Silvercraft SH-4
The Silvercraft SH-4 was a British light helicopter developed in the 1950s as a simple personal and utility rotorcraft. It used a piston engine and a compact two-seat cabin, aimed at a market that expected helicopters to become common private transport. The programme never reached large-scale production, leaving only a tiny number of aircraft. Its scarcity reflects the gap between the era’s optimism about personal helicopters and the realities of cost and maintenance.
Did you know?
Built in Milan with SIAI-Marchetti's help, the SH-4 was the first Italian-designed helicopter certified in both Italy and the United States.
Specifications
| Length | 7 m (23 ft) |
|---|---|
| Height | 2.6 m (9 ft) |
| Rotor diameter | 8.5 m (28 ft) |
| Maximum passengers | 2 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 0.9 t |
| Range | 150 NM (278 km) |
| Maximum speed | 85 kt (157 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 10,000 ft (3,048 m) |
| Rate of climb | 1,200 ft/min (6.1 m/s) |
| Fuel capacity | 130 l |
| Engines | 1x Lycoming O-360 |
| Units built | 21 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Silvercraft SH-4 starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Silvercraft, the SH-4 family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.
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