ends of the rotor blades.

-The AJ-8.5 gave 43 Kgs of thrust. Another pulsejet was the XPJ49 (AH-3).

"Rotor Tipjet"

-The AHC model shown has an aero dynamic fairing and an "augmentor" system on the short end of the tube. It has no valves.

-This company was acquired by Fairchild Co. and the program was canceled.

From the A1-5-7 Appendices: The American Helicopters Co. (AHC) XH-26 has been called the "Flying Jeep" or "Jet Jeep" for the American Land Forces. They were powered by pulsejets. Around the year 1952.

"XH-26" (PiP)

"XH-26"

-Other helicopter models from before like the XA-5 were powered by XAJ.9 pulsejets with a diameter of 23.5 cm and 86 Kg of thrust each. (They had two of them).

-In the main text it is mentioned that this manufacturer of small helicopters made its own ram- and pulse-jets to mount them on the outer ends of the main rotor blades.

-One ram-jet is already showed in those pages.

-Now we can offer an AJ pulsejet exhibited in the Pima Air Museum.

“General view of an AJ pulsejet” (PiP)

-The maximum diameter of the engine was 7.5 inches and its output was only 35 pounds of thrust.

“Frontal view of the AJ pulsejet” (PiP)

-In the air intake we see the louvered valves, or hinged blades that open because of the combined ram-aspiration effect and close when there occurs an explosion in the chamber by the force of the explosion itself.

-In the next photograph taken from the exhaust outlet we see the inside of the nozzle and in the far end the combustion chamber with its louvered valves and a rose with the fuel injectors.

“inside view of the pulsejet” (PiP)

-By 1954 American Helicopters company and its project package was sold to Fairchild Engine and Airplane Company.

-This builder of small helicopters also made the one in the picture below, together with the brand's pulsejets.

"The Top Sergeant"

-Perhaps the most interesting product was the XA-5 Top Sergeant and its derivative XH-26. Powered by a rotor with pulsejets of the same brand in their outer edges.

"The AH-5 with pulsejets"

-After WWII and for half a decade of the 1950s they made a lot of tests with simple engines, like ram- and pulse-jets at the end of the rotor blades.

“The pulsejets on the XH-5 with more details” (PiP)

-With similar power and equivalent to that of a large piston engine, but much lighter.

“Showing the lightness of the pulsejets” (PiP)

-These pulse jets have been built by the American Helicopters Corp. and they are the AJ 8.75 model with 43 Kgs of thrust. The few moving parts it has, are located in the inlet-valve-body. In this case they are louvered.

“Thel AJ 8.75 valve-body” (PiP=ps)

-The ignition is by spark that is produced by a sparkplug as showed below.

“Pulse jet ignition” (PiP=ps)