Patent ID: 8915466

Claim:
An aircraft comprising: an airframe extending from a front end to a rear end along an anteroposterior longitudinal plane of symmetry in elevation transversely separating a first side of the aircraft from a second side of the aircraft; a hoist secured to the airframe for lifting a load, the hoist including: a winch provided with a drum for winding a hoist cable; a fixed beam for guiding the cable, the fixed beam being stationary with respect to the airframe and extending from a first end constituting an inlet end for the cable and fixed on the first side of the airframe to a second end constituting an outlet end for the cable and fixed on the second side of the airframe; and a fairing fastened directly to the beam along the first end of the beam, wherein the winch is positioned within the fairing, wherein the fairing and winch act as a counterweight along the first end of the beam and fixed on the first side of the airframe, such that the counterweight counteracts the load being lifted by the hoist cable adjacent the second end of the beam fixed on the second side of the airframe, wherein the aircraft has a rotary wing set into rotation via a main gearbox, the main gearbox being housed in a gearbox compartment arranged in an upper plane above a cabin of the aircraft, the winch being arranged in the gearbox compartment.