Fairey FB-1 Gyrodyne

infobox Aircraft
name = FB-1 Gyrodyne
type = Gyrodyne
manufacturer = Fairey



caption = The Fairey FB-1 Gyrodyne prototype in test
first flight = 4 December 1947
designer= Dr. J.A.J. Bennett
introduced =
retired = Cancelled 1949
status =
primary user =
more users =
produced =
number built = 2
unit cost =
developed from = Cierva C.39 Gyrodyne 1936 design study
variants with their own articles =Jet Gyrodyne

The Fairey FB-1 Gyrodyne was an experimental British rotorcraft that used single lifting rotor and a tractor propeller mounted on the tip of the starboard stub wing to provide both propulsion and anti-torque reaction.

Design and development

In April 1946 Fairey announced a private-venture project for a rotary-wing aircraft, to be built to a design originated by Dr. J.A.J. Bennett when he was Chief Technical Officer of the Cierva Autogiro Company, Ltd., during the period 1936 - 1939. The Gyrodyne, designated C.41 by the Cierva Autogiro Company, was in 1938 successfully tendered to the Royal Navy in response to Specification S.22/38 for a naval helicopter. Though preliminary work started on the project, it was abandoned with the outbreak of the Second World War, and G & J Weir, Ltd., the financiers of the Cierva Autogiro Company, declined to undertake further development in addition to their successful experiments with the W.5 and W.6 lateral twin-rotor helicopters. After the Second World War, the Cierva Autogiro Company was engaged with the development of the W.9 "Drainpipe" and the W.11 "Air Horse" helicopters under the direction of Cyril G. Pullin, and Bennett joined Fairey in late 1945 as head of the newly established rotary wing aircraft division.

The Gyrodyne was a compact, streamlined rotorcraft weighing just over 2,000 kilogrammes and powered by a 525 hp Alvis Leonides radial engine, the power from which could be transmitted in variable ratios to the fixed-shaft/swashplate-actuated tilting hub controlled rotor and the wing tip mounted propeller. The Gyrodyne possessed the hovering capability of a helicopter, while its propeller provided the necessary thrust for forward flight to enable its rotor, driven at low torque in cruise flight, to operate at low collective pitch with the tip-path plane parallel to the flight path to minimise vibration at high airspeed.

A government contract to Specification E.4/46 was awarded for two prototypes with the first Fairey Gyrodyne exhibited as an almost complete airframe at White Waltham on 7 December 1946.

Testing and evaluation

On 4 December 1947, the first of the two prototypes took off from White Waltham airport, and continued to build up flying time until March 1948 when it was dismantled for a thorough examination. The second prototype, basically similar to the first but with more comfortable interior furnishings befitting its role as a passenger demonstrator, was flying by the time of the next SBAC Display, in September 1948, at Farnborough. The first prototype was reassembled and, following further test flying, took part in an attempt to set a new world helicopter speed record in a straight line.

On 28 June 1948, flown by test pilot Basil Arkell, the Gyrodyne made two flights in each direction over a 3 kilometre course at White Waltham, achieving 200 kph, enough to secure the record. An attempt was to be made in April 1949 to set a 100 kilometre closed-circuit record, but two days before the date selected an inflight rotor hub failure resulted in the crash of the aircraft at Ufton, near Reading, killing the pilot, F.H. Dixon and observer, Derek Garraway.

The Gyrodyne had been selected for use by the British Army for use in Malaya, beating both the Westland-Sikorsky S.51 "Dragonfly" and Bristol 171 "Sycamore", with an order for six approved by the Treasury at the time of the accident. Though the Gyrodyne's projected performance was significantly better than that of the S.51, and was expected to be in service earlier than the 171, the crash of the first prototype delayed the development programme and the Army, having no other choice, acquired three S.51 "`Dragonflies", followed by a number of 171 "Sycamores" at a later date.

The second Gyrodyne was grounded during the accident investigation which determined flapping link failure due to poor machining as the cause. The extensively modified second prototype, renamed Jet Gyrodyne, flew in January 1954. Though retaining the name "Gyrodyne", the Jet Gyrodyne was a compound gyroplane, and did not operate on the same principle as the original aircraft. It had a two blade rotor controlled with manually operated cyclic and collective pitch mechanisms, and was driven by tip jets fed with air from two compressors driven by the Alvis Leonides radial engine. Pusher propellers, one mounted at the tip of each stub wing, provided yaw control through differential pitch, and thrust for forward flight. The Jet Gyrodyne was constructed to provide rotor drive and operational data for the Fairey Rotodyne compound gyroplane.

The Jet Gyrodyne is on display at the Museum of Berkshire Aviation, Woodley, Reading.

pecifications (Fairey FB-1 Gyrodyne)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?= copter
jet or prop?= prop
ref=
crew=One
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 25 ft 0 in
length alt= 7.62 m
span main= 51 ft 9 in
span alt= 15.77 m
height main= 10 ft 2 in
height alt= 3.10 m
area main=
area alt=
airfoil=NACA 23018
empty weight main= 3,592 lb
empty weight alt= 1,633 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 4,789 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 2,177 kg
more general=
engine (prop)=Alvis Leonides
type of prop=9-cylinder radial piston engine
number of props=1
power main= 520 hp
power alt= 388 kW
power original=
max speed main= 122 knots
max speed alt= 140 mph, 225 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main=
ceiling alt=
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Fairey Jet Gyrodyne
* Fairey Rotodyne
similar aircraft=
* Piasecki 16H Pathfinder
* Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne
sequence=

lists=
* List of VTOL aircraft
see also=

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] Access date: 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.geocities.com/davidvwilliamson/rotodyne.html make a functioning toy rotodyne]