Sud SO-1221 Djinn
The Sud Aviation Djinn was one of the first successful French helicopters and used an unusual tip-jet rotor system. Compressed air from a turbine was ducted through the rotor blades and expelled at their tips, eliminating the torque that normally requires a tail rotor. This gave the Djinn a very simple tail boom, but the system was noisy and inefficient. It was nevertheless used for training, agriculture, and observation, and remains a fascinating early experiment in helicopter propulsion.
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Did you know?
The Djinn served as the French Army's standard helicopter trainer for over a decade, prized for its simple, forgiving handling.
Specifications
| Length | 5.3 m (17 ft) |
|---|---|
| Height | 2.8 m (9 ft) |
| Rotor diameter | 11 m (36 ft) |
| Maximum passengers | 2 |
| Persons on board | 2 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 0.8 t |
| Range | 160 NM (296 km) |
| Maximum speed | 85 kt (157 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 10,000 ft (3,048 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 10,000 ft (3,048 m) |
| Rate of climb | 1,280 ft/min (6.5 m/s) |
| Engines | 1x Turbomeca Palouste |
| Units built | 178 |
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 Sud SO-1221 Djinn 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 Sud, the SO-1221 Djinn family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
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