Fairey Jet Gyrodyne

Infobox Aircraft
name=Fairey Jet Gyrodyne
type=Gyrodyne
manufacturer=Fairey Aviation


caption=
designer=
first flight=January 1954 (free flight) 1 March 1955 (transition flight)
introduced=
retired=1961
status=
primary user=
more users=
produced=
number built=1
unit cost=
developed from= Fairey Gyrodyne
variants with their own articles=Fairey RotodyneThe Fairey Jet Gyrodyne was a British experimental compound autogyro built by the Fairey Aviation Company that incorporated helicopter, gyrodyne and autogyro characteristics. The Jet Gyrodyne was the subject of a Ministry of Supply research contract to gather data for the follow-up design, the Fairey Rotodyne.

Design and development

The Jet Gyrodyne was a modification of the second prototype Fairey Gyrodyne aircraft registered "G-AJJP". The Jet Gyrodyne was built specifically to develop the pressure-jet rotor drive system and operational procedures used on the later Fairey Rotodyne.

The appearance of the Jet Gyrodyne utilised the fuselage, undercarriage and engine of the FB-1 Gyrodyne. The Alvis Leonides 9 cylinder radial engine was situated in the middle of the fuselage and drove a pusher propeller at the tip of each stub wing and two Rolls Royce Merlin engine superchargers. The original three blade tilting hub rotor system was replaced by a two blade rotor controlled with cyclic and collective pitch controls. An empennage provided the necessary stabilization about the pitch and yaw axes.

For takeoff, landing, and low speed flight the rotor was driven by air delivered by the superchargers and burnt with fuel in blade-tip mounted pressure-jets. This zero-torque rotor drive did not required a compensating anti-torque system, though the collective pitch of the wingtip-mounted propellers was controlled by the rudder pedals to provide yaw control. As airspeed was gained, the rotor drive system was shut down allowing the rotor to autorotate while the propellers provided the necessary thrust. For slow speed flight and landing, the rotor drive system was restarted to provide hovering capability.

Operational history

Tethered flights at White Waltham were followed by the first free flight in January 1954, but a full transition from helicopter to autogyro flight was not achieved until March 1955, piloted by John N. Dennis. System proving continued and by September 1956, 190 transitions and 140 autorotative landings had been completed. Development of inflight rotor drive restart procedure resulted in several power-off autorotational landings until the method was perfected. The Jet Gyrodyne was underpowered and could carry sufficient fuel for only 15 minutes of flight; on occasion external fuel tanks were carried to increase endurance.

The Jet Gyrodyne was retired once ground testing of the Rotodyne rotor drive system commenced.

Although scheduled for scrapping in 1961, the Jet Gyrodyne (serial "XD759" later "XJ389") survived and today is displayed at the Museum of Berkshire Aviation, on loan from the RAF Museum collection.

pecification

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=copter
jet or prop?=both

ref=British Aircraft Director"Fairey Gyrodyne". "British Aircraft Directory". 13 August 2006. [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=349 Fairey Gyrodyne] Retrieved: 18 August 2006.]

crew=
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length main=25 ft
length alt=7.6 m
span main=51 ft 9 in
span alt=15.8 m
height main=10 ft 2 in
height alt=3.10 m
area main= ft²
area alt= m²
airfoil=
empty weight main=3,600 lb
empty weight alt=1,600 kg
loaded weight main=4,800 lb
loaded weight alt=2,200 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=

engine (jet)=wingtip
type of jet=compressed air/fuel burning
number of jets=2
thrust main= lbf
thrust alt= kN
engine (prop)=Alvis Leonides
type of prop=9-cylinder radial engine
number of props=1
power main= hp
power alt= kW
propellers=3-bladed
propeller or rotor?=propeller
number of propellers per engine=2

max speed main=140 mph
max speed alt=120 knots, 224 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= mi
range alt= nm, km
ceiling main=
ceiling alt=
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=

ee also

aircontent
related=Fairey FB-1 Gyrodyne
similar aircraft=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Charnov, Dr. Bruce H. "The Fairey Rotodyne: An Idea Whose Time Has Come – Again?" (Based on Charnov, Dr. Bruce H. "From Autogiro to Gyroplane: The Amazing Survival of an Aviation Technology". Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 2003. ISBN 978-1567205039.) [http://www.gyropilot.co.uk/downloads/Rotodyne%202%20RTF%20Mod.pdf Detailed History] Retrieved: 18 May 2007.
* Green, William and Pollinger, Gerald. "The Observer's Book of Aircraft, 1958 edition". London: Fredrick Warne & Co. Ltd., 1958.
* Taylor, H.A. "Fairey Aircraft since 1915". Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1974. ISBN 0-87021-208-7.
* Winchester, Jim, ed. "Fairey Rotodyne." "Concept Aircraft" (The Aviation Factfile). Rochester, Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2005. ISBN 1-84013-809-2.

External links

* [http://www.museumofberkshireaviation.co.uk Museum of Berkshire Aviation website]
* [http://avia.russian.ee/helicopters_eng/fairey_jet-r.html Fairey Jet Gyrodyne at avia.russia.ee]