Platt-LePage XR-1

XR-1
XR-1
General information
TypeExperimental helicopter
ManufacturerPlatt-LePage Aircraft Company
Primary userUnited States Army Air Forces
Number built2
History
First flightMay 12, 1941
RetiredJune 21, 1946

The Platt-LePage XR-1, also known by the company designation PL-3, is an early American transverse rotors helicopter, built by the Platt-LePage Aircraft Company of Eddystone, Pennsylvania. The winner of a United States Army Air Corps design competition held in early 1940, the XR-1 was the first helicopter tested by the USAAF, flying in 1941. The flight testing of the XR-1 proved troublesome, and although continued testing showed that the design had promise, other, improved helicopters were becoming available before the XR-1 was ready for service. As a result, the development of the aircraft was terminated in 1945.