Piasecki Helicopter
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The Piasecki Helicopter Corporation was founded in 1940 by Frank Piasecki as the P-V Engineering Forum, first becoming known as Piasecki Helicopter in 1946. The PV-2 was the second helicopter flown in the United States (following Igor Sikorsky's VS-300) and was designed and flown by Frank Piasecki in 1943. In 1949, Piasecki provided the CH-21 Shawnee to the USAF.
Piasecki designed and successfully sold to the US Navy a series of tandem rotor helicopters, starting with the HRP-1 of 1944. The HRP-1 was nicknamed the "flying banana" because of the upward angle of the aft fuselage that ensured the large rotors did not hit each other in flight.
Piasecki Helicotor Corporation was acquired by The Boeing Company in 1960 and renamed to Boeing Vertol, it has become the Boeing Helicopter Division (Boeing Helicopters)
After the Boeing acquisition, Frank Piasecki reformed his company as Piasecki Aircraft Corporation (PiAC) to pursue the development of compound helicopters and other rotorcraft. PiAC has been selected as prime contractor for several Army Future Combat Systems UAV systems.
See also:
Sikorsky Piasecki X-49, UAV, Future Combat Systems
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