Скачать или смотреть This 1950s Aircraft Could Take Off Like a Helicopter and Fly Like a Plane

The Rotodyne was the culmination of over 15 years of experimentation by Fairey Aviation, which had inherited the gyrodyne concept from the Cierva Autogyro Company. As early as the late 1940s, Fairey engineers, under the guidance of Dr. J.A.J. Bennett, explored hybrid rotorcraft designs combining the free-wheeling rotor of an autogyro with the powered lift of a helicopter. Their aim was to overcome the limitations of helicopters, notably torque effects, drivetrain complexity, and limited speed due to retreating blade stall.

The experimental Gyrodyne (1947) and Jet Gyrodyne (1953) proved the feasibility of tip-jet rotor propulsion and hybrid control mechanisms. These experimental platforms laid the foundation for the Rotodyne, which by the mid-1950s had evolved into a fully-fledged project backed by government funding. Fairey envisioned the aircraft as a “BEAline Bus”—a commuter aircraft for British European Airways capable of carrying 30–40 passengers across short-to-medium haul routes with STOL or VTOL capabilities.