Why did Baumgärtl's PB-64 use pulsejets?

Short answer

It carried two lightweight ITA pulsejets, each producing 0.13 kN (30 lbf) of thrust, mounted on the rotor itself rather than at the blade tips, which was the more usual solution. They sat at the ends of a bar set at right angles to the main rotor, which also acted as a stabilizer bar.

Published: November 4, 2026 · Updated: November 4, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Image pending

A single-seater for the Brazilian Air Ministry

The Baumgärtl PB-64 was a single-seat helicopter from the 1950s, designed and built by the Austrian Paul Baumgärtl for Brazil's Air Ministry. Its main structure was a simple keel, with tricycle landing gear, an open seat for the pilot and a rudder mounted on a simple tailboom. The main rotor had a diameter of 6.40 m (21 ft 0 in). The empty weight was 110 kg (243 lb) and the maximum speed was 130 km/h (81 mph, 70 kn).

Pulsejets on the rotor, not at the tips

The PB-64 had an unusual rotor drive, with two lightweight pulsejets mounted on the rotor, though not at the blade tips, which was the more common arrangement. The engines were fitted at each end of a bar set at right angles to the main rotor, a bar that also acted as a stabilizer. These were two ITA pulsejets producing 0.13 kN (30 lbf) of thrust each, equivalent to 13.60 kg of thrust per unit.