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.

😉 Lovely pictures. 🙂 Anna

Thank you Anna, your so kind 🙂
phil.

A few of mine, anyone guess were the first one was shot.

One from Finningley 1991.

Ah. That’ll probably be a no then!

Just Googled It,

OO-ATD was removed from the register in October 29, 1957 and was re-matriculated OO-ATO and entered as no. 1159 in the Air Ministry register. With this new designation the aircraft became a working tool of the “Association d’Etudes et de Recherches Aérologiques (AERA)”, a company with limited liabilities founded by four young pilots consisting of Roland d’Huart (son of the Baron d’Huart), Jean d’Otreppe de Bouvette, Arnoud de Broqueville and Didier de Méeus.

On June 7, 1980 the plane took of from the Grimbergen airfield pulling a publicity banner. The pilot was supposed to land at Temploux (Namur) for a refill. Up till then the pilot had had a favorable wind and as he reached Temploux decided he was good enough on fuel to stay up and start on his next leg to the Latour airfield, near Virton. That turned out to be a wrong estimate, for before reaching his final destination his engine stopped in mid-air for lack of petrol. The pilot disconnected the banner and started his crash-land procedure aiming to put down his plane on a field he had spotted before. In the course of his approach flight and as he lined up his aircraft, the engine came to life again. The pilot had new hopes now to still reach the airfield, but again the engine went dead on him and this time there was no suitable landing field available. Eventually, an apple tree turned out to be the last resting place for his plane. The pilot himself got his chin injured. The remnants of the plane ended up in a shed at the d’Huart domain.

Jean Stampe was asked to build a replica using the bits and pieced left from the crashed aircraft, but the project was soon abandoned. Jean Stampe and Alfred Renard were quite correct in stating that the endeavor would be difficult and a lot more expensive in labor time than building a new plane. Jean Stampe then suggested using an SV-4B stricken from the registry to put on exhibition at the museum. Thus happened. A declassified fuselage was hauled back from the air force depot. The once V-57 c/no. 1199 was then completely overhauled and painted before being exhibited at the Royal Brussels Army and Military History Museum. For years visitors kept on being wrongly informed as they heard this to be the original Divoy and Donnet escape plane. On top of that it was used as genuine official information by newspapers and magazines, including the official ones.

[QUOTE=Mark12]

A Stampe in RAF markings, and somewhere in the back of mind is that these may be the impressment markings of the the Stampe flown over by Mike Donnet when he escaped from Belgium to join the RAF.

This is the Aircraft that Mike Donnet flew out of Belgium,pics taken from “Flight To Freedom”, as you can see the Markings are not the same, must have been changed later on.
Phil.

Grammar and word choice notwithstanding, the below is the result of 20 seconds work in MS Word:

That would remove one of your forum annoyances, wouldn’t it?

No, just look at “there knowledge” is that right and that is without using MS word.

Hi.
This was one of the gate guards at MCAS El Toro, taken in 1988.
Regards Phil.