Aer Lualdi L.55

L.55
L.55
General information
Type	Light helicopter
National origin	Italy
Manufacturer	Aer Lualdi
Designer	Carlo Lualdi
Number built	1

The Aer Lualdi L.55 was a prototype Italian helicopter, a development of the Lualdi-Tassotti ES 53 featuring a far more powerful 134 kW (180 hp) Lycoming O-360. While the ES 53 had been purely experimental, the L.55 was Lualdi's first step towards a marketable aircraft.

Specifications (L.55)

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Capacity: 3 pax
Length: 11 m (36 ft 1 in)
Height: 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)
Empty weight: 600 kg (1,323 lb)
Gross weight: 1,000 kg (2,205 lb)
Fuel capacity: 140 L (37.0 US gal; 30.8 imp gal) with provision for a 27 L (7.1 US gal; 5.9 imp gal) auxiliary
Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-360 4-cylinder air-cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine, 130 kW (180 hp) with cooling fan
Main rotor diameter: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Main rotor area: 355.4 m² (3,825 sq ft)
Blade section: - root: NACA 0015; tip: NACA 0012^[2]

Performance

Maximum speed: 155 km/h (96 mph, 84 kn)
Cruise speed: 129 km/h (80 mph, 70 kn) at 75% power
Range: 350 km (220 mi, 190 nmi)
Endurance: 3 hours
Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,000 ft) absolute
Hover ceiling IGE: 2,800 m (9,186 ft)
Rate of climb: 5 m/s (980 ft/min) at sea level
Disk loading: 9.75 kg/m² (2.00 lb/sq ft)

References

^ Bridgman, Leonard, ed. (1958). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59. London: Jane's All the World's Aircraft Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 193.
^ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.

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[JAWA58-59-1] Bridgman, Leonard, ed. (1958). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59. London: Jane's All the World's Aircraft Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 193.

[Selig-2] Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.

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