I was a member of the UH2C-D program for LAMPS in the 70's. We had the only 2 Kamans in the world configured for the Test program. Wound up in Vietnam for weapons detection. Later in the U.S., while testing for LAMPS, we discovered a Russian sub; unknown to be there at the time. Following LAMPS I was with COM7THFLT on an UH-2C attached to the Admiral on USS Oklahoma City and we were involved in an 21 person rescue off the Scarborough Shoals; we picked up the first 11 persons out of the water. The two most satisfying points in my life before or since. We got 2 Presidential Citations for these accomplishments and all due to a Kaman helicopter model that still serves around the world today!
Amazing how the simplicity of this design makes it highly desirable. There should be thousands of these little work horses. Have you analyzed 2 man and and 4 man configurations? Glad to see them back into production!
This was great to see!! Really love the overall design of the K-Max. Nothing more beautiful than a purpose-built machine. Always amazes me how quiet they are, too! The only thing that puzzles me a bit is the tail boom. The Huskie seemed to do well without it, and there's no tail rotor, so why stick a conventional tail boom on it that sticks out beyond the rotor discs? I'm no engineer, so I'm asking honestly, not being a smart-ass. Again, beautiful machine and I'm happy to see/hear they're back in production!
Great question! The K-MAX’s longer tail boom with a single vertical fin and rudder reduces weight, drag and mechanical complexity compared to the HH-43B Huskie’s four-fin design (with two cross-linked rudders), while still providing good handling characteristics in forward flight. In general, stabilizing surfaces become more effective the further they are from the center of gravity of the helicopter - thus, a longer tail boom can be used to either increase stability (or controllability) obtained with a particular fin, or alternatively, to allow the designer to use a smaller, lighter fin configuration, while still achieving the same handling qualities.
@@KamanCorporation - That's really interesting! Thanks so much for the reply! I hadn't thought about the effectiveness of the control surfaces changing the further away from the center of gravity they get. Objectively, the K-Max has always seemed to look much more stable in flight, particularly in hover, than conventional helicopters, which always seem to be dancing on the head of a pin. Great innovation and engineering! And I really enjoyed the "Saga of Kaman Helicopters" posts on TH-cam. What a great story! I have to say, having grown up loving the look of the AH1 cobra, the K-Max looks like it's begging to be a gunship! I know that's not what she was designed for, but with that profile and lift capacity, she could definitely be the cobra's meaner big brother! Thanks again for the reply!
Some people think this is an ugly helicopter. The nose could be less pointy, and the transition to the windscreen a little smoother, but other than that, I think it looks pretty damn cool. I love the dragonfly effect of the canted rotors when you see it from the front or rear while flying.
Vous avez un bel avenir pour votre K-Max si vous le convertissez en un objet de secours ou bien une ambulance volante qui soit plus spacieuse avec l'entré et la sortie des bran-karts par l’arrière !
Is the shape of the craft due to the vortex's generated by the rotor's? Dedign a cylinder type craft with a V shape bottom place twin rotors at each end and in the middle and make it all electric. All you would need would be to have a superconducting electrical power generator. Then the craft could stay air born for days week's even month's if need be and the craft could move large heavy loads has well. Crazy idea would be to design a carrier were this craft was placed on both side's and then the rotor's ducted. The platform being constr out of super light weight yet strong materials so it could then be used to egress large amounts of people and or cargo. Be neat to be on a beach and see a boat out to see and then see its decks lift off and take to the air. 😯😵😲
I have read everything I could find about the Flettner type intermeshing rotor machines one issue I could find was apparently some difficulty with azimuth (directional) control under certain circumstances (changes in power settings, autoration, tailwinds, etc.), with control reversal even being described in early machines (HOK 1's and Huskies). I've often wondered if leaving collective and cyclic control with the main rotors but fitting a small, fenestron type tailrotor for azimuth control would not be better (and simpler) than the current system?
All non-tail rotor configurations (co-axial, intermeshing, and NOTAR) have some directional stability limits in low power conditions, mostly in autorotation. Our design compensates with the vertical fin and rudder, use of differential cyclic, and avoiding the control reversals within the control mechanism at low collective control positions (
Thank you for your comprehensive answer. As you may know, Kamov flew an experimental version of the small Ka-26 co-axial machine with a NOTAR type tailboom, in the nineties, but they apparently also came to the conclusion that "tail control" did not offer significant advantages over their standard control system (differential collective), and they stayed with that system for the later Ka-226, the big Ka-32 and even the Hokum attack machine. One last question, if you don't mind: does the Kmax use differential collective or differential cyclic for azimuth control?
Hi Downfall - no kitting here! We manufacture the fuselages at our facility in Jacksonville, FL. This video shows the process that occurs after the fuselage arrives at our Air Vehicles & MRO location in Bloomfield, CT.
Beauty is most certainly in the eye of the beholder... but we like to think that there's something special about those intermeshing rotors and narrow fuselage!
I was a member of the UH2C-D program for LAMPS in the 70's. We had the only 2 Kamans in the world configured for the Test program. Wound up in Vietnam for weapons detection. Later in the U.S., while testing for LAMPS, we discovered a Russian sub; unknown to be there at the time. Following LAMPS I was with COM7THFLT on an UH-2C attached to the Admiral on USS Oklahoma City and we were involved in an 21 person rescue off the Scarborough Shoals; we picked up the first 11 persons out of the water. The two most satisfying points in my life before or since. We got 2 Presidential Citations for these accomplishments and all due to a Kaman helicopter model that still serves around the world today!
We need to hurry guys! A man a fallen into the river in Lego City!
Me when a man falls into the river in Lego City
Very nice, thanks.
Amazing how the simplicity of this design makes it highly desirable. There should be thousands of these little work horses. Have you analyzed 2 man and and 4 man configurations? Glad to see them back into production!
Been there, done that. And, all done doing it.
What a fantastic machine! I would love to work at Kaman on these!
Hi aeroson22! To browse all open positions and apply for a role, please visit www.kaman.com/careers.
Surprised how soon it was on its own wheels. It looks like with a trestle and crane you could do almost any repair in the field!
This was great to see!! Really love the overall design of the K-Max. Nothing more beautiful than a purpose-built machine. Always amazes me how quiet they are, too! The only thing that puzzles me a bit is the tail boom. The Huskie seemed to do well without it, and there's no tail rotor, so why stick a conventional tail boom on it that sticks out beyond the rotor discs? I'm no engineer, so I'm asking honestly, not being a smart-ass.
Again, beautiful machine and I'm happy to see/hear they're back in production!
Great question! The K-MAX’s longer tail boom with a single vertical fin and rudder reduces weight, drag and mechanical complexity compared to the HH-43B Huskie’s four-fin design (with two cross-linked rudders), while still providing good handling characteristics in forward flight. In general, stabilizing surfaces become more effective the further they are from the center of gravity of the helicopter - thus, a longer tail boom can be used to either increase stability (or controllability) obtained with a particular fin, or alternatively, to allow the designer to use a smaller, lighter fin configuration, while still achieving the same handling qualities.
@@KamanCorporation - That's really interesting! Thanks so much for the reply! I hadn't thought about the effectiveness of the control surfaces changing the further away from the center of gravity they get.
Objectively, the K-Max has always seemed to look much more stable in flight, particularly in hover, than conventional helicopters, which always seem to be dancing on the head of a pin. Great innovation and engineering! And I really enjoyed the "Saga of Kaman Helicopters" posts on TH-cam. What a great story!
I have to say, having grown up loving the look of the AH1 cobra, the K-Max looks like it's begging to be a gunship! I know that's not what she was designed for, but with that profile and lift capacity, she could definitely be the cobra's meaner big brother!
Thanks again for the reply!
That's fucking quality! Great to see how it goes together. Thanks
The Japanese term Wabi-Sabi comes to mind.
I can’t believe pilots fly these. Just so much that can go wrong.
Is this the facility in CT or do they have one down south?
Really a awesome machine. I believe the first start and take of must be very exciting
perfect
this is rad
I'd love to work at Kaman, unfortunately it seems they don't have a lot of technician openings. Maybe turnover is very low.
Yes. Turnover is very low. Very family oriented company. You do know they also make Ovation guitars right ?
В добрый путь. И идея вертолета хорошая.
I thought it was ugly at first glance, but after watching a number of videos I am starting to like it
How about adding a man-hour counter to the video? Would not have to be real accurate, so that competitors would would still have to wonder.
Some people think this is an ugly helicopter. The nose could be less pointy, and the transition to the windscreen a little smoother, but other than that, I think it looks pretty damn cool. I love the dragonfly effect of the canted rotors when you see it from the front or rear while flying.
Brain Mind who cares, it’s built to do a job and it does it perfectly!
Vous avez un bel avenir pour votre K-Max si vous le convertissez en un objet de secours ou bien une ambulance volante qui soit plus spacieuse avec l'entré et la sortie des bran-karts par l’arrière !
Would have been cool if the paint job mimicked a dragonfly...!? 🤔☺️
Possibly, we'd love to see it too!
Самый удивительный и простой из вертушек .
Hey
Is the shape of the craft due to the vortex's generated by the rotor's? Dedign a cylinder type craft with a V shape bottom place twin rotors at each end and in the middle and make it all electric. All you would need would be to have a superconducting electrical power generator. Then the craft could stay air born for days week's even month's if need be and the craft could move large heavy loads has well. Crazy idea would be to design a carrier were this craft was placed on both side's and then the rotor's ducted. The platform being constr out of super light weight yet strong materials so it could then be used to egress large amounts of people and or cargo. Be neat to be on a beach and see a boat out to see and then see its decks lift off and take to the air. 😯😵😲
🌹🌹🌹
I assume this is one of the new built series, starting in 2017?
That's correct! This was one of the first aircraft from the newly reopened production line.
Thank you for your quick response. Are these series 2 machines essentially identical to the series 1 machines or are there any major differences?
I have read everything I could find about the Flettner type intermeshing rotor machines one issue I could find was apparently some difficulty with azimuth (directional) control under certain circumstances (changes in power settings, autoration, tailwinds, etc.), with control reversal even being described in early machines (HOK 1's and Huskies). I've often wondered if leaving collective and cyclic control with the main rotors but fitting a small, fenestron type tailrotor for azimuth control would not be better (and simpler) than the current system?
All non-tail rotor configurations (co-axial, intermeshing, and NOTAR) have some directional stability limits in low power conditions, mostly in autorotation. Our design compensates with the vertical fin and rudder, use of differential cyclic, and avoiding the control reversals within the control mechanism at low collective control positions (
Thank you for your comprehensive answer. As you may know, Kamov flew an experimental version of the small Ka-26 co-axial machine with a NOTAR type tailboom, in the nineties, but they apparently also came to the conclusion that "tail control" did not offer significant advantages over their standard control system (differential collective), and they stayed with that system for the later Ka-226, the big Ka-32 and even the Hokum attack machine. One last question, if you don't mind: does the Kmax use differential collective or differential cyclic for azimuth control?
Goofy looking but it’s obviously a great design.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder :D
H E Y
Admit it guys, we're all here because of the Lego City Meme
I didn’t know the K-Max was a kit-built helicopter
Hi Downfall - no kitting here! We manufacture the fuselages at our facility in Jacksonville, FL. This video shows the process that occurs after the fuselage arrives at our Air Vehicles & MRO location in Bloomfield, CT.
A man has fallen in river Get it LEGO city
I have to admit that's the ugliest chopper {flopper} ever built.
Beauty is most certainly in the eye of the beholder... but we like to think that there's something special about those intermeshing rotors and narrow fuselage!
That is one ugly looking helicopter