PKZ-2 Helicopter- 1:72

PKZ-2 Helicopter History

The PKZ-2 was the first Austro-Hungarian helicopter manufactured in 1918 at the end of the First World War; he conducted 36 test flights without any real evidence of pilot assistance. It has a maximum height of 50 meters and can stay in the air for up to half an hour. However, due to various technical problems and its instability in flight, it was not considered as a weapon system.

Initially, it used three 100hp Rhone rotary piston engines. However, this power was not enough to keep it in the air, so it was replaced by other 120 hp engines. They are coupled together to drive a pair of central coaxial rotors. They are equipped with two-blade wooden propellers, which rotate in opposite directions and have a diameter of 6 meters. All of these are installed on a shaft, and the most important thing is that there is a basket in which the staff can perform observation work.

The PKZ-2 helicopter landing gear is located at the end of three rubber-padd arms, with a large one in the middle. At the end of these weapons, the helicopter was tied up by cables. In this way, the flying height from the ground can be controlled.

Finally, on June 10, the PKZ-2 helicopter was shown to the flight attendants. The Rhone engine was not reliable enough, and the designers expressed doubts about the success of the demonstration. When the engine fails, these concerns are justified. The pilot panicked and the result was that the prototype crashed and the rotor ruptured, damaging the aircraft. After the war, the Italians confiscated the plane and brought it to Italy.

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