William J. Davies, Major General,
USA (ret.) “is a historian and Master Army Aviator who is qualified to fly both rotary-wing and fixed-wing
aircraft. He served in both the Active Army and the California Army National Guard for over 44 years. General William J. Davies
remains an aviation enthusiast, historian and whenever the occasion arises, he flies with his son Michael, a First Lieutenant
Apache pilot and West Point graduate. William J. Davies is the co-author of The Piasecki H-21
Helicopter: An Illustrated History of the H-21 Helicopter and Its Designer, Frank N. Piasecki.
According to the book description of
The Piasecki H-21 Helicopter: An Illustrated History of the H-21 Helicopter and Its Designer, Frank N. Piaseck,
“The only comprehensive illustrated history of Frank N. Piasecki and his H-21 advanced technology helicopter. The Piasecki
H-21 became the first successful tandem-rotor cargo helicopter to enter mass production. Its innovative and unique design
became the basis for the development of both the CH-46 and CH-47 helicopters, which remain in service to this day. The book
covers the early life of Frank N. Piasecki and the development of his first helicopter, the single-rotor PV-2. Soon the XHRP-1
(Experimental, Helicopter, Transport, Piasecki, Model One) would appear and it was this helicopter which successfully demonstrated
the feasibility of the tandem-rotor helicopter design.
Successive improvements soon led to
the HRP-1 and the more advanced HRP-2 which were flown by the US Marine Corps and US Coast Guard. The US Air Force expressed
a need for a rescue helicopter that could operate in the extreme cold environment of the Arctic and issued a request for proposal.
Frank Piasecki responded to this request with his H-21 tandem-rotor helicopter design. The Air Force liked what it saw and
soon the H-21A "Workhorse" was in production for the US Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force. The rapidly
expanding US Army Aviation Program saw the H-21 as a solution to meet its requirement for a helicopter capable of carrying
an infantry squad. Soon the H-21C, now named "Shawnee" following the Army tradition of naming its helicopters after
American Indian Tribes. The H-21 was soon in service with France, Germany, Sweden, Japan, and Burma. The H-21, now know as
the Vertol 44, entered civil airline service with New York Airways. Five US Army helicopter companies, flying H-21 helicopters
were deployed to Vietnam during 1961-62. These pioneering US Army helicopter companies proved that helicopters were capable
of operating successfully combat. This success soon led to the rapid expansion and use of helicopters in Vietnam. The Frank
N. Piasecki and his H-21, both long overlooked, are nevertheless true pioneers in the history of rotary-wing flight.”
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