Mil Mi-12

Milos Sijacki · 07-19-2008, 07:05 AM

Don't know if U guys know about this one, but I will post what I have found about it on WIKI...

The Soviet made Mil Mi-12 (Also known as the V-12, NATO reporting name "Homer") is the largest helicopter ever built.

The Mi-12 features the only two-rotor transverse scheme ever built by Mil eliminating the need for a tail rotor. The twin engines were taken together with the rotors from the Mil Mi-6 and duplicated on the Mi-12.

Development came about as a need for a heavy lift helicopter capable of carrying major missile components.[1] Production began on the Mi-12 prototype in 1965 with the goal of lifting no less than 30,000 kg, and it flew first on July 10, 1968. In February 1969, the prototype lifted a 31,030 kg payload to 2,951m (9,682 feet). On August 6, 1969, the Mi-12 lifted 44,205 kg (88,636 lb) to a height of 2,255m (7,398 feet), a world record.

Another Mi-12 with the registration number CCCP-21142 / H-833 was built and shown around Europe including at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget in 1971. Despite this, the helicopter did not meet its design specifications and the program was canceled with only two aircraft built.

Some sources mention a third MI-12 prototype, which crashed during testing, but this has never been confirmed by official sources. One confirmed accident is a hard landing during first flight, which bent the front wheel; the aircraft was repaired and continued to fly afterwards.

One of the remaining Mi-12 is on display at the Monino Air Force Museum in Russia (50 km east of Moscow). The other is reportedly at the Michail Leontjewitsch Mil helicopter plant in Lyubertsy-Panki near Moscow. (as of Aug. 2006) This has been confirmed by image updates in Google earth that clearly show the unique airframe of a Mi-12 at the helicopter plant in Lyubertsy-Panki.

DerAdlerIstGelandet · 07-19-2008, 08:00 AM

It was too large. The only thing it was good for in my opinion was to break world records.

Milos Sijacki · 07-19-2008, 05:17 PM

And that it did--It is the largest and the biggest helicopter in the world.

AVRoe · 07-20-2008, 05:01 AM

Except for the V-12 prototypes that preceded it, the Mil Mi-26 'Halo' is the heaviest helicopter to have flown to date. Designed to provide Aeroflot with a heavylift helicopter to assist in the exploitation of undeveloped regions, this aircraft began life in the early 1970s, as soon as it became clear that the V-12 was not going to fulfil this role. It required the costly and time-consuming design and development of a completely new rotor and transmission system, which was precisely why the Mil bureau had arrived at the configuration of the V-12. As a result the design, development and testing of a suitable dynamic system, plus the need to meet an official requirement that the aircraft's empty weight should be only half that of its maximum take-off weight, meant that it was not until 14 December 1977 that the V-26 prototype achieved its first hovering flight. Of similar overall configuration to the Mil Mi-6 heavylift helicopter, and with a fuselage of similar dimensions, the Mi-26 has a smaller-diameter (but eight-bladed) main rotor and powerplant of almost double the output, enabling it to carry 66% more payload than the Mi-6. This was demonstrated effectively on 3 February 1982 when, as just one of a string of new records established by the Mi-26, this new helicopter lifted a total mass (helicopter plus pay-load) of 56768.8kg to a height of 2000m.