Fairey Rotodyne

Ther were high hopes in North America as well.
Kaman had a license to sell (and perhaps produce) them in N.A. and had a tentative order from New York Helicopter airways.

“Okanagan” were also in the frame IIRC

ROTODYNE

The forum has a search function … that you may have missed o/a your spelling of Roto(R)dyne

2 identical thread titles “Fairey Rotodyne”

Same questions asked and answered

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=20422&highlight=rotodyne

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=53146&highlight=rotodyne

Ther were high hopes in North America as well.
Kaman had a license to sell (and perhaps produce) them in N.A. and had a tentative order from New York Helicopter airways.

The sad remnants of the Rotodyne lingered for many years at Cranfield post dismemberment of the aircraft -it certainly seemed to have had no friends at the company headquarters in Yeovil!

That is amazing i live about 3 miles from Cranfield airfield do you know when she was scrapped or was it a long lingering death?

I only ask as she was certainally unique.

curlyboy

And let’s not forget that it is the Fairey ROTODYNE!:)

The Rotodyne wasn’t of course by definition a helicopter.
The noise from the tip jets was however horrific when it was in vertical flight and this didn’t help it’s case, although this problem was allegedly close to some sort of a solution.
I would suspect the real reasons for it’s demise lie more with the forced political integration of rotary wing aviation under “Wastelands” and the subsequent rationalisation of the sector ; resulting in the Westminster also being chopped and its remains dumped in a quarry. The sad remnants of the Rotodyne lingered for many years at Cranfield post dismemberment of the aircraft -it certainly seemed to have had no friends at the company headquarters in Yeovil!
One looks to Groen Brothers in Utah to see what might yet still be possible with the Rotodyne concept.

I have read somewhere that it was the noisiest helicopter ever! The idea of using it in Central London (e.g. at Battersea Heliport) was thus never a starter!

The Helicopter Museum at Weston Super Mud has the mortal remains – a section of fuselage, tip motor and a large lump of medievil plumbing that was the mast internal structure and rotor head.

Was it the most noisey of all the biggest rotocraft beast’s of all time, WELL so far anyway??

What a mean hybid Chopper hey!, seen a few like it built in the state’s and ruskie’s had a few weird experiment’s, but nuthin quiet as big.

It most certainly was there in 1961. It didn’t land but flew in daily from White Waltham, then returned and in RAF markings. Unfortunately, it did not appear on the public days, but here it is during the week.

Adrian,

I have a series of Farnborough videos from mid 1950’s to early 1960’s. I would imagine that they were originally prepared for cinema news audiences.

The one for 1961, with a commentary by Raymond Baxter, shows the Rotodyne in RAF markings making a couple of passes and but not landing on film. It carries RAF roundels and flashes.

Mark

Linky no worky 🙁

Try this link then!

http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/mus/uk/l-m/musberkshireavtn.htm

It’s in my Farnborough book, but under Westland Rotodyne instead of Fairey, except for the first appearance.

It most certainly was there in 1961. It didn’t land but flew in daily from White Waltham, then returned and in RAF markings. Unfortunately, it did not appear on the public days, but here it is during the week.

So that why it’s not on the list for 61 😀

We have the Gyrodyne at the Museum of Berkshire Aviation, Woodley

http://www.aero51.plus.com/html/exhibits/gyrodyne.htm

Linky no worky 🙁

Hi.
I don’t think the Fairey Rotodyne was at the 1961 Show, It’s not in the
book i have on Farnborough.
Phil.

It most certainly was there in 1961. It didn’t land but flew in daily from White Waltham, then returned and in RAF markings. Unfortunately, it did not appear on the public days, but here it is during the week.

Only one Rotodyne prototype was built, but it performed admirably. It set a world speed record for a helicopter, at 190.9 mph (307 km/h) on 5 January 1959, over a 100 km closed circuit. As well as being fast, the craft had several safety features: it could hover with one engine shut down and its propellor feathered, and the prototype demonstrated several fully autogiro landings. The prototype was demonstrated several times at the Farnbourgh and Paris air shows, regularly amazing onlookers. The Rotodyne’s tip drive and unloaded rotor made her performance far better when compared to pure helicopters and other forms of ‘convertiplanes’. The aircraft could be flown at 175 knots (324 km/h) and pulled into a steep climbing turn without demonstrating any adverse handling characteristics.

Not conclusive proof, but the project was cancelled in 2/62. Below is a link
on W/Cmdr. Wallis’s page to the Rotodyne video.

http://www.edp24.co.uk/Content/Features/WallisKen/020110wallis.asp

I do know it was at Farnborough, I still don’t think it was there in 1961 thats all.
Phil.

Hi.
I don’t think the Fairey Rotodyne was at the 1961 Show, It’s not in the
book i have on Farnborough.
Phil.

Only one Rotodyne prototype was built, but it performed admirably. It set a world speed record for a helicopter, at 190.9 mph (307 km/h) on 5 January 1959, over a 100 km closed circuit. As well as being fast, the craft had several safety features: it could hover with one engine shut down and its propellor feathered, and the prototype demonstrated several fully autogiro landings. The prototype was demonstrated several times at the Farnbourgh and Paris air shows, regularly amazing onlookers. The Rotodyne’s tip drive and unloaded rotor made her performance far better when compared to pure helicopters and other forms of ‘convertiplanes’. The aircraft could be flown at 175 knots (324 km/h) and pulled into a steep climbing turn without demonstrating any adverse handling characteristics.

Not conclusive proof, but the project was cancelled in 2/62. Below is a link
on W/Cmdr. Wallis’s page to the Rotodyne video.

http://www.edp24.co.uk/Content/Features/WallisKen/020110wallis.asp

It’s almost a year since this thread was added to, so thought I would revive it by making another appeal for any more photos of the Fairey Rotodyne, especially anything taken at Farnborough in 1961 showing it in RAF markings?

Hi.
I don’t think the Fairey Rotodyne was at the 1961 Show, It’s not in the
book i have on Farnborough.
Phil.

by making another appeal for any more photos of the Fairey Rotodyne, especially anything taken at Farnborough in 1961 showing it in RAF markings?

Did it appear in RAF colours? My searching makes it look like looking for hens’ teeth! But I did find this interesting photo which shows the Rotodyne with three tail fins.

Why not start a new thread instead of raking up an old one? You could always include a reference to the old one, after all.

What would be the advantage of that Peter? :confused: