Boeing Rotorcraft Mesa - 75 Years of Heritage Companies and Rotorcraft

The helicopter development by Boeing Rotorcraft Mesa heritage companies covers a span of seventy five years. The two starting companies were Hughes Tool Company - Aircraft Division in Culver City, California and McDonnell Aircraft Corporation in St. Louis, Missouri. Both of these fixed wing airframe manufacturers inherited other rotorcraft companies and in turn the rotary wing business. Hughes Tool Company took over the XH-17 Flying Crane form Kellett Aircraft Corporation when they ran into technical and financial issues in building a test rig in 1948. The McDonnell Aircraft Company got into the rotorcraft business when it took over the XHJD-1 Whirlaway research helicopter form Platt-LePage Aircraft Corporation in 1947. Hughes Tool Company -Aircraft Division started early fixed wing aircraft in mid 1930's with the development and test of the Hughes H-1 Racer, XF-11 Photo Reconnaissance Airplane HK -1 / H4 Hercules Flying Boat. Rotorcraft development also included the XH-17 Heavy Lift, XH-28 Heavy Lift, XV-9A Hot Cycle, Hughes 269/300 Light Helicopter, TH-55 Army Trainer, OH-6A Cayuse Army Light Observation Helicopter, MD-500 series Light Helicopter, AH-64 Army Apache Advanced Attack Helicopter, MD 520N / 600N Light Helicopters, MD-900 Explore Light Twin Utility Helicopter, X-50A Dragonfly, AH- 64D Apache Longbow. McDonnell Aircraft Company started with fixed aircraft in the late 1940's with the development and test of the XP-67 Fighter Plane, FH-1 Phantom 1 Fighter followed by a long list of successful fighter aircraft for the U.S. Navy and Air Force and many foreign governments. Rotorcraft development included the XHJD-1 Whirlaway, XH-20 Little Henry RamJet, Model 79 Big Henry RamJet, XH-1 Convertiplane, and Model 120 Flying Crane. This paper will review the Boeing Rotorcraft Mesa heritage company history and the aircraft the companies developed.