Cessna CH - 1 The Cessna CH - 1 is the only helicopter ever built by the Cessna Aircraft Company . It was the first helicopter to land on the summit of Pike ' s Peak and the last piston - engined helicopter to set the helicopter altitude record . The CH - 1 had a single , two - bladed main rotor , and a front - mounted reciprocating engine which gave the aircraft a stable center - of - gravity ( CG ) . Its semi - monocoque airframe greatly resembles its light airplane siblings built by Cessna . The CH - 1 was named Skyhook for the civil market , similar to the marketing names used in the Cessna single engine airplane line , such as Skyhawk , Skylane and Skywagon . The United States Army designated the CH - 1C as the YH - 41 Seneca . While the CH - 1 achieved several helicopter " firsts " and set a world record , it never became a commercial or military success . Development . Cessna Aircraft Company acquired the Seibel Helicopter Company of Wichita , Kansas on 14 January 1952 through a stock swap with Seibel investors . All equipment from the Seibel Helicopter Company , including the Seibel S - 4B , was moved to Cessna ' s Pawnee Plant in Wichita and work began on the CH - 1 design during the summer of 1952 . Charles Seibel , who became the new Helicopter Division ' s chief engineer as part of the acquisition , believed that the S - 4B with a Cessna body would make an excellent helicopter . Cessna pilots test flew Seibel ' s S - 4B for several months to familiarize the engineers with helicopters , and then it was scrapped . A quarter - size wind tunnel model of the CH - 1 was created and tests were conducted at Wichita State University . The first full - size machine did not have an enclosed fuselage or cowling , nor a horizontal stabilizer . This test bed skeleton , referred to as CH1 - 1 , first hovered in July 1953 , eventually making test flights as high as 10 , 000 feet ( 3 , 000 m ) . The actual prototype CH - 1 was built based on modifications made to the test bed aircraft and this second ship made its first flight in 1954 , at the Prospect plant . On 9 June 1955 , the CH - 1 received CAA type - certificate 3H10 . Originally certified as a two - place helicopter , stability problems at higher gross weights required additional engineering solutions . A larger , free - floating horizontal stabilizer was introduced . During forward flight , the stabilizer pivoted to a variable mechanical stop , which was linked to the fore and aft cyclic control , thereby altering the stabilizer angle of incidence during flight . Reworking the stabilizer permitted the addition of a second row of seating , and the four - place ship , designated the CH - 1A , was certificated on 28 February 1956 . CH - 1B . In December 1955 , Cessna was awaiting a contract to produce a limited number of CH - 1s for evaluation by the Army . In preparation for the contract , Cessna began modifying the CH - 1A with a Continental FSO - 526 engine and other aerodynamic and structural changes in the possibility of eliciting a production contract . In spring 1956 , the Army awarded Cessna with a US $ 1 . 1 million contract for 10 test aircraft , designated as the YH - 41 Seneca . For marketing purposes , the CH - 1A prototype ( N5156 ) was painted in an olive drab Army scheme . Design . The aircraft incorporated a unique L - section hinges to attach the main rotor blades to the hub in place of more conventional pitch change bearings . The CH - 1 external design was created by Richard Ten Eyck , an industrial designer for Cessna . It was a low profile streamlined aircraft - style body , featuring the engine in front and cabin seating behind the powerplant . The forward engine location provided " ease of access . . . efficient cooling , and frees the center of gravity behind the cockpit for use in disposable load , " but also presented a problem for how to vent the exhaust which would prove to be a problem throughout the aircraft ' s life . Additionally , the tail boom size , resulting from the airplane - style fuselage , created aerodynamic problems in hover and forward flight that would have to be solved by later aerodynamic structural changes . Engine . The prototype CH - 1 was originally equipped with a supercharged Continental FSO - 470 six - cylinder engine , producing 260 hp ( 190 kW ) at 3 , 200 rpm . The engine ' s supercharger and cooling fans were driven by belts . Cessna had a long relationship with Continental who provided engines for the company ' s light airplanes , but the use of the Continental engine in a helicopter was as much of a test for the engine company , as Cessna ' s foray into the helicopter market , itself . This was especially true when considered that most other light helicopter manufacturers were using Franklin and Lycoming engines . Operational history . The CH - 1 established many firsts . The CH - 1A was the first helicopter to land on Pikes Peak , at an altitude of on 15 September 1955 , it had a higher cruise speed than comparable machines , and a CH - 1B , modified with an FSO - 526 - 2X engine , set an official FAI world altitude record for helicopters of 29 , 777 feet on December 28 , 1957 , while being piloted by Army Captain James E . Bowman . The previous record had been set by a turbine powered Aérospatiale Alouette II and was later broken by another Alouette II , but the record set by the CH - 1B remains the highest altitude ever achieved by a piston - powered helicopter . The CH - 1C was the first helicopter to receive IFR certification by the FAA . Production was ended in December 1962 . The company indicated that this was due to the civil aviation market not being ready for this type of aircraft , although CH - 1 owner Rex Trailer claims that it was due to catastrophic transmission failures . Survivors . Approximately 50 machines were built before Cessna ended their venture into helicopters . Most of the aircraft built were bought back and scrapped by Cessna , and the type certificate was revoked , presumably to remove any liability to Cessna for continued operation of any copies they could not retrieve . The Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker , Alabama has a YH - 41A Seneca prototype ( serial number 56 - 4244 ) as a part of its collection , although it is not currently on display .