Sling Load asked:
I probably should have asked the question another way, in the way the engines on the S64 and CH-54 are mounted, the height above the cabin appears different, the port engine appears lower than the starboard, that was what i meant to ask, thanks.
Nick sez:
Sling Load, you have sharp eyes. What you see is not a difference between the CH-54 and the S-64, but that they both have the transmissions tilted 3 degrees to the left, which makes the port engine a bit lower (closer to the deck) than the starboard when the aircraft is level on the ground. If the engines are 60 inches apart (a guess on my part) then the left engine would be 3 inches lower. The shaft is also straight up , with no forward tilt, unlike virtually every other helicopter.
For these Flying Cranes, Mr. Sikorsky aligned the mast so that the mast sees no lateral or longitudinal bending in a hover, and the crew is nice and level when placing loads precisely where they are wanted. This means that in cruise, the cabin is tilted to the right and very nose down. The pilots literally hang in their straps!