COMMENTS PLEASE

If you have tales of the H-21 (Any Branch - Any Time Period) post a comment.  The more we hear from YOU the more accurate our work will be.

Thanks & Take Care!

H-21 - Markings

My Latest And Most Expensive Manual

Correct markings are very important to the finished project

Although we have very good photos of the markings on 892, we needed the markings manual

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This

Detailed instructions are being compared to the markings on 892 to see if they match

This Gives Us A Point By Point Reference

So far all of the 892 markings match

Look At Number 9

This was the only marking that was too broken up to identify

Using the manual we finally saw what it said

We never would have guessed it

892 Parts Organization

Most Important Parts Control Manual - The Dash 4

The Dash 4 breaks down the entire aircraft to the nut & bolt level

It is best to use this as all of the part breakdown work is done

Also, by using this information you will be acting, using the same terminology, the way people did when the aircraft was in service

This Index Provides Clarity To A Large Aircraft

There are two far more detailed indexes but this one page summary covers the entire aircraft

Finally, The Figure (In This Case No. 5) And All Included Parts

With this you get to see where the part is on the helicopter, what the part looks like and all the components that make up a usable part

Fig. 5 is the Rainshield (This is missing, if you have one a donation of the part would be appreciated)

I used this example as all the information for this part is on one page

Most parts have one or two pages for the diagram and four to six pages for the parts listing 

All of the parts control can be done on paper, however, an MS Access or Open Office database is more project friendly

892 In Viet Nam?

My Good Friend Randy Removing The Hardware In Order To Separate The Two Fuselage Halves

Over 300 U.S. ARMY CH-21C helicopters were deployed in Viet Nam between December 1961 and August 1964.

At least 19 Americans died (all U.S. ARMY personnel) on missions or in combat with the CH-21C while in Viet Nam.

Circumstantial evidence points to 892's possible service in Viet Nam between December 1961 and April 1962.

892 Did Not Want To Come Apart

892's forward fuselage has 20 skin repair patches.  Four of these (round - small) match up from bottom to top (entry - exit?) as if something ballistic passed through the helicopter

If anyone has documented information on 892 being in Viet Nam, please contact us.

892 Jan. 19th, 1978

CH-21C, S/N 51-15892 Photo By Terry Murphy (All Rights Reserved)

Here is the first photo of 892 that I found on the net.

Great shot from Mount Pleasant, FL.

Mr. Murphy, please contact me at scc158@gmail.com.

H-21 - A Large Aircraft

From the Familiarization Manual

The H-21, at over 86 feet long (with rotor blades) is a large aircraft

Again from the Familiarization Manual

Here at the restoration site we do not have the rotor blades

The rotor blades (Metal, not Wood, and in good condition) are in storage at the Quonset Air Museum

The aircraft (as shown in the "892 Restoration Site" post) is in two halves and upon completion of the Nose Alighting Gear restoration (65% Done) will be reassembled here.

H-21 - Access Doors & Panels

Another Descriptive Page from the Manual Collection

This diagram shows the many Panels and Access Doors

Project 892 has most of these

H-21 - Engine - Wright Cyclone

Wright Cyclone R-1820-103

That's right, this large helicopter is powered by a single row piston engine

The engine is a Wright Cyclone Model No. R-1820-103

As of yet we do not have an engine or the installation package

There are some -103 engines with the installation package in Fairbanks, Alaska

892 Project Outline

Here is the Project 892 Outline.

This is a live document and Constructive Suggestions are appreciated.

Some items have been worked on with good results.

With much more to be done, where would you like to help with the project?

H-21 - Major Components

From One of the Many Manuals I Have Acquired 

This project is unfunded by the Quonset Air Museum.  I agreed to that when I took on the project.

All they had were most of the remains of 51-15892.

There were no documents or manuals.  My first diagram of the H-21 was an instruction sheet from a model kit.

This Diagram and Others from the same Model Kit

I now have quite a collection of manuals which I will list in a later post.  Some of these I have scanned to CD-ROM and are available for a small donation to the project.

892 Restoration Site

Restoration Site - My Backyard, Meriden, CT

Here is the area I have for the work to be done on the aircraft.

Far from primitive but still outdoors and weather dependent.

I do have an area in the garage that is set up for bench work.  The space is not heated or air-conditioned but it is dry.

There is a tremendous amount of work that must be done and can be done offsite - online.  Contact me at qam892@gmail.com to discuss offsite options.

Please note that hands on work on the aircraft requires membership in the Quonset Air Museum for liability and insurance reasons.

WELCOME - To Project 892

This is a U.S. ARMY CH-21C Shawnee Helicopter

HELLO!

This is S/N 51-15892, the CH-21C Being Restored

Project 892 is the restoration, and more, of the Quonset Air Museum's CH-21C.

The location of the aircraft is Meriden, CT, in my back yard.

To contact me outside the Blog please use the E-Mail address: qam892@gmail.com