- Mil V-12
This is by all means the largest helicopter ever built. It featured four turbine engines powering its two massive rotors, the plane’s most outstanding feature.
This helicopter was powerful. It could lift well over 40,000 kilos of consignment and perform well beyond its design specifications. It was originally intended to transport ballistic missiles, but since this was no longer a priority, the Soviet Air Force did not pursue its production.
- Hughes XH-17
Another heavy lifting helicopter. However, this was for the US military, conceived in the early 50s.
It featured a long powerful rotor measuring 39.6 meters with which it could lift over 4,500 kilograms.
As the first helicopter project for the helicopter division of Hughes Aircraft, the Hughes XH-17 parts during its construction were scavenged from other aircraft. The giant helicopter was tested in Culver City, California over a three-year period beginning in 1952.
- LZ 129 Hindenburg
The LZ 129 stood 245 meters tall and measured 40 meters high. It was generally designed for transatlantic flights as a passenger airship. Probably the most memorable thing about the Hindenburg is its disaster. The infamous airship caught fire as it was mooring, and killed 36 persons in the process.
- Hughes H-4 Hercules
You will likely meet the term Spruce Goose from time to time. That’s the name commonly used to refer to the H-4 Hercules. It was built as a transatlantic transport craft during the WWII.
The airplane was not completed before the war was over. Even though it only flew once, the Spruce Goose remains legendary as the largest flying boat ever to see the light of day. It holds the record for having the longest wingspan in the history of planes, at 97.5 meters.