Fairey Aviation Co: Rotodyne
Note: This is a sub-section of Fairey Aviation Co.
Rotodyne
A compound autogyro intended for commercial and military applications in the 1950s and early 1960s.
For vertical take-off and landing, the rotor blades were driven round by jets on the tips. With this arrangement there was no torque reaction, so there was no need for a tail rotor or contra-rotating blades. The jets were fed with air form the compressors by pipes passing through the blades, to mix with fuel (kerosene) and ignited. In normal flight the rotors were unpowered, and 'windmilled'.
First flew in November 1957, and subsequently widely demonstrated.
1959 Established world speed record for 'convertiplanes', at 307 km/hr (190.0 mph).
1962 Project abandoned. One of the main objections was the excessive noise.
Only one Rotodyne was built, and it was scrapped following cancellation of the programme. Fortunately some components were saved, and these are on display at the Helicopter Museum in Somerset. The surviving items are: the rotorhead pylon; parts of blades; section of cabin; one of the Napier Eland engines; two windtunnel models; a ground test rig blade.
One built.