The Bensen B-12, variously dubbed the Sky-Way or Sky-Mat was an unconventional multirotor developed by Igor Bensen in the United States in the late 1950s. Extremely unorthodox, the design sprang from Bensen's thinking about the engine redundancy necessary to ensure the safe operation of small, personal rotorcraft operating at low altitudes and slow speeds. The result was a broad aluminum framework supporting an array of ten engines and rotors that Bensen likened to a "magic carpet".[1] The design was later refined to include eight rotors, each driven by two engines for a total of sixteen.
Successfully flown in 1961 at altitudes up to 20 ft (6 m), Bensen felt that the approach had potential for military heavy-lift or agricultural applications, but nothing further came of it.
Specificationsedit
General characteristics
Crew: 1 pilot
Powerplant: 10 × McCulloch Mc75 go-kart engines , 9 hp (7 kW) each
bensen, variously, dubbed, unconventional, multirotor, developed, igor, bensen, united, states, late, 1950s, extremely, unorthodox, design, sprang, from, bensen, thinking, about, engine, redundancy, necessary, ensure, safe, operation, small, personal, rotorcra. The Bensen B 12 variously dubbed the Sky Way or Sky Mat was an unconventional multirotor developed by Igor Bensen in the United States in the late 1950s Extremely unorthodox the design sprang from Bensen s thinking about the engine redundancy necessary to ensure the safe operation of small personal rotorcraft operating at low altitudes and slow speeds The result was a broad aluminum framework supporting an array of ten engines and rotors that Bensen likened to a magic carpet 1 The design was later refined to include eight rotors each driven by two engines for a total of sixteen B 12Role Experimental VTOL aircraftNational origin USAManufacturer Bensen AircraftDesigner Igor BensenFirst flight 2 November 1961Number built 1Successfully flown in 1961 at altitudes up to 20 ft 6 m Bensen felt that the approach had potential for military heavy lift or agricultural applications but nothing further came of it Specifications editGeneral characteristics Crew 1 pilot Powerplant 10 McCulloch Mc75 go kart engines 9 hp 7 kW each Main rotor diameter 10 7 ft 0 in 2 10 m Performance Service ceiling 20 ft 6 0 m References edit Bensen 1992 110 Simpson R W 1998 Airlife s Helicopters and Rotorcraft Ramsbury Airlife Publishing p 210 Bensen Igor 1992 A Dream of Flight Aviation Book Co pp 109 10 aerofiles com Bensen Aircraft Foundation nbsp This article on an aircraft of the 1960s is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bensen B 12 amp oldid 1168093004, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
