The empty weight of the CH-37 was 20,800 pounds and the maximum takeoff weight was 31,000 pounds. This gave a useful load of just over 10,000 pounds. The useful load does not factor in fuel so that number is actually reduced further by how far/long the helicopter needs to fly…

Designed to fulfill a 1950 Marine Corps requirement for a series of large transport helicopters, for a decade the CH-37 Mojave held the distinction of being the largest helicopter flying outside the Soviet Union.

The CH-37 prototype first flew in 1953 and entered service in 1956 with the US Army and US Marine Corps.

‘Helicopters in the mid 1950s and prior were powered by piston engines because jet engines were still fairly new and really only applied to new fighter aircraft,’ says Tyler Monson, an aviation expert on Quora. ‘These piston engines were originally designed for WWII bombers and fighters and were large and heavy to provide as much power as possible. While other helicopters of the 1950s were powered by a single piston engine placed in the nose, the CH-37 was designed with twin piston engines mounted in pods beside the fuselage.

‘The transport and heavy lift mission of the CH-37 meant that lots of intern

al space was needed within the helicopter for personnel and any cargo that would not be slung beneath on a cable. The cockpit was raised at the front of the aircraft and the nose below it opened into the large cabin via clamshell doors and a loading ramp.

‘The empty weight of the helicopter was 20,800 pounds and the maximum takeoff weight was 31,000 pounds. This gave a useful load of just over 10,000 pounds. The useful load does not factor in fuel so that number is actually reduced further by how far/long the helicopter needs to fly. Now you can see why the CH-37 proved underwhelming.